Liz Williams’ Snake Agent works the same side of the street as Jim Butcher’s “The Dresden Files” and Simon R. Green’s “Nightside Supernatural Detective” series. Detective Inspector Chen is assigned spooky cases (anything supernatural or mystical) in the Singapore Three Police Department. He is allied with a goddess who protects Chen (sometimes) and is the source of his powers (sometimes). Chen starts Snake Agent by investigating the murder of an industrialist’s daughter and uncovers a vast conspiracy that leads to Hell itself. Along the way, Chen finds himself working with Seneschal Zhu Irzh, a demon from Hell’s Vice Division. Together, they follow the clues to uncover a dangerous plot. For more information, you can check out Rick Robinson’s take on Snake Agent here. Liz Williams’ Snake Agent provides solid escapist entertainment. GRADE: B

PIZZA JUNCTION, my favorite pizza and sub restaurant, was featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins & Dives last night on THE FOOD NETWORK. That episode will be rebroadcast again Friday night at 9 P.M. EDT and Sunday at 3 P.M. EDT. Check your local listings for times in your area. When Art Scott visited us last summer, I took Art to lunch at PIZZA JUNCTION. You’ll never get a more satisfying pizza or sub anywhere else. Yum! If you’re in Western New York, don’t miss stopping in and having a memorable meal. And, if you invite me along, I’ll pay!

It was a sad day when I read John Mortimer’s Rumpole Misbehaves knowing it is likely the last Rumpole work that will be published. I’ve read all the Rumpole books over the years. I’ve watched the brilliant Leo McKern portray Old Bailey barrister Horace Rumpole in the PBS series. Mortimer’s character is witty, curmudgeonly, and absolutely devoted to the practice of law and justice. Rumpole’s wife, Hilda (aka, She Who Must Be Obeyed), plays a much larger role in the last half dozen books as Mortimer allows her a voice–and a chance to dump old Rumpole for an admiring Judge. For readers wanting to discover the delights of Rumpole’s courtroom antics, I recommend The Best of Rumpole. And, if you’re as entertained as I am by John Mortimer’s creation, you’ll end up reading all of the Rumpole Canon, too. GRADE: B+

Predictable? Yes. Leap Year is a formulaic romantic comedy. But it does have predictably good Amy Adams playing an uptight, control-freak who travels to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend on February 29. Irish tradition allows women to propose to men on that day and Amy Adams thinks this will be the key romantic moment for her relationship. Of course, everything about the trip goes wrong. Amy ends up hiring a scruffy Irishman named Declan (played by Matthew Goode) to take her to Dublin and predictably sparks start to fly. The soundtrack provides plenty of Irish music. The director, Anand Tucker, clearly loves the Irish countryside because this film could be used as a commercial for a vacation in Ireland with all the local scenery in every frame. Amy Adams epitomizes many women’s fantasy by having two men proposing marriage at the same time. She carries this routine movie with her smart cuteness and makes it worth watching. GRADE: B

Patti Abbott recommended Precious so I finally got around to viewing it. Talk about a journey to the lowest circles of Hell! Precious is a 355 lb. 16-year-old who has been abused by both her mother (played with Satanic fury by the comedian, Mo’Nique) and her father. Her father has repeatedly raped Precious and as the movie opens, she’s pregnant for the second time (the first child has Down Syndrome). The innovative casting results in some nice surprises: Mariah Carey shows up makeup-less as a no-nonsense social worker and Lenny Kravitz is convincing as a male nurse. Based on a character in Sapphire’s memoir Push, Precious endures a horrific life. Although there’s happy music in the background as the movie comes to a close, I wasn’t convinced that Precious’ life will be anything but hellish. GRADE: B

Robert Leslie Bellem was a million-word writer of the Age of Pulp. Although Bellem wrote mystery stories and adventure stories and the occasional western, Bellem is best known for his “Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective” series that ran in the pulp magazines from 1934 to 1950. I’m recommending The Case Files of Dan Turner Hollywood Detective, Volume 1: The Spicy Years because I’ve found these earlier stories more fun and less formulaic than the dozens of Dan Turner stories that follow. Bellem writes with pride that he had a Dan Turner story published in every issue of Spicy Stories for seven straight years. If you enjoy screwball action and thrill-a-minute writing, Robert Leslie Bellem’s Dan Turner will provide it. I also recommend Bellem’s classic Blue Murder.

Every home should have a copy of Garner’s Modern American Usage: The Authority on Grammar, Usage, and Style. This book is inspired by W. H. Fowler’s classic A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, Garner’s book provides current examples and usage for writers. This is a must-have book for those who want to improve their writing. Each of the approximately 7,000 entries provides a definition, discusses the usage of the word, provides illustrative quotations, and gives citations to the references and quotations. If you’re confused about “lay/lie” or the proper use of apostrophes or commas, Garner explains their proper use in detail. This is an entertaining, frequently witty, and unpretentious resource. I know of no other grammar guide that comes close to Garner’s brilliant reference book. GRADE: A+

Racing Odysseus: A College President Becomes a Freshman Again begins with the author, Roger H. Martin, in a Johns Hopkins’ treatment room dying of cancer. He opts for an experimental treatment and suddenly his cancer is in remission. Martin decides to take a sabbatical from his college president job and spend a year as a freshman at St. John’s college. St. John’s is a “Great Books” school that focuses on classics to teach the curriculum. Plenty of Homer and Plato. I wish the book focused on this aspect of Martin’s freshman year. Martin takes a “vow of silence” in the seminars which seems to defeat the purpose of his quest. Martin spends more time on his passion of joining the rowing team than pondering the great literature he’s reading. So Racing Odysseus is a mixed bag. The gold standard for this kind of book is David Denby’s brillant Great Books. Racing Odysseus doesn’t come close. GRADE: B-

The two postings that generated the most comments in the second half of 2009 both were part of Patti Abbott’s FORGOTTEN BOOKS series. Shirley Jackson’s classic The Haunting of Hill House garnered plenty of appreciation. And Victor Appleton II’s Tom Swift and the Caves of Nuclear Fire produced reminiscences galore. Drongo actually found a copy of the book and read it! I want to thank Jeff, Patti, Rick, Deb, Art, Bill, Steve, Drongo, Beth, Bob, Richard, David, Tina, Todd, Evan, James, Micheal, Ed, Katie, Martin, Fred, Tom, Juri, Dan, Scott, Phil, Terrie, and all the rest of you for your support. This blog is a partnership and you’re doing a great job holding up your end of the deal!

David Thomson’s The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder explores the impact of Hitchcock’s masterpiece on other movies. The first half of this slim book retells in detail how Hitchcock made Psycho. Nuggets like how author Robert Bloch sold the book rights for a mere $9,000 and how Janet Leigh was had for $25,000. Thomson shows how Hitchcock played the censors to get Psycho released uncut. The second half of the book deals with Psycho’s impact on subsequent films. The Moment of Psycho is a quick read, but there’s plenty here to think about. GRADE: B+