Saturday, September 14, 2013

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

. . . and now it's the Moped Dispute!

Man, 22, shot in groin area after moped dispute

In the Time of Green Blimps -- Henry Melton

Henry Melton's Project Saga begin with Star Time, and it now has two branches with four novels in all.  Kingdom of the Hill Country and this one are set on earth.  Tales of the U'Tanse takes place on an alien planet.

In Star Time, Earth's technology is knocked out by a star's going supernova.  The current book is set 100 years in the future of that time, and technology is coming back on two fronts, the genetic and the mechanical.  So you get sentient blimps.  Airship fans should love this, as a major plot thread is set on one of the blimps.  What I liked best about it was the story of blimps going rogue, necessitating wild blimp roundups.

Another plot thread has to do with Samuel Bolls, a young man whose plan is to make it big in this future's version of YouTube.  (The technology of the Internet is much improved.)  A war begins between the green technology powers (Australia leads the way) and the mechanical techonology powers, which are discovering space travel.  It's not a pretty war, and as usual with wars it doesn't end well for some of the characters.

This is an engrossing installment in an ambitious series.  If you haven't gotten on board yet, this would be a good one to start with.

Paris: City of Fright

Paris: City of Fright

Song of the Day

▶ Juice Newton - Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me - YouTube:

10 of the Most Beautiful Lighthouses in the World

10 of the Most Beautiful Lighthouses in the World 

Today's Vintage Ad


Who You Callin' Strange?

Strange States: Arkansas 

9 Epic Literary Burns

9 Epic Literary Burns 

PaperBack



Murray Leinster (Will F. Jenkins), Space Platform, Pocket Books, 1953

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

. . . and now it's the chair attack!

Man Faces Assault Charges For Chair Attack At San Francisco Main Library 

Croc Update (Nudist Edition)

Nudists Run For Their Life From Crocodiles

Lansdales at Murder by the Book

I went to see Kasey and Joe Lansdale at Murder by the Book last night.  Kasey sang a couple of numbers from her new CD, Restless, and talked about Impossible Monsters, an anthology she edited.  Joe discussed his latest book, The Thicket, the DVD of Christmas with the Dead, and other things.  A good time was had by all.

Alex Schomburg, Winston Sci-Fi Series

The Golden Age: Alex Schomburg, Winston Sci-Fi Series

I Miss the Old Days

The Real Mermaids of San Marcos, Texas 

Okay, This Is Really Weird

The Uniface Mask: A new alternative to plastic surgery?

Or Maybe Not

13 Science Myths You Probably Believe

If You Thought Ben Affleck Was a Bad Casting Move. . . .

Justin Bieber As Robin For BATMAN/SUPERMAN Movie?

Hat tip to Randy Johnson.

Fly Me

▶ Fly Me - Trailer - YouTube:

Friday, September 13, 2013

Chupacabra Update

Matthew Harrell Believes He's Killed A Chupacabra (VIDEO)  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

A Video Review of Interest (To Me, Anyway)

Lake Mills Library: What to Read 51: Bill Crider's "Murder of a Beauty Shop Queen"

9 Women Who Shaped Science Fiction

9 Women Who Shaped Science Fiction

A Review of Interest (To Me, Anyway)

Ed Gorman's blog: Compound Murder by Bill Crider

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest

Product DetailsAmazon.com: Hell Up in Houston (A Jack Laramie Beat) eBook: Garnett Elliott: Kindle Store: Houston has been called "a sprawling city of astronauts and cowboys, in the middle of a swamp." And now Jack Laramie, rural-wandering PI, is headed up that way after his faithless Desoto blows its radiator. Jack's got a bit of a past with the city, in the form of a Cajun PI named Lameaux--a guy who mixes his "investigations" with organized vice. So Jack decides to lay low, holing up in a swanky downtown hotel called the Fulton. It's a splurge after sleeping in an old horse trailer night after night, but Jack figures he deserves a break. Until the Fulton's grizzled house detective shows up with a proposition ... 

Jack's way out of his league this time around, and when he discovers a blackmailing scheme involving a famous industrialist, he finds himself bumping gun-barrels with the Federal Government. Survival's going to require throwing the PI code out the window. And some quick thinking.

Song of the Day

▶ Pat Benatar- Hit Me With Your Best Shot - YouTube:

Yet Another List I'm Not On

The Most Stylish People in Literature

Today's Vintage Ad


Stephen King's Biggest Fan

The Ãœberfan Who Fact-Checks Stephen King 

PaperBack



Frederik Pohl & C. M. Kornbluth, Wolfbane, Ballantine, 1959

6 Real-Life Gunslingers Who Put Billy the Kid to Shame

6 Real-Life Gunslingers Who Put Billy the Kid to Shame

Too Scary for Words

▶ Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball (Nicolas Cage Edition) - YouTube

Hannes Bok, Dust Jackets

The Golden Age: Hannes Bok, Dust Jackets

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

WFLA-TV News Channel 8: Pasco deputies arrested a woman after she used a stun gun on her daughter in an argument about house cleaning, deputies said.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Ray Dolby, R. I. P.

NY Daily News: Ray Dolby, an American inventor and audio pioneer who founded Dolby Laboratories, has died at the age of 80.  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Guinness World Records 2014

Guinness World Records 2014  

Yes, it's a slideshow, but some of these are strangely fascinating.

Virgil Finlay, Dust Jackets

The Golden Age: Virgil Finlay, Dust Jackets

Another Forgotten Book

Vintage Treasures: The Best of Hal Clement

Yet Another Forgotten Book

Vintage Treasures: The List of 7 by Mark Frost

Forgotten Books: Wild Wild Westerners -- Tom Weaver

Wild Wild Westerners is subtitled A Round up of Interviews with Western Movie and TV Veterans.  It's not forgotten, since it came out in 2012, but some of you might have overlooked it.  If you're at all interested in western movies and TV, that would be a mistake.  It's a great collection and Tom Weaver has interviewed some wonderful storytellers.

It would be hard for me to pick a favorite, but if forced to do so, I might settle for Andrew Fenady's memories of creating The Rebel, writing the theme song, working with Nick Adams, and so on.  Or maybe Paul Picerni's wild tales of working on The Scalphunters.  Shelley Winters!  Wow.  But there are lot of others, all well worth your time.  June Lockhart talks about her many guest appearances on western TV shows.  Richard Kline remembers Charles Starrett.  Robert Colbert tells how he became a third Maverick brother.  And on and on.  There's a long interview with Fess Parker, and his summary of his proposed movie about Davy Crockett after he survived the battle of the Alamo is great stuff.  There's a lot more.

The interviews collected here all appeared in Boyd Magers' Western Clippings magazine.  I'm not familiar with it, but I think I should be.

Sky Riders

▶ Sky Riders - Trailer - YouTube:

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Free for Kindle for a Limited Time

Amazon.com: The Accidental Spy eBook: J. R. Lindermuth, Dave Field, Laura Givens: Kindle Store: Dandy Dan McCracken is a rogue wandering around eastern Pennsylvania during the American Revolution. Wounded and on the run from the law, he's rescued and nursed to health by the lovely ward of Benedict Arnold's procurement officer. When the girl's husband returns from the front, McCracken falls in with British spies. He switches sides again as a result of love and becomes a hero, not through choice but circumstance.

Paris Hilton Update

Mail Online: Just how much did you pack? Paris Hilton wears THREE different outfits as she show-hops at New York Fashion Week

Hat tip to John Duke.

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest

Amazon.com: Little Mexico: An Original Sin City Novel eBook: Cathie John, John Celestri, Cathie Celestri: Kindle Store: Barry Award Finalist: 2001 Best Paperback Original Mystery 

In the premier gambling hot spot before Las Vegas, a determined woman struggles against the major mob families to hold on to her glamorous casino. 

Newport, Kentucky of the 1940s and 1950s (aka Little Mexico), is the illegal gambling capital of the United States, years before Las Vegas is a twinkle in Bugsy Siegel’s eye; and where the long battle between the independent casino operators of Newport and the major crime families of Cleveland, New York, and Chicago created the prototype for the mobster-run Las Vegas gambling industry of the Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin Rat Pack Era. But before that glamorous Las Vegas could exist, the rules were hammered out and written in blood on the streets of Newport.

Skirmishes -- Kristine Kathryn Rusch

This is the fourth (I think) book in the series that began with Diving into the Wreck.  Boss and her divers are still salvaging ships, this time in the Boneyard (sort of a Sargasso of space, with my apologies to H. Beam Piper).  They're still after the mysterious anacapa drives which powered ships in the distant past and which the current technology lacks.  The knowledge has been lost and forgotten.  Nobody knows exactly how the drives work or even what they do, which makes them very dangers, but also very much desired by both the Nine Planets Alliance and the Enterran Empire.  

Also on hand are Captain Jonathan Cooper and his ship the Ivorie.  Cooper and his crew have been catapulted 5000 years into the future (Boss' era), and they still have hopes of somehow finding their way back home.  Cooper and the crew also provide the space battles, of which there are several.

So there's wreck diving, space battling, and even a bit of romance here.  Throw in plenty of suspense and several plot twists, and you have adventure SF in the old tradition.  At the end of the novel there are still some things that haven't been resolved, so we can look forward to more stories set in Rusch's Diving Universe.

10 People Who Made Millions By Being Terrible At Their Job

10 People Who Made Millions By Being Terrible At Their Job

Song of the Day

▶ Donovan - Catch the wind - YouTube:

10 of Literature’s Most Unreliable Narrators

10 of Literature’s Most Unreliable Narrators

Today's Vintage Ad


Mammoth Update

Did a Comet Really Kill the Mammoths 12,900 Years Ago?

INTERVIEW: James Gunn

INTERVIEW: James Gunn Talks About TRANSCENDENTAL, The History of Science Fiction, and How It Can Save The World

J. K. Rowling Update

J. K. Rowling Has a ‘Harry Potter’ Film Spin-Off in the Works

PaperBack



Georges Simenon, The Snow Was Black, Signet, 1965

Return of the zeppelin

Return of the zeppelin: Firm unveils gigantic airship which could revolutionise how goods are carried around the world

Be There or Be Square

It’s Coming! Texas Gatorfest!

“When the Place Itself Is a Mystery:

“When the Place Itself Is a Mystery: Ten Tips for Someone Writing in an Exotic Location” (by Nathan Beyerlein) | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN

I Miss the Old Days

14 Pictures Of Film Stars Of The Middle 20th Century With Animals

Cursive Update

Technology may script an end to the art of cursive writing

The Last Hard Men

▶ The Last Hard Men - Trailer - YouTube:

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Zoë Sharp at Brit Grit Alley

Brit Grit Alley ~ Out of the Gutter Online

7 Against Chaos -- Harlan Ellison

I've been reading Harlan Ellison's work for a long, long time, ever since his first story was published in Infinity way back in the 1950s.  For whatever reason, he was one of my favorite writers in those days when he was just starting out.  Maybe it was because his stories seemed to be everywhere, or maybe it was because something in them spoke to me. I have no idea at this late date.  Anyway, it's been a pleasure to follow his career for so long, and while I haven't read everything he's written, I've read a lot of it.  Naturally I couldn't resist picking up this new graphic novel.

7 Against Chaos seemed to me to be a throwback to the kind of action/adventure fiction of the '50s.  Something or someone is attacking Earth from the distant past.  It's up to a mysterious hooded figure, acting at the direction of he Crisis Computers, to gather his team of heroes to fight back.  The heroes are an odd and interesting assortment.  There's an insect man, Tantalus; Mourna, a large woman whose hands have been replaced by metal claws; Lady Ayleen, who has the power to be a sort of flamethrower; Urr, a robot; Hoorn, a man (and burglar) without a face; and Kenrus, a great but slightly odd scientist.  Naturally each of these heroes is at a critical moment when picked up for the mission, so those minor crises have to be resolved before they can move on to the larger one.

That's enough plot summary.  Let's just say that it's one adventure after another (with heroes dying along the way) until the final encounter with a deadly and scaly adversary occurs.  The ending has something to do with the paradox of changing history, and it seems to me that it points clearly to a sequel.  But maybe not.

Entertaining story, high adventure, dandy art.  I had a lot of fun with this one.

10 Most Haunted Objects Of All Time

10 Most Haunted Objects Of All Time 

Link via Neatorama.

Song of the Day

▶ Layla - Derek and the Dominos - YouTube:

Fuel up at the coolest gas stations across the US

Fuel up at the coolest gas stations across the US

Today's Vintage Ads

NSFW language warning.

The Bad Ass Women Of 1970s Winston Cigarette Ads

The Science Behind Bigfoot and Other Monsters

The Science Behind Bigfoot and Other Monsters

PaperBack



Richard Glendinning, Who Evil Thinks, Gold Medal, 1952

Neil Gaiman’s Advice to Aspiring Writers

Neil Gaiman’s Advice to Aspiring Writers 

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Drunk at Kodiak airport loses control of pants along with his temper: Alaska State Troopers are calling it an intentional mooning.

9 Most Sympathetic Villains In Books

9 Most Sympathetic Villains In Books

The Last Words of 20 Cultural Icons

The Last Words of 20 Cultural Icons

How to Make a Monster

How to Make a Monster 

I Want to Believe!

David Attenborough: I believe the Abominable Snowman is out there 

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Texas Led the Way

The '60s at 50: Friday, September 13, 1963: Mary Kay

Phantom Lady

▶ "Phantom lady" (1944) Trailer - YouTube:

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Croc Update

Prehistoric crocs 'ran like dogs' 

Free for Kindle for a Limited Time

Amazon.com: Blade of Dishonor Part 1: The War Comes Home eBook: Thomas Pluck: Kindle Store: A centuries-old battle between ninja and samurai over a stolen sword... enter 'Rage Cage' Reeves! Part ONE of a two-fisted trilogy...

Okay, This Is Really Weird

"Dancing Queen!" Is The Most Horrifying And Amazing Thing You Will See Today 

Scroll down all the way for the video.

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Generous high school athlete, 17, sells her brand new Jeep to buy her teammate a car so she can get to practice 

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Joe Lansdale interview

Joe Lansdale interview – Episode 131 Reading & Writing podcast

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Indianapolis man enraged by football game charged with attacking girlfriend

Classic “King Kong” (1933) Deleted Scene!

Classic “King Kong” (1933) Deleted Scene!

Paris Hilton Update

A Look Back At The Impressive Resume Of Paris Hilton

Special Price Reduction for a Limited Time!

Amazon.com: The Hungry (The Sheriff Penny Miller Series 1) eBook: Steven Booth, Harry Shannon, Joe McKinney, Steve Hockensmith: Kindle Store: Sheriff Penny Miller of Flat Rock, Nevada, is the kind of woman who will do whatever it takes to protect those she is sworn to serve, even when that includes a murderous biker, her wimpy ex-husband, a unit of incompetent National Guardsmen, and the scientist responsible for releasing the undead upon an unsuspecting world. 

If you're one of the tens of thousands of people who read the free short story ‘Jailbreak,’ this is your opportunity to find out what happens after that terrifying first night of the zombie apocalypse. And those of you encountering The Hungry for the first time? You are in for the ride of your life. Aim for the head!

Charles Bukowski on Writing and His Crazy Daily Routine

Charles Bukowski on Writing

Song of the Day

▶ We Can't Stop - Vintage 1950's Doo Wop Miley Cyrus Cover ft. The Tee - Tones - YouTube:

I Miss the Old Days

5 Things Everyone Did Growing Up (That Now Get You Arrested)

Today's Vintage Ad


First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Mother charged in stabbing son to death in fight over ice cream

Edgar Allan Poe was Once Court-Martialed And Convicted

Edgar Allan Poe was Once Court-Martialed And Convicted

New Publishing Company Open for Submissions

Rough Edges: New Publishing Company Open for Submissions Welcome to PRAIRIE ROSE PUBLICATIONS, a new publishing company for WOMEN AUTHORS ONLY!

PaperBack



Ward West, Trouble Valley, Dell, 1951

Bigfoot Update

Teen's hairy run-in with 7-footer probed as Bigfoot encounter 

Or Maybe We Are (Albeit with a Texas Accent)

14 Words Even English Majors Aren't Sure How To Pronounce

This Sounds Perefectly Reasonable to Me

News from The Associated Press: BLOGGER CALLS 911 OVER PHONE USE AT FILM SCREENING

What is pulp?

What is pulp? 

Link via Laurie's Wild West.

They Grow 'em Big in Mississippi

Another gator record broken in Mississippi - this time at 741-pounds it's the states heaviest and longest  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Archaeology Update

Rare golden treasure found in Jerusalem: Two bundles containing 36 gold coins from Byzantine era, gold and silver jewelry, gold medallion with menorah uncovered during Hebrew University excavations at foot of Temple Mount

Overlooked Movies: Clue

I played Clue, the board game, when I was a kid and even when I was an adult.  I had fun doing it, and when I heard they were making a movie based on the game, I thought that would be fun, too.  After I saw the cast list, I thought it would be more than fun.  I thought it would be great.  It wasn't.  Or at least it wasn't for me.  I thought it was pretty awful.  I thought the entire cast appeared to be laboring under some tremendous strain, looking for laughs that just weren't there.  I was disappointed in the whole enterprise.

The big publicity gimmick for the release was that the movie had three endings.  If you saw it in one theater, you saw one of them.  A nearby theater showed another.  And so on.  I don't remember which ending I saw, but by the time the movie ended, I didn't much care.  It just didn't work for me.    Apparently it worked for some people, however.  Here's a really long article that explains what a wonderful movie it is: "Something Terrible Has Happened Here": The Crazy Story Of How "Clue" Went From Forgotten Flop To Cult Triumph.

And if you're really interested, here's even more about it: Movie Trivia: Clue.

As you can see, this must be a case of "it's not you; it's me."  Which is fine.  Just don't ask me to watch the movie again so I can really appreciate it.  For me, once was enough.

Clue

▶ Clue - Trailer - YouTube:

Monday, September 09, 2013

Uh-Oh

The Atlantic Wire: Man Booker Prize winners Margaret Atwood and Howard Jacobsen, have bravely committed themselves to writing contemporary versions of Shakespeare's plays, in honor of the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death. Jacobsen will rework The Merchant of Venice and Atwood will take on The Taming of the Shrew as part of project put together by Penguin Random House's Hogarth imprint.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Seattle baptism celebration ends in brawl 

16 Libraries You Have To See Before You Die

16 Libraries You Have To See Before You Die

Song of the Day

▶ Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart - YouTube:

What Is Creativity?

What Is Creativity? Cultural Icons on What Ideation Is and How It Works

The Secret World of Fore-Edge Book Paintings

The Secret World of Fore-Edge Book Paintings 

Today's Vintage Ad

Superman Sportswear as seen on Retronaut

5 of the Fiercest One-Liners in History

5 of the Fiercest One-Liners in History 

How (not) to write a book review

How (not) to write a book review

Joe Lansdale on the Stories that Inspired The Thicket

Joe Lansdale on the Stories that Inspired The Thicket

PaperBack



Leo Margulies, ed., The Unexpected, Pyramid, 1961

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

PlayStation argument ends with Syracuse woman stabbing man

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Feral pig pinches multiple six-packs of beer and runs riot at Pilbara camp sites

Inside the world's largest cave

Inside the world's largest cave: It's big enough to hold towering jungles, white sandy beaches, its own weather system and animals that can't be found anywhere else in the world.

Any Resemblance to Another Famous Character Is Purely Coincidental

The Golden Age: George Woodbridge, Masked Ranger Covers, 1954-55

I For One Welcome Our New Gelatinous Masters

They're taking over 'one bite at a time': new book claims jellyfish destroy oceans and overtake boats, nuclear plants 

Stonehenge Update

Stonehenge was built on solstice axis, dig confirms: English Heritage excavations show site has nothing to do with sun worshipping, and find evidence circle was once complete

New Poem at The 5-2

The 5-2 | Crime Poetry Weekly, Annual Ebooks - Gerald So, Editor: Tiffany Washington DAY 7

Valley of Vengeance

▶ VALLEY OF VENGEANCE 1944 TRAILER BUSTER CRABBE - YouTube:

Sunday, September 08, 2013

New Story at Beat to a Pulp

BEAT to a PULP :: Fair Warning :: Hilary Davidson

A Review of Interest (To Me, Anyway)

Books Are For Squares: Done: "Murder of a Beauty Shop Queen" by Bill Crider

They Were on His Lawn

107-Year-Old Man Dies in Shootout With SWAT Team

Hat tip to John Duke

Free for Kindle for a Limited Time

Amazon.com: ILLEGAL eBook: Paul Levine: Kindle Store: A down-and-out L.A. lawyer with nothing to lose... 
A beautiful Mexican woman who disappears crossing the border...
And the powerful and corrupt rancher who would destroy them both. 

Haunted by a personal tragedy and wanted by the cops, lawyer Jimmy (Royal) Payne wants to skip town. That's when he crosses paths with 12-year-old Tino Perez, newly arrived from Mexico, looking for his mother Marisol, who went missing after crossing the border with a vicious coyote. 

Before long, the cynical lawyer and the savvy kid are bonding and tracing Marisol's path, battling predators on both sides of the border. Most dangerous of all is Simeon Rutledge, a wealthy rancher, and the biggest employer of farm workers in California. Just why is Rutledge willing to kill Payne to keep Marisol under wraps? 

It's a story of human trafficking and sex slavery, a mother's love for her son, and the redemption of a man intent on escaping his past. From the shadows of migrant stash houses to the fertile fields of the San Joaquin Valley, 'Illegal' delivers a searing mix of live-wire prose, shattering violence, and rich characterization. Set against larger social issues, this is a masterful tale from one of the most skillful practitioners of the modern thriller.

12 Genuinely Great Books About May-December Romances

12 Genuinely Great Books About May-December Romances 

Interview with Martha Wells

Fiction State Of Mind: Razor’s Edge Blog Tour: Interview with Author Martha Wells

Song of the Day

▶ Eric Burdon & The Animals Sky Pilot - YouTube:

Next: Licenses to Drive?

Iowa grants permits for blind residents to carry guns in public

I Miss the Old Days

34 Unbelievable Quotes From A 1951 High School Yearbook

Today's Vintage Ad


That'll Teach Him

Police: DeKalb officer shot teen skipping school

PaperBack



Alan E. Nourse & J. A. Meyer, The Invaders are Coming, Ace, 1959

In Australia, It's Drugs and Crocs

Assets seized in Hobart drug raids: About 50 officers using drug dog teams raided another six houses in Hobart's northern suburbs on Thursday, seizing cannabis plants, a crossbow and a one-metre freshwater crocodile.

15 Super Thin Buildings

THE WORLD GEOGRAPHY: 15 Super Thin Buildings 

Link via The Presurfer.

This Is Why We Need Voter I. D. Laws

Coconut held in vote-rigging row 

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

'Uncle Tom's Cabin' Update

'Uncle Tom's Cabin' Inspired By Fugitive Slave, Professor Says: A Clemson University professor is convinced that Harriet Beecher Stowe might not have written "Uncle Tom's Cabin" if it were not for a fugitive South Carolina slave she harbored for a night before starting the history-making novel.

Arkansas Update

Teacher uniforms? School district now requiring staff to wear underwear and shoes 

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

15 Companies That Originally Sold Something Else

15 Companies That Originally Sold Something Else

From Headquarters

▶ 1933 FROM HEADQUARTERS TRAILER GEORGE BRENT - YouTube: