One of the greatest delights in the world for me is to discover a new, wonderful writer. My latest discovery is S. J. Bolton who has published three novels so far (I own them all now). Bolton’s first novel, Sacrifice, starts with the narrator, obstetrician Tora Hamilton, discovering a body of woman buried in the peat moss behind her house. The setting is the insular Shetland Islands where Tora stumbles on a series of crimes that stretch back decades. What makes Sacrifice so compelling is Bolton’s ability to generate suspense as Tora manages to find herself in more and more menacing situations. Bolton keeps ratcheting up the danger. You’ll be on the edge of your seat for most of Sacrifice. This is a stunning good first novel! GRADE: A-

Grab a copy of 500 Essential Cult Books and look forward to hours browsing. You’ll see some great cover art and some books you’d love to own. The authors try to present a cross-section of books: paperbacks, hardcovers, fiction, non-fiction, and graphic novels. Yes, some will quibble that this or that title isn’t included. But, if you want to see the covers of 500 unique books, run out and buy this book. That may encourage McKinnon & Holland to start working on a sequel. GRADE: A

Tony Judt was one of my favorite historians. He died August 6, 2010 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” In his final year of life, Judt worked feverishly on this book: Ill Fares the Land, which is his final statement about Life. Judt says we are becoming more selfish and isolated from one another. The Right is attacking Social Security and unemployment benefits while playing the “immigrant card” to garner votes. Judt argues persuasively that only government can address large problems like global warming and energy shortages. This slim book holds plenty of wisdom. I also recommend Tony Judt’s masterpieces: Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 and Reappraisals: Reflections on the Forgotten Twentieth Century. GRADE: A

By the time you read this, I’ll be fast asleep (with the help of some Versed) and undergoing a routine colonoscopy. I’m sure most of you have had this fun procedure. Actually, the worst part was the “prep” which I endured yesterday. Colon-rectal cancer is largely preventable if you have regular colonoscopies and have any pre-cancerous polyps removed. Early detection and treatment are the keys. And, you get to wake up to a kindly nurse. If you’d like to read about Dave Barry’s hilarious colonoscopy, click here. I plan to sleep off the Versed so if I don’t respond to your comment right away, please understand I need to be lucid (or something close to it) in order to respond. I should be fully recovered by tomorrow.

The Charlie Chan Collection includes Dark Alibi, Dangerous Money, The Trap, and The Chinese Ring from 1946 and 1947. I know the Charlie Chan films fell out of favor for years, victims of political correctness and charges of racism. I’m glad these films are being released so a new generation can judge them. These four films have never been on DVD before. If you’re a Charlie Chan fan, you can find almost all the movies on DVD. The only two not available yet are Chinatown and The Red Dragon. You can find this set at Sam’s Club or BJ’s Warehouse for about $25.

There aren’t too many books that I will drop everything to read, but those by Matthew Hughes make the list. Planet Stories just published Template, the story of a duelist from the gaming world of Thrais (think a Las Vegas world), where free markets and gambling reign supreme. Conn Labro, one of the greatest players on Thrais, finds himself swept up in a conspiracy that takes him to Old Earth where he finds that his origins and his future are involved in aristocratic skulduggery. Reading Matthew Hughes is almost like reading Jack Vance. That’s the highest praise I can think of. GRADE: A

Sorry for the dinky graphic. James Warner Bellah wrote the novelization of his screenplay (with Willis Goldbeck, based on a story by Dorothy M. Johnson) for The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance in 1962. There were a couple of paperback editions and then…nothing. Talk about being forgotten! James Warner Bellah wrote for The Saturday Evening Post and published over a dozen novels. He was also a successful Hollywood screenwriter. Bellah wrote the screenplays for The Sea Chase (1955), Thunder of Drums (1961), and X-15 (1961).

James Warner Bellah’s novels Dancing Lady (1932) and The Command (1954) were made into a movies. The movie Fort Apache (1948) was based on Bellah’s short story “Massacre” (later issued as a book), and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) was based on “War Party.” He both wrote the novel and later, the screenplay based on it, Sergeant Rutledge (1960) . Bellah also appeared in bit parts and as an extra in movies including The Man Behind the Gun (1952).

I loved the movie version of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance when I saw it as a kid. I immediately bought the Gene Pitney song (written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David) and read James Warner Bellah’s book at the Library. Those memories have stayed with me all these years.

The Girl Who Played With Fire, based on the flawed Stieg Larsson novel with the same title, features another electrifying performance by Noomi Rapace as the elfin computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander. If you haven’t read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo or seen the movie of the same name, you’ll be very confused about what’s happening in The Girl Who Played With Fire. The director and screenwriter pretty much assume you’ve read the books as they follow Larsson’s plot relentlessly. This movie lacks the intensity of the previous movie, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, simply because the two main characters, Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist, are separated for most of the film. However, once the murderous climax unfolds, you’ll be on the edge of your seat. All three MILLENNIUM movies were filmed together. The last installment, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, will open around Christmas. I can’t wait. GRADE: B+

“We had been living together for about a week when my roommate told me she had asked specifically to be paired up with a girl from a world as different as possible from her own.” That’s the opening line to Sigrid Nunez’s remarkable novel, The Last of Her Kind. Dooley Ann Drayton comes from the moneyed class, yet she devotes her life to the poor and oppressed. Her college roommate is Georgette George, born into hard-scrabble life with a violent mother and troubled siblings. One of these women will commit a murder. The Last of Her Kind is a social history. The two college students attend Barnard in the Sixties just as civil rights and the Vietnam War ignite student movements. Woodstock, Altamont, marijuana, LSD, speed, all become part of the story. Sigrid Nunez brings startling narrative effects to her story. Most of the book is narrated by Georgette, but when Georgette has an affair, she finds she can only relate it to us in the third person. And then there’s the shocking prison journal. I cannot praise this tour de force too much. It’s amazing! The Last of Her Kind is the best book I’ve read in 2010 so far. GRADE: A

(Thanks to the North Tonawanda Public Library for providing this book.)

Back in 1995, when Cutthroat Island was released, the movie opened and closed here in a week. Somehow, an action movie about a lady pirate didn’t appeal to mass audiences back then. If you missed Cutthroat Island on the first go-round, you’re in luck! I found a Blu-ray version of Cutthroat Island at BJ’s Warehouse for $7.99. Remember when Blu-ray movies were going for $25-$30? As I predicted a few months ago, prices are falling for Blu-ray movies, many can be found under $10. Cutthroat Island is pure fun: sword fights, swashbuckling adventures, and some light romance. But the reason to watch this movie in the Blu-ray HDTV format is for the colorful island spectacle and the elaborate ship-to-ship battle scenes. If you want crackling action featuring the delightful Geena Davis, the cute Matthew Modine, and the sinister Frank Langella, Cutthroat Island delivers. GRADE: B+