Clark Ashton Smith wrote incredible tales, mostly for Weird Tales, in the 1930s. Most of these stories have been out-of-print for years. Night Shade Books has done a wonderful job restoring these classics. The Maze of the Enchanter is the fourth volume of Clark Ashton Smith short stories to appear in as many years. Edited by Scott Connors and Ron Hilger, many of these stories are appearing in their original form for the first time (they were heavily edited when first published). “Genius Loci,” “The Dark Eidolon,” and “The Weaver in the Vaults” and 17 other stories are included in this volume. The restorations show the full brilliance of Clark Ashton Smith’s unique style in these tales. Gahan Wilson provides an insightful INTRODUCTION. If you love great writing and tales with a sense of wonder, The Maze of the Enchanter delivers.

You can read Basic Black as a personal history of publishing or you can read it as a management text. Either way, there are plenty of insights to be gained here. Cathie Black heads Hearst Magazines, including COSMOPOLITAN, ESQUIRE, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, HARPER’S BAZAAR and O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE. Cathie was the first woman publisher of a weekly consumer magazine when took over in 1979. She has also president of USA TODAY. So on one level, you read about the evolution (or deevolution) over the publishing industry. On another level, Cathie Black tells you how she achieved management success when women were basically serfs. I enjoyed this engaging book. GRADE: B+

Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series has always been a favorite of mine. It features a rogue British officer who moves up the ranks of Wellington’s army through guile and courage. In the BBC version, Sharpe is well played by Sean Bean. His Sharpe confronts the rigors of warfare in the battles of the Napoleonic Wars leading up to Waterloo. The complete box set of the Sharpe series (15 DVDs) is going for $313.99 on AMAZON. If you have a BJ’s Warehouse near you, you can find the Sharpe series (3 DVDs each) selling for $24.99 per set! That’s the compete set for $125. Don’t miss this bargain. It won’t last for long.

The Polity is a future civilization run by artificial intelligences. But when the Polity meets an aggressive alien race of massive, crablike carnivores known as the Prador, war ensues. This is Space Opera with plenty of action and a high body count. If you haven’t sampled Neal Asher’s Polity series, this is your best entry point. Then, if you’re like me, you’ll want to read them all:
1. Prador Moon
2. The Shadow of the Scorpion
3. Gridlinked
4. The Line of Polity
5. Brass Man
6. Polity Agent
7. Line War
8. The Skinner
9. The Voyage of the Sable Keech
10. Orbus
11. Hilldiggers

If you’ve ever wondered why so many products are cheaply made and don’t last, Ellen Ruppel Shell has the answer. She explores the Wal-Mart effect of discounting everything and the unintended consequences in terms of destruction of small businesses and impoverishing workers. Shell shows that globalization extracts a high price for all those cheap products. What we’ve been taught about materialism as a “bargain” has some dangerous side-effects. The whole “race-to-the-bottom” issue gets a good airing. I found Cheap a fascinating analysis of our economy and culture. GRADE: A

Christina Courtin is another local artist. She grew up in Amherst, NY just a few miles away from my house. Christina has a clear, bright voice. Her songs vary from the quirky to the upbeat. If you enjoy the music of Neko Case and Regina Spektor, you’ll like Christina Courtin’s tunes. GRADE: B+

“At first we gave it away. Then the addicts will do anything to get more.” That’s how the crank business works. Nick Reding spent four long years researching this book about methamphetamine labs in small rural towns. Reding picks Oelwein, Iowa for his case study. The Mayor, the Police Chief, the meth addicts all tell Reding their stories. As family farms fail, as rural life reached new economic lows, making money from brewing home-made methamphetamine gains a certain logic. Reding tracks the growth of druggie entrepreneurship despite the DEA and fumbling Federal legislation. Any who thinks this addiction issue is just going to go way is kidding themselves. This is an eye-opening book on the growing meth problem. The book’s only fault is the lack of an index. GRADE: B+

 This omnibus edition of Murray Leinster’s “Med Ship” series includes “Med Ship Man,” “Plague on Kryder II,” “The Mutant Weapon” (aka, “Med Service”), “Ribbon in the Sky,” “Tallien Three,” “Quarantine World,” “The Grandfathers’ War,” and “Pariah Planet” (aka, “This World is Taboo”). Murray Leinster is a master story-teller. His work always delivers a compelling plot and fascinating characters. Parts of the Med Ship series were published in ACE Doubles. It’s nice to have this complete package with the entire saga in one place. If you haven’t read these wonderful stories, what are you waiting for?  GRADE: A-

Kate Bush: Hounds of Love, A Classical Album Under Review explores every song on the album. There are live and studio versions of every track. The DVD has journalists Kris Needs and Lucy O’Brien commenting on every song. Musicologist Chris Ingham critiques the Kate Bush compositions from his piano. Also included are archive interviews with Kate Bush from the time the album was released in the 1980’s as well as snippets from the music videos. After watching this DVD, I immediately wanted to listen to Hounds of Love again. If you’re a Kate Bush fan, and I am, you’ll find this documentary DVD well worth the money. GRADE: A-

Jennifer Nettles, with her distinctive voice, and her “straight-man” duo partner, Kristin Bush, have released this rollicking live album which includes a 10-song CD and a 15-song DVD. “Settlin'” is here and so is “Already Gone.” Diane likes “All I Want to Do” and “Stay.” Sugarland is one of those Country-Western groups that have crossed-over into the lucrative pop music mainstream. They performed with Bon Jovi in a memorable CMT CROSSROADS program a few years ago. It’s a nice video if you can find a used copy. Sugarland is one of the few contemporary groups I would pay Real Money to see. They’re touring with Keith Urban and should play a concert in Buffalo in October. Meanwhile we’ll be listening to this CD and occasionally dip into the DVD. Be warned: you can only buy Sugarland: Live on the Inside at Wal-Mart! GRADE: B+