Saturday, September 03, 2011

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

Amazon.com: Make Mine a Mystery II: A Reader's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction (Genreflecting Advisory Series) (9781598845891): Gary Warren Niebuhr: Books: In this follow-up and companion to the author's previous title, Make Mine a Mystery: A Reader's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction, renowned expert on the mystery and detective genre Gary Warren Niebuhr brings readers' advisors and librarians a new resource guide that categorizes and describes recently published mystery novels.

Make Mine a Mystery II examines works by prominent established authors and includes books from new writers not in the previous edition. Organizing some 700 titles in popular mystery series, the books within are divided into the broader types—amateur, public, and private detective. Each of the selections within these groups is further categorized by the type of protagonist: classic, eccentric, lone wolf, police, lawyer, and so on. The author even notes whether each detective is of the "hardboiled," "softboiled" (cozy), or traditional type, enabling users to easily identify read-alikes for mystery fans. This book will be especially helpful for collection development specialists seeking to create a balanced collection of titles.

They're Everywhere!

Even Wisconsin.

Hat tip to Steve Stilwell.

Christmas with the Dead Update

(re)search my Trash: An Interview with Terrill Lee Lankford, Director of Christmas with the Dead

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Man assaulted for taking too long to pump gas, Kent cops say

New Story at BEAT to a PULP

BEAT to a PULP :: Weekly Punch

Get a Rope!

Stolen Elvis mannequin found burned

Today's Vintage Ad


TOP 7 Killer Animal Films

TOP 7 Killer Animal Films

PaperBack


Rufus King, Case of the Constant God, Popular Library, 1949







Laurie McAllister, R. I. P.

latimes.com: Laurie Hoyt, who called herself Laurie McAllister when she hoisted the bass in L.A. bands the Runaways and the Orchids, died Aug. 25 in Eugene, Ore., according to her mother, Lavonne Hoyt. She said McAllister’s death was the result of asthma.

Born June 26, 1957, Laurie was the last in an illustrious line of foxy bass players to pass through the Runaways, the legendary all-girl band depicted in the 2010 movie "The Runaways." She joined guitarists-vocalists Joan Jett and Lita Ford and drummer Sandy West in 1978 and performed with the band live, but the Runaways broke up several months later. “Best job ever,” it said on McAllister’s Facebook profile, regarding her Runaways days.

Not That There's Anything Wrong with That

10 Best Selling Books That Were Rejected by Publishers

10 Best Selling Books That Were Rejected by Publishers

Today's Western Movie Poster


What's Scary Is That I've Heard Most of These

The Worst Songs of the Nineties

It's Really Not Wise to Violate a Gator

Five Shreveport suspects cited for alligator violations

7 "Eccentric" Geniuses Who Were Clearly Just Insane

7 "Eccentric" Geniuses Who Were Clearly Just Insane

The 10 Worst Heisman Trophy Winners of All Time

The 10 Worst Heisman Trophy Winners of All Time

Lady of the Tropics

"

Friday, September 02, 2011

Friday Night Music

Hat tip to Fred Blosser.

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

Amazon.com: Twice As Deadly eBook: Livia J Washburn: Kindle Store: Laura Bailey is a young woman struggling to establish herself as a private detective following the death of her father, a veteran PI who established the agency where she works. Set in a vividly depicted Dallas during the 1980s, the two novellas collected in this volume are action-packed private eye stories by one of the top authors in the genre, L.J. Washburn, the creator of the iconic PI character Lucas Hallam.

"Ancient and Deadly" originally appeared in THE BLACK MOON, published by Lynx Books. This is the first publication of "Deadly Performance".

Includes a new afterword by the author.

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

Only 99 cents!

Amazon.com: Toxicity eBook: Libby Fischer Hellmann: Kindle Store: Ten years before EASY INNOCENCE, PI Georgia Davis was a police officer on the force in a Chicago suburb. And while homicides are rare on the North Shore, three bodies turn up in quick succession—all of them dumped in waste disposal dumpsters or landfills. The investigations into the murders test the mettle and professionalism of a combined police task force. Along the way, they also test the strength of Georgia’s relationship with one of the detectives working the case. While Georgia, her detective boyfriend Matt, and his sometime partner John Stone pit their skills against those of an inventive killer, the daughter of a real estate mogul-- who just happens to have her eye on Matt -- complicates matters. A dark police procedural and thriller, TOXICITY is a prequel to the Georgia Davis PI series (EASY INNOCENCE and DOUBLEBACK).

OMG!

Mutant pig 'alien' born in Guatemala after UFOs seen in the sky

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

And it's only 99 cents!

Amazon.com: Little Girl Gone (A Logan Harper Thriller) eBook: Brett Battles: Kindle Store: For fans of Lee Child, John Gilstrap, and Barry Eisler comes a new thriller from Brett Battles, the Barry Award-winning author of the Jonathan Quinn series...

Logan Harper isn't looking for redemption. He just wants to live in peace and forget his troubled past. But one morning his quiet life is upended when he interrupts the attempted murder of his father’s best friend Tooney.


The next thing he knows, Logan is on his way to Los Angeles, searching for Tooney’s missing granddaughter and uncovering a sinister plot connected not only to Tooney’s Burmese past, but also to the boardrooms of corporate America.

As the odds stack up against him, Logan must fall back on old skills from the life he'd rather forget. He’s made a promise, and the only way to fulfill it is to bring the girl home alive.

Cool

Gil Brewer story to debut in NEEDLE

Headline of the Day

kspr.com: 3,000 Pair of Panties Found Along Ohio Highway

The Great Chinese Pastime

latimes.com: In an international twist in the Dodgers' ownership saga, Frank McCourt has been offered $1.2 billion to sell the team to a group indirectly financed by the government of China.

Crackdown!

Newton man will serve 10 days in jail for overdue library materials: A Newton man will serve 10 days in jail for failing to return materials to the library. Twenty-eight-year old Christopher Allen Anspach was arrested for failing to return nearly $800 in library materials.

Life Imitates "Art"


APORKALYPSE NOW

Today's Vintage Ad


The 6 Most Frequently Quoted Brain Facts (That Are Total BS)

The 6 Most Frequently Quoted Brain Facts (That Are Total BS)

PaperBack


John Jakes, Mention my Name in Atlantis, DAW, 1972.






Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Airman Online: For 50 years, West has given basic trainees at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, their first military haircut. Since he chose the barber’s clippers over teaching and mortician’s school at the age of 19, he estimates he’s cut the hair of between 1.3 and 1.5 million trainees.

10 Hollywood Stunt Doubles You Never Knew You Loved

10 Hollywood Stunt Doubles You Never Knew You Loved

Today's Western Movie Poster


Jim Winter's Road Rules Cyber Road Trip

Just What The Heck Is A Chest Of St. Jakob?


When I originally sketched the story that became Road Rules, I needed what the great Alfred Hitchcock called “the MacGuffin,” the object that causes all the trouble. The MacGuffin is a time-honored tradition in thrillers, crime fiction, mysteries, and the odd comedy. Hitchcock, who coined the phrase, once said you didn’t really even need to know what it was until you almost finished the film.


You can see a classic example of this in the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only. In that movie, one of the best of the Roger Moore films, Bond is chasing a control device for Britain’s submarine-based nuclear arsenal across the Mediterranean, leading to a climactic showdown with the KGB and one of the best lines in a Bond movie: “Détente, General. I don’t have it. You don’t have it.” The thing is, EON Productions had absolutely no idea what Roger Moore was going to toss over the side of a cliff until right before principle photography began. And yet it fit smoothly into the story.


I needed a MacGuffin for Road Rules. I knew early on that the Cadillac would be involved. But a little research revealed that a 1962 Cadillac Coupe deVille would not really warrant the chaos I planned to create. Even making it the limo of a reputed mobster like Sam Giancana or Carlo Gambino wouldn’t help. But what did Cleveland have that could cause so much havoc?


It had St. Stanislaus, the large Catholic Church in the heart of Slavic Village. Which meant Cleveland had a bishop. In fact, at the time I started working on Road Rules, Bishop Anthony Pilla was plotting his retirement, which meant Cleveland would soon get a new bishop. If the bishop had a flair for the theatrical, it might involve a holy relic coming to Cleveland. Given that Cleveland still has a very large Polish community, whose epicenter was St. Stanislaus.


Of course, I didn’t want to misuse St. Stanislaus. Plus a four-hour trip to Cleveland to shoot photos and bug the priests was not really feasible. So I created St. Jakob’s. And since we needed a St. Jakob, I created one, St. Jakob of Danzig. Couple that with a bored Sunday afternoon watching The History Channel, and I was able to see a special on holy relics of the Catholic Church, including the bones of various saints. One in particular, those of Saint Nicholas (Yes, the original Santa Claus), stuck out for me. So, throw the bones in an ornate chest, send it to Cleveland so a new bishop can make a big splash with his new flock, throw in one shady insurance adjuster to steal it, and we’re off to the races.


A race down I-77 to South Carolina, but off to the races just the same.


You can buy a copy at Amazon, B&N, or Smashwords.

The Best Guides to Book Collecting

Shelf Help: The Best Guides to Book Collecting on AbeBooks: At times, even the most knowledgeable collector must seek help in identifying a specific edition or completing their collection. And then there is the legion of people who love books but are baffled by the jargon of the rare book industry.

This selection of key reference books is designed to help beginners and perhaps some advanced collectors too. When it comes to learning about rare books, it is necessary to read more books. We have also included a couple of books that shed a little light on the rare book world itself and give some context to all the terminology.

Forgotten Books: The Man Who Was Thursday -- G. K. Chesterton

This is another one of those books that's not really forgotten. It's just neglected, I think, by crime-fiction readers. It's hard to describe, much less summarize. And, yes, the cover of the edition pictured here does have something to do with the plot.

The story opens with a discussion between Gregory and Syme, who discuss the nature of poetry. Gregory is an anarchist, and he believes that poetry is about revolt, whereas Syme insists that order is all and that the railroad timetable is man's most poetical creation. Later Gregory invites Syme for a drink. The table they're sitting at suddenly descends underground to the secret meeting place of an anarchist council, and then it gets weird. Each member of the council has taken the name of a day of the week, hence the book's title (which I love, by the way). It turns out that Syme is a policeman, and he gets himself elected head of the council.

Lots of action follows: sword fights, balloon escapes, chases on horseback, elephantback escapes, and more. What's revealed about the council and its members is best not mentioned here. You need to find that out for yourself.

Christian allegory, metaphysics, adventure, fantasy, action, and more. This book has it all. Not for everybody, I suspect, but check it out and give it a chance.

White Cargo

"

Thursday, September 01, 2011

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

Amazon.com: First In, Last Out: Three Tom Gregory Stories eBook: Gerald So: Kindle Store: Collected for the first time, three stories of ex-Marine sniper Tom Gregory. Includes work originally published in SHOTS: CRIME & THRILLER EZINE UK and D.Z. ALLEN'S MUZZLE FLASH.

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

Amazon.com: Tractor Girl eBook: James Reasoner: Kindle Store: Small-time crook Nick Paulson was pulled back from the brink of death by a blond goddess on an old red tractor. Wounded in an attempted mob execution, Nick thinks that the Texas farm where he finds himself recuperating from his injuries will be a good place to hide out from the men who want to kill him. But what he discovers there might turn out to be even more dangerous . . .

TRACTOR GIRL is a brand-new hardboiled crime novel in the classic mold of the 1950s Gold Medals from legendary yarnspinner James Reasoner, author of TEXAS WIND, DUST DEVILS, and DIAMONDBACK. Set in rural Texas in the early Fifties, filled with lust, obsession, greed, and violence and told at a breakneck pace, TRACTOR GIRL is redneck noir at its finest.

Never before published, 36,000 words.

A Birthday

While we were in Austin last weekend, we celebrated our son's birthday a little early (it was yesterday). And we got a surprise. He was trying to read the back of a DVD pack and couldn't. Judy pulled out a pair of old magnifying glasses she'd bought years ago and handed them to him. He was amazed to discover how easily he could read the words and how clear they were. It was a little of a shock to us to me and Judy to realize that he's starting to get far-sighted. How can that happen to someone who's so young? Well, maybe 41 isn't that young, after all, come to think of it. Happy birthday, Allen!

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

Amazon.com: Pearl on Fire eBook: Jerry Buck: Kindle Store: Newspaper obituary writer Sean Ellen Cox is one step away from her own gravestone for knowing too much—or too little. An artist friend hinted at his terror to her at his studio only hours before his murder, but the killer believes he told her everything. She knows nothing only that the artist mysteriously linked her to pearls—and wanted to paint like a Vermeer maiden.

She is aided, and sometimes undermined, by two detective lovers. Sean battles disbelief, treachery, fading loyalty, and scheming liaisons to a discovery that leaves her astonished—and humbly pleased. She is surrounded by people reluctant to reveal their own secrets, but all come unraveled on the way to a perilous climax—and surprising twist.

Jerry Buck was an Associated Press special writer and magazine writer in New York and Los Angeles. He is the author of two published novels and of two on Kindle. Plus numerous obituaries of the famous and infamous.

Bomb Canada

Ottawa man faces charges after spray-painting his name on the Grand Canyon

You Won't Be Surprised to Learn that Alcohol Was Involved

West Virginia News and Sports -: Tennessee police said they got a shock on Saturday when they discovered a wild raccoon in the car of a Parkersburg man arrested for streaking at a NASCAR event.

Ned Kelly Update

Bones of bush icon Ned Kelly identified | Reuters: Australian authorities have identified the remains of bushranger Ned Kelly, 131 years after the iconic outcast was hanged for murder and his body buried in the yard of a Melbourne gaol.

But mystery remains over the location of Kelly's skull, which was last thought to have sat on the desk of a Victorian state police detective in 1929.

Free Richard Stark E-Book!

Amazon.com: The Score (Parker Novels) eBook: Richard Stark, John Banville: Kindle Store: You probably haven’t ever noticed them. But they’ve noticed you. They notice everything. That’s their job. Sitting quietly in a nondescript car outside a bank making note of the tellers’ work habits, the positions of the security guards. Lagging a few car lengths behind the Brinks truck on its daily rounds. Surreptitiously jiggling the handle of an unmarked service door at the racetrack. They’re thieves. Heisters, to be precise. They’re pros, and Parker is far and away the best of them. If you’re planning a job, you want him in. Tough, smart, hardworking, and relentlessly focused on his trade, he is the heister’s heister, the robber’s robber, the heavy’s heavy. You don’t want to cross him, and you don’t want to get in his way, because he’ll stop at nothing to get what he’s after.Parker, the ruthless antihero of Richard Stark’s eponymous mystery novels, is one of the most unforgettable characters in hardboiled noir.

Today's Vintage Ad


Life Imitates "Art"

Missouri City homeowners fed up with feral hogs destroying their yards | abc13.com: One man is fed up with the feral hogs on his property. He says right now there's nothing he can do about it. He's frustrated and he's not alone. He lives near Watts and Sienna Parkway in Missouri City.

That homeowner says he had to redo all his landscaping, but it's a frustrating situation for many people because the hogs just keep coming back.

Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know about Naming Storms

Irene, Jose, Katia: A storm by any other name ... - CNN.com: In another time, Tropical Storm Katia, which was barreling across the Atlantic early Wednesday, would have been called Katrina.

That's because the National Hurricane Center uses a roster of names it repeats every six years.

PaperBack


Ray Slater (Joe R. Lansdale), Texas Night Riders, Leisure Books, 1983.






That'll Learn 'Em, Durn 'Em!

Lawsuit: Carver Primary School First Graders Were Handcuffed for Talking in Class: A South Side family is suing Chicago Public Schools claiming their son was one of several 6 and 7-year-olds who were handcuffed for hours because they were talking in class.
[. . . .]
Attorney Michael Carin said the students were taken to an office where they were handcuffed and told they were going to prison and would never see their parents again.

Paris Hilton Update

Paris Hilton's New Reality-TV Show Tanks and The Daily Beast Recaps Her Career - The Daily Beast: This week when it was announced that Paris Hilton’s latest reality-TV show venture, The World According to Paris was being canceled after barely scraping together 400,000 eyeballs for the premiere, it seemed like the end of an era. After all, it’s been 10 years since the celebutante, now 30, first graced us with her sometimes infuriating, often shocking, but always entertaining presence. In a way, Hilton ushered in the modern era of gossip rags and—along with Britney and Lindsay and Jessica—fueled a multimillion dollar dirt-digging industry. Without Paris, we wouldn’t have Perez Hilton. “That’s hot” would never have entered the national lexicon. And night-vision photography would never have been deemed sexy. We take a look back at the modern “It” girl, the woman who made being “famous for being famous” an art form, and her greatest hits and misses.

Top 10 Lost Films

Top 10 Lost Films: A lost film is one for which there is no known print to exhibit. Most of these films come, roughly, from around the turn of the century into the fifties, when less flammable film stock was adopted by the motion picture industry. It is estimated that more silent pictures are lost than survive, and there are scores of talking pictures from the thirties that are missing, as well. There are many reasons that a film becomes lost. The early film stock was flammable, and film warehouse fires were not uncommon. Sometimes studios destroyed the films themselves, through neglect, silver recovery processes or simply throwing them away. Additionally, old film stock turned to goo, even when properly stored, and films have been lost to film degradation. This is especially true of silent pictures. There are exceptions: Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton have only one or two lost films each.

Today's Western Movie Poster


Uh-Oh

ComingSoon.net: The Blues Brothers are planning to make a return to the small screen. Variety reports that Dan Aykroyd and Judy Belushi (the widow of the late John Belushi) are pitching a television series based on the comedy duo.

No Comment Department

Massage Parlor Mistrial Declared After Masseuse Recognizes Defense Lawyer as Client

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Woman arrested after throwing flip-flop at husband's crotch

Arrrrrrrr......

Blackbeard's Ship Confirmed off North Carolina: After 15 years of uncertainty, a shipwreck off the coast of North Carolina has been confirmed as that of the infamous 18th-century pirate Blackbeard, state officials say.

The Queen Anne's Revenge grounded on a sandbar near Beaufort (see map) in 1718, nine years after the town had been established. Blackbeard and his crew abandoned the ship and survived.

Thank Goodness Geezers Aren't Affected

Internet Addiction Among College Students: 10 Startling Trends

The Heavenly Body

"

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

New Story at BEAT to a PULP

BEAT to a PULP :: Weekly Punch

From Pablo D'Stair

The (KUBOA) Free E-Book catalogue is now LIVE (print versions coming 9/7/2011)

Rather than bore you, I'll say you can either check out the (KUBOA) site for information, here:www.kuboapress.wordpress.com

Or, if you already know about (KUBOA) and have been waiting for this or that title, you can just click from the following list:

CURRENT (KUBOA) CATALOGUE:

NOTE: The 69,70 limited preview will go live, 9/1/11, everything else is running, now

ambient Florida position by Josh Spilker: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85481

Grease Stains, Kismet, and Maternal Wisdom by Mel Bosworth: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85482

Cienfuegos by Chris Deal: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85486

Dirty Old Town by Nigel Bird: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85488

Listen: twenty-nine short conversations by Corey Mesler: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85490

Hand to Bone by Sarah D'Stair: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85491

roulettetown by Sarah D'Stair: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85495

they say the owl was a baker's daughter: four existential noirs by Pablo D'Stair: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85497
NOTE: This is a collection pf the following four novella: Kaspar Traulhaine, approximate; i poisoned you; twelve ELEVEN thirteen; man standing behind

PWA Banquet Is Open to the Public

Thrills! Chills! Dinner! Cocktails! Awards! The 30th annual PWA Shamus Awards Banquet will be Friday night, September 16, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at a St. Louis institution. No, we're not telling you which institution it is. It's a suprise - a great surprise, trust us, and transportation will be provided from the hotel. Tickets are $60, and we have lots of room for everyone (the event is open to the public), so email Bob Randisi at RRandisi@aol.com right this very minute for more information and to order your ticket.

Yet Another List I'm Not On

George Pelecanos Picks His Favorite Western Novels

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

NBC Washington: A College Park man has been accused of attacking a motorist with a live power line knocked down by the Hurricane Irene. According to authorities, on Sunday, August 28, 32-year-old Richard Bialczak tailed a man with his car and then got out and attacked him.

Ripper Update

BBC News - Is this the face of Jack the Ripper?: On this day 123 years ago, Jack the Ripper claimed his first victim. But who was this serial killer? This new e-fit finally puts a face to Carl Feigenbaum, a key suspect from Germany.

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Spring family goes whole hog to keep pet pig - Houston Chronicle: Wilbur the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig now has a lawyer, who will be a hero to fans of potbellied pigs everywhere if he can convince a Spring neighborhood association that Wilbur should have the same pet status as dogs and cats.

Paging Kharis

Ancient Egyptians used shampoo-like product on mummies | MNN - Mother Nature Network: Fat-based hair gel is believed to have been used to keep hair in place and improve a mummy's appearance.

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

And it's only 99 cents!

Amazon.com: Blood Guilt (Imagine every parent's worst nightmare...) eBook: Ben Cheetham: Books: Imagine every parent's worst nightmare - your child abducted. Now imagine that the only chance of getting your child back is a man who killed your soul mate...

After killing a man in a drunken brawl, Detective Inspector Harlan Miller loses everything - his wife, his job, his freedom. Soon after Harlan's prison term is over, the dead man's young son is abducted. When the official investigation hits a dead end, the boy's mother turns in desperation to Harlan - a man so eaten up with guilt he's willing to go to the limits of the law and beyond to find her son. So begins a frantic race against time that leads Harlan to a place darker than anything he experienced as a policeman, and a stark moral choice that'll either allow him to retrieve his life completely or completely destroy whatever's left of it.

Set in the hard northern English city of Sheffield, Blood Guilt is a gritty, twisting, fast-paced crime thriller that'll leave you questioning how far you'd go to protect society from the worst perversions of human nature. If you're a fan of David Peace, Stieg Larsson or Dennis Lehane, this action-packed, full-length (93000 word) novel is for you.

Today's Vintage Ad


Severed Foot Update

Severed Foot is 12th Found on Vancouver-Area Beaches Since 2007

PaperBack


Lionel White, Flight into Terror, Signet, 1957






Life Imitates "Art"

High Above the Hog

Hat tip to feral human Seepy Benton.

Yet Another List I'm Not On

Liberal Arts Leaders: The 50 Best Professors Who Blog

10 Products Discovered By Accident

10 Products Discovered By Accident

Today's Western Movie Poster


11 Surprising Celebrity Hobbies

11 Surprising Celebrity Hobbies

Link via Neatorama.

And Stay off His Lawn!

Man, 78, charged with attempted murder after high-speed chase with siblings

25 Famous Authors With Learning Disabilities

25 Famous Authors With Learning Disabilities

Here's the Plot for Your Next International Cat Burglar Thriller

The Guardian: Police in the billionaires' retreat of Porto Cervo on Sardinia's Costa Smeralda believe thieves who made off with €315,000 (£280,000) in cash and jewels used sleeping gas on their victims to ensure they were not disturbed during the break-in.

Similar robberies have been reported this summer in France and Spain.

Crossroads

"

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Cactus Pryor, R. I. P.

Cactus Pryor Dies: Cactus Pryor, a former program manager for KTBC and pioneer or broadcasting died on Tuesday at the age of 88.

Richard “Cactus” Pryor was born in 1923. Cactus Pryor was the very first person to appear on KTBC in 1951 and his career in the capital city spanned decades. He is considered a legend in Texas broadcasting. Cactus was a program manager for Austin’s first TV station KTBC until 1982.

Archaeology Update

Archaeologists uncover amphitheatre used to train gladiators near Vienna

Latest Getting Away With Murder Now On-line

GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER #58 SEPTEMBER 2011

The Original Jersey Shore

BBC News - Neanderthal survival story revealed in Jersey caves: New investigations at an iconic cave site on the Channel Island of Jersey have led archaeologists to believe the Neanderthals have been widely under-estimated.

Here's the Plot for Your Next Aerial Thriller

Little Rock, AR: A Bay man on his first airplane ride asked the pilot to fly over his home so he could take some aerial photos.

What he saw was two men burglarizing his home.

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention


Amazon.com: Memorial Day: A Mick Callahan Novel eBook: Harry Shannon: Kindle Store: Meet Mick Callahan, a former television talk-show psychiatrist foiled by his own ego (and a penchant for liquid refreshment). Now he's earning an undistinguished living as a radio host in Dry Wells, Nevada (a place for which the phrase "small town" is too grandiose). But, several years after his self-inflicted downfall, things are looking up: in a few days, he has an interview for a job that will return him to television. The only roadblock is the potential for scandal surrounding the murder of a young woman caller to his show. Mick needs to find out whodunit before the case can foul up his job opportunity. First-novelist Shannon gives the amateur-detective theme a nice little twist by giving his hero a deadline--and a self-centered one at that. The crisply detailed small-town desert setting adds to the novel's sense of freshness.

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

Amazon.com: Noir Nation: International Journal of Crime Fiction eBook: Eddie Vega, Cortright McMeel, Alan Ward Thomas: Kindle Store: Noir Nation is an eBook journal of international crime fiction that includes graphic novels, essays, author interviews, and a community forum. The Journal advances works of the imagination that explore the darker geographies of human experience.

This inaugural issue mixes award-winning masters of hardboiled and literary crime fiction Paul D. Brazill, Bianca Bellova, Jean Charbonneau, Tristan Davies, Les Edgerton, Stephen Gibson, Timothy Patrick Gibson , JJ Toner, and Scott Wolven with newer and emerging writers Leah Chamberlain, R.F. Farrell, Kevin Hardcastle, Gerald Heys, Kevin Levites, and. Yewande Omotoso.
It also includes commentary on the state of noir fiction by J. Madison Davis, Alan Ward Thomas, Melodie Campbell, Wendy Reynolds, Ann Littlewood, Ann Cleeves, Linton Robinson, Joe Trigoboff, and Christopher Cook and a Flamenco Noir graphic novel by Jon Danko (writer) and Danda (illustrator).

Art and illustrations by Danda of the Czech Republic and Hamlet Zurita of Equador.

Today's Vintage Ad


Not that You Can Afford to Retire

America's Top Suburbs for Retirees

Jack J. Hayes, R. I. P.

Movie Reviews Books Food Restaurants Travel - Down Under Style: COMPOSER JACK J. HAYES PASSES: ack J. Hayes, an Oscar-nominated composer and orchestrator who worked on more than 200 films during a Hollywood career that spanned 60 years, died of natural causes Wednesday in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He was 92.

Hayes' behind-the-scenes skills as a fast, meticulous and highly skilled orchestrator for such top composers as Elmer Bernstein, Henry Mancini, Randy Newman, Quincy Jones, Marvin Hamlisch and Burt Bacharach kept him in demand for decades. His last credits were on Michael Giacchino's "Star Trek" and "Up."

Hayes was Oscar-nominated twice, for adapting the musical "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" in 1964 and for contributing to Jones' score for "The Color Purple" in 1985.

And Keep Off Its Lawn!

Houston is turning 175 years old this week - KIAH: It's time to celebrate Houstonians and wish our fine city a Happy Birthday!

Houston is turning 175 years old this week.

PaperBack


Alex Gaby, To End the Night, Signet, 1953






Sybil Jason, R. I. P.

Sybil Jason, Cherubic Child Actress, Dies at 83 - NYTimes.com: Sybil Jason, a cherubic child actress signed by Warner Brothers to compete with Shirley Temple in the 1930s, died on Aug. 23 at her home in Northridge, Calif. She was 83.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

David Honeyboy Edwards, R. I. P.

NYTimes.com: David Honeyboy Edwards, believed to have been the oldest surviving member of the first generation of Delta blues singers, died on Monday at his home in Chicago. He was 96.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

In Case You Were Wondering, . . .

An Agent Responds to Paperback Writer by The Beatles: Even though it wasn’t real, the most famous ‘query letter’ of all time has to be the one immortalized by the Beatles within the lyrics of their 1966 classic, Paperback Writer. But what if Paul McCartney (who wrote the song) really had been an unknown wannabe, trying to get an agent or editor to read his book? What kind of response would he have got if he’d sent a query letter like the one he sang about?

Link to Free Book

David Bowie’s SPACE ODDITY… As A Children’s Book

Today's Western Movie Poster


Forget Pruning, Stick to Keeping Kids off Lawns

US man impaled through eye with pruning shears - Telegraph: An 86-year-old Arizona man is lucky to be alive after he accidentally impaled himself with pruning shears.

The 6 Dumbest Things Schools Are Doing in the Name of Safety

The 6 Dumbest Things Schools Are Doing in the Name of Safety

Collectible Diaries

AbeBooks: Dear Diary: Collectible Diaries from Che to Rudolph Valentino: Writing a diary is a very personal experience and yet they are a staple of the publishing world. Reading somebody else’s diary is supposed to be a heinous crime but bookshops are full of them. Despite this apparent conundrum, diaries from notable figures and ordinary people become highly collectible.

Forgotten Films: Blackboard Jungle

Still on the Evan Hunter kick here. I saw the movie several years before I read the book, and when "Rock Around the Clock" came blaring out of the speakers, I knew I was going to like it. My high school was nothing at all like the one depicted here, but that didn't matter. I could identify, at least a little bit, with the kids in Rick Dadier's class.

Years later, when I, like Dadier, became a high-school English teacher, I identified strongly with him. There's a lot of realism both in the film and in the book about the frustrations of an idealistic first-year teacher who discovers that things aren't exactly like he thought they'd be.

Put this one together with last week's film for a great double-feature presentation of what the '50s were like in the movies. And if the '50s weren't like that in reality, well, the movies mirrored the reality better than you might think. So did the books. Check 'em out.

Blackboard Jungle

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Monday, August 29, 2011

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Naples Daily News: An Immokalee man is facing a domestic battery charge after authorities say he gave his girlfriend a hair cut — while she slept.

Legos

Kurt Baty is a BNF in science fiction, and maybe he's even a SMOF for all I know. He also has a serious Lego habit, and some of his creations were exhibited at ArmadilloCon.

A Review of Interest (to Me, Anyway)

Kevin's Corner: Review: "The Wild Hog Murders: A Dan Rhodes Mystery" by Bill Crider

What Killed the American Novel?

Book Review: The American Novel - WSJ.com: What Killed American Lit.

Today's collegians don't want to study it—who can blame them?

Hat tip to George Kelley.

Today's Vintage Ad


Uh-Oh

Universal Wants to Resurrect 'The Invisible Man'

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

PaperBack


William Demby, Act of Outrage (Battlecreek), Lion Library, 1955






Enid Schantz Memorial Page

Instead of a memorial service which would require people to travel hundreds or thousands of miles, we have set up a memorial page to Enid Schantz at www.ruemorguepress.com. Just click on Remembering Enid to see the page, read comments, and leave any message you'd like.

Hat tip to Steve Stilwell.

6 Absurd Classes Taught at Actual Colleges

Smash Bros Theory: 6 Absurd Classes Taught at Actual Colleges

Today's Western Movie Poster


Yes, You Will

12 Paper Dolls You'll Want To Cut Out Immediately

The Eerie Glory of Edward Gorey

The Eerie Glory of Edward Gorey on AbeBooks: Edward Gorey (1925-2000) was an American illustrator and writer, chiefly remembered for his illustration. Once you've seen a bit of Gorey's work, it becomes instantly recognizable. His art was full of rich, strange characters. Pipe-thin men and women in fancy dress, cats in clothing, fantastical, mythical creatures (including one that looks like a cheerful leech with butterfly wings), treacherous villains and much, much more. One of his earliest and strangest creatures was The Doubtful Guest, a moody and stubborn creature that resembled a furry penguin in high-top sneakers and a striped scarf.

Cover Photos

Michael Sharp: 'Take A Lesbian To Lunch' And Other Great Pulp Novel Covers

Hat tip to George Kelley.

Goodbye My Fancy

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Sunday, August 28, 2011

Interview with Wayne Dundee

The Blog Cabin

Back Home Again in . . . Alvin

We're back from Armadillocon, where we had a great time and saw a lot of friends. We also saw a rare sight, a science-fiction author banging out a short story in the dealers' room. On a typewriter. That's Lou Antonelli clicking the keys of his Smith-Corona, and he's composing a story titled "The Stinky Men." It if turns up somewhere, I'll let you know.

Today's Vintage Ad


I'm Not in One of These This Weekend

33 Awesome Hotel Rooms

PaperBack


Jim Thompson, Nothing More than Murder, Hillman, 1948.






10 Incredible Facts About the Criminal Brain

10 Incredible Facts About the Criminal Brain

20 Essential Chinese Novels

20 Essential Chinese Novels

100 Most Sought-After Out-Print-Books

BookFinder.com Report Fall 2011 @ BookFinder.com

Today's Western Movie Poster


11 Common American Phrases With Intriguing Origins

11 Common American Phrases With Intriguing Origins

20 Moving Novels Every Educator Should Read

20 Moving Novels Every Educator Should Read | Online College Tips

Top Five Crocs Of All Time

Top Five Crocs Of All Time

The Doughgirls

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