Saturday, April 14, 2012

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

The James Bond Omnibus Volume 003
This strip didn't run in any papers I was reading at the time, and I was glad to catch up with it now.  Very entertaining stuff.

Amazon.com: The James Bond Omnibus Volume 003 (9780857685889): Ian Fleming, Jim Lawrence, Yaroslav Horak: Books: The daring James Bond is back in a definitive bumper edition collecting the first period of Jim Lawrence's celebrated run in comic strip form!


Includes seven of Bond's most thrilling and dangerous missions: The Harpies, River of Death, The Golden Ghost, Fear Face, Double Jeopardy, Starfire and Kingley Amis' controversial post-Fleming story, Colonel Sun.

Dora Saint, R. I. P.

NYTimes.com: Dora Saint, whose novels about the gentle rhythms of English village life, written under the crisp, pedagogical pseudonym Miss Read, drew a wide following on both sides of the Atlantic, died on April 7 at her home in Shefford Woodlands, in Berkshire, England. She was 98.


Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Free Today for Kindle

Fast LaneAmazon.com: Fast Lane eBook: Dave Zeltserman: Kindle Store: Before there was Dave Zeltserman's acclaimed 'man out of prison' crime trilogy (Small Crimes, Pariah, Killer) there was his first novel, Fast Lane. Published in 2004 by the small independent publisher, Point Blank Press, this seemingly hardboiled PI novel quickly developed a cult following among crime fans. Now Fast Lane is back with a vengeance.

"For those of us who believed Jim Thompson would never be equaled, great tidings, he's back in the form of Dave Zeltserman. Hilarious in the darkest fashion, violent, bitter, psychotic and unputdownable"-- Ken Bruen

Song of the Day

Grateful Dead - Touch Of Grey [Lyrics] - YouTube:

Remembering The Three Stooges

Knuck Knuck Knucks From History: Remembering The Three Stooges

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

TSA inspector accused of stealing iPads at DFW Airport

Today's Vintage Ad


Those Were the Days, My Friend

Striking Vintage Photos of Teenage Greasers

PaperBack


40 Famous Manuscripts That Were Rejected At First

40 Famous Manuscripts That Were Rejected At First

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

DO NOT Mess With Christa Nicole Parker, Unless You Want 15 Punches And Wine Bottle Upide Your Head

50 Unexplainable Black & White Photos

50 Unexplainable Black & White Photos

7 Artists Who Secretly Made Your Favorite Movies

7 Artists Who Secretly Made Your Favorite Movies

Today's Western Movie Poster


No Comment Department

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal: An Edina law firm that lost nearly $400,000 in a Nigerian wire-fraud scam is claiming that Wells Fargo, which handled the fund transfers, should cover its losses.

Five Titanic myths spread by films

Five Titanic myths spread by films

Mooned

London 2012 organisers wanted Keith Moon to play at Olympics ceremony

Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.

Your Brain on Books: 20 Proven Benefits of Being an Avid Reader

Your Brain on Books: 20 Proven Benefits of Being an Avid Reader

She Wants You on Her Grass

Ganja granny, 73, 'supplied marijuana to entire town and ran lucrative four-state drug ring'

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

The Damned Don't Cry

The Damned Don't Cry (1950) Trailer - YouTube:

Friday, April 13, 2012

Readers of this Blog Will Not Be Surprised

Alligator seized from robbery suspect's Wareham home

He Was Hoping to Join Sugar Kane's Band

Police: Armed suspect at Oakland hotel disguised himself as a woman - Inside Bay Area

Hat tip to Art Scott.

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

Night SpoorAmazon.com: Night Spoor eBook: Wayne D. Dundee: Kindle Store: Simon Oakhaven and his granddaughter, Jennifer, have traveled far and long to find and stop Simon's lost love, Lenore. They are willing to do whatever it takes to complete this task, before it's too late.


Lenore works the night as a waitress or a dancer, sometimes even a prostitute – all guises she has assumed in the past to satisfy her craving for life-sustaining blood. Her victims are primarily men, although she has been known to feed on women as well.


Pitcairn also works the night; an amoral man who kills for money. Can he be persuaded to take on the hunt for the beautiful and deadly Lenore?


Will any of them survive the lethal cat and mouse that ensues, or will the evils of the night claim them all?

New Story at Fires on the Plain

“No Rest for the Weary” by Sandra Seamans | Fires on the Plain

Interview with Martha Wells

Adventures Fantastic: The Adventures Fantastic Interview: Martha Wells

For You Bibliophiles

Brief After Action Report on the April 11, 2012 Heritage Book Auction 

Song of the Day

John Birch Society Song - YouTube:

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Texas Hailstorm Leaves Panhandle Chest-High In Ice And Mud (PHOTO)

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Adam Mabery Allegedly Broke Into Thrift Store And Danced In Red Dress

Today's Vintage Ad


Top 20 Simpsons Quotes

Top 20 Simpsons Quotes

Best and Worst Jobs of 2012

Best and Worst Jobs of 2012s

How Old Books Get That Distinctive Smell

How Old Books Get That Distinctive Smell

9 Most Controversial Pulitzer Prize Winners of All Time

9 Most Controversial Pulitzer Prize Winners of All Time

PaperBack

I couldn't resist posting a few wraparound magazine covers.

10 Great Poems You Can Memorize Today

The Thom Gunn poem is great, but the response is NSFW.

10 Great Poems You Can Memorize Today

The 10 Most Frequently Challenged Library Books of 2011

The 10 Most Frequently Challenged Library Books of 2011

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Burglar Busted by Busting a Move

Today's Western Movie Poster


Cold Case of the Week

Horrific killings in 1979 left bodies headless

10 Sex Symbols from the ’60s and the Movies That Made Them

10 Sex Symbols from the ’60s and the Movies That Made Them

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th - Origins, History, and Folklore

No Comment Department

First it was Pizza Hut's hot dog-stuffed crust, now there's Burger King's Bacon Sundae: how many calories can fast food lovers take?

Forgotten Books: Weep for Me -- John D. MacDonald

Most readers of this blog are probably aware that Gold Medal printed Weep for Me only twice, in the editions pictured here.  John D. MacDonald didn't want any reprints, so it's become one of his more collectible books.  It's easy enough to find a copy on the 'Net, but you might not want to pay the asking price.  The book was reprinted in hardback in England after MacDonald's death, but there aren't a lot of copies of that one around, and it's also pricey.  


Would it be worth it to buy one?  To a fanatic collector, sure.  To a reader?  Probably not.  As the author himself was aware, this isn't top-shelf MacDonald.  He wrote a letter about it to The JDM Bibliophile back in the days when I was a subscriber and called it an imitation of James M. Cain.  I guess that's not too far off.  It's the story of Kyle Cameron, a bank teller, who's stuck in his dead-end job and engaged to a perfectly sweet but boring young woman.  Then the bank hires Emily Randolph.  Uh-oh.  She's one of those hot noir women that men can't resist.  Well, Kyle can't, anyway, and he's soon obsessed by her.  Can you guess what happens?


Well, maybe you can't, since Emily doesn't want him to kill her husband. All she wants him to do is help her embezzle $250,000 from the bank.  Of course he does it, and of course complications ensue.  Plenty of them.  By the time they get to Mexico (on their way to the no-extradition-treaty paradise of Argentina), the wheels really come off.


Since this is a John D. MacDonald novel, it has a lot of virtues.  For the most part, it's fast and engrossing.  It has some flaws, though.  There's some embarrassing dialogue (but then there's some of that in a lot of MacDonald's work), the characters aren't as effective as most in MacDonald's novels (at least not Cameron), and the ending is really weak.  It doesn't work at all, at least for me.  I'll bet it didn't work for MacDonald, either, when he thought about it.  Still, if you ever run across a copy for half the cover price, snap it up.  You won't regret it.


Bonus:  Here's a link to my flickr page with photos of  the covers of my JDM collection.





Goodbye, My Fancy

Goodbye, My Fancy (1951) Trailer - YouTube:

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Coming from Hard Case Crime

The Cocktail Waitress: THE COCKTAIL WAITRESS
James M. Cain
September 2012
ISBN: 978-1-78116-0329
Cover art by Michael Koelsch
Read A Sample Chapter

Barsoom Update

Viking Found Organics on Mars, Experiment Confirms

Get a Rope!

Middle School Student Suspended For Hugging Teacher 

This Can't Be Good for Tourism

Alligator Visits Louisiana Motel, Bites Guest

Hat tip to George Kelley.

20 of the biggest sci-fi cinema disappointments of the last 20 years

20 of the biggest sci-fi cinema disappointments of the last 20 years

Or Maybe Not

TV’s 10 Most Profitable Shows Include All the Shows You Hate

Song of the Day

Janis Joplin - Piece of My Heart - YouTube:

Tune In Tonight

Join me for a night of murder/mystery/mayhem - on The Author's Corner - Thursday nite from 8-11PM EDT on trianglevarietyradio.com click on blog talk radio!

Here's the Plot for Your Next P. I. Novel

I hired a honeytrap to catch my man cheating.. and she stole him for herself

In Pursuit of Spenser -- edited by Otto Penzler

I read The Godwulf Manuscript shortly after it was published, and I was hooked.  I read every succeeding novel that Robert B. Parker wrote, and I loved 'em all.  It didn't matter to me what the reviewers said about them.  All that mattered was that Parker kept writing books, and I kept reading them.  Why?  Well one answer might be the one that Lawrence Block quotes at the beginning of his essay on voice in this collection.  It's not exactly as I remember it, but ever since I read it, I've used it again and again to talk about Parker's work.   In fact, I've probably used it in this blog a time or two, so I'm not going to quote it again.  You'll just have to read the essay.


I was a bit skeptical when I heard that Ace Atkins was going to continue the Spenser series after Parker's death.  Maybe more than a bit.  After reading Atkins' essay here, however, I've become less so.  If Parker and Spenser have meant so much to Atkins that I'm convinced he's the man for the job if anyone is.  Anyone other than me, I mean.


Ed Gorman offers an interesting take on Parker's westerns and the western in general.  He mentions that some of the Spenser novels could function as westerns, which is certainly true.  One of them is The Magnificent Seven redone with Spenser.  I don't think Gorman mentioned that, though.


Max Allan Collins and Matthew Clemens have an excellent overview of Spenser on television with summaries and comments on the shows.  They even provide a complete listing of all the Spenser incarnations on TV at the end of their essay.


There's lots more good stuff here, and the book is highly recommended for Parker fans.  Those only casually acquainted with his work will find Penzler's introductory essay helpful, but they'll also find plenty more to like between these covers.

Today's Vintage Ad


This Is Just What It Says It Is

The Rejection Generator Project

Seepy Benton Leaves a Tip

I don't know if he had pie.

Hat tip to Art Scott.

A TV Snob's Dictionary


Can’t keep a treacle-cutter straight from a one-percenter? Oblivious to the piloting skills of Jimmy Burrows? Baffled during the talk at the Paley Center by all those references to “laying pipe”? Well, don’t hang a lantern on it; tune in right now to ... A TV Snob’s Dictionary.


Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.

PaperBack


G. K. Chesterton, The Amazing Adventures of Father Brown, Dell, 1955

10 Talented Child and Teen Authors

0 Talented Child and Teen Authors

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Fight involving twin strip club workers, baseball bat leads to three arrests in Oklahoma City

Six Tips on Writing from John Steinbeck

Six Tips on Writing from John Steinbeck

Today's Western Movie Poster


Back When Texas Led the Way

Retrospace: Vintage Scan #21: Astrodome - 8th Wonder of the World

Burp

Beer makes men smarter

Hat tip to Art Scott.

Rand McNally's Windermere Series

AbeBooks: Rand McNally's Windermere Series: Published by Rand McNally over three decades, the Windermere series featured classic stories combined with beautiful color plate illustrations. Launched in the wake of advances in printing technology, Rand McNally created a series boasting high quality color illustrations at prices that were affordable to young and old.


The first Windermere volume issued was Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift. It was published in December 1912 and retailed for $1.20 - less than half the price of its main competitor, Scribner’s Illustrated Classics. The Windermere edition was a success and Rand McNally continued to issue further volumes over the next three decades. The backbone of the publications were the illustrations and there were a number of artists who contributed, including Hope Dunlap, Paul Bransom and Frank Lloyd Wright’s sister Maginel Wright Enright. However, the majority of the books featured artwork by noted children’s artist Milo Winter.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Fine Essay on R. A. Lafferty

Secret Crocodiles and Strange Doings (or Sometimes the Magic Really Works)

James Bond Update

Author William Boyd to Pen New James Bond Spy Novel Set in '60s: Author William Boyd is to follow in the footsteps of fellow novelists Kingsley Amis and Sebastian Faulks by penning a new adventure for 007 superspy James Bond.

9 Supposed Action Stars Who Clearly Couldn't Fight

9 Supposed Action Stars Who Clearly Couldn't Fight

21 Hilarious Textbook FAILS

21 Hilarious Textbook FAILS

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

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

HARD ROAD (FIGHT CARD)
The latest entry in a fine series.  Check it out.

Amazon.com: HARD ROAD (FIGHT CARD) eBook: Jack Tunney, Kevin Michaels, Mel Odom, Paul Bishop: Kindle Store: Professional boxers Roberto Varga and Michael Boyle were once pals growing up at St. Vincent’s Asylum for Boys in Chicago. Under the guidance of Father Tim, the fighting priest, they learned values, respect, responsibility, and how to fight fair.


But those lessons didn’t stick with Boyle. Two years after leaving St. Vincent’s, Boyle and Varga face-off in the ring with Boyle pounding out a bloody, lopsided decision, Varga swore wasn’t on the up and up.


In the seven years since, their careers have taken different paths. Guided by unscrupulous manager Tommy Domino, Boyle is positioned for a title shot against Sugar Ray Robinson. Varga, however, has struggled in a career still haunted by the bloody loss to Boyle.

When the boxer scheduled to fight Boyle in Atlantic City breaks his hand two weeks before the fight, Domino scrambles for a replacement. He finds Varga toiling in a Philadelphia gym and offers him the rematch Varga has been waiting years to get. For Varga, it’s a chance to finally even the score, a chance to get the title shot he’s always dreamed about. But Boyle is not the only formidable foe aligned against Varga.


Redemption comes at a bloody price – a price perhaps too high for Varga to pay 

Reed Whittemore, R. I. P.

NYTimes.com: Reed Whittemore, a former poet laureate of the United States whose work’s calm, unruffled surface belied deep subversion below, died on Friday in Kensington, Md. He was 92.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Knife attacker accepts court wedding proposal from victim - Telegraph: Gregory Todd, a chef who almost died after being knifed by his girlfriend Tiffany Baillie says he will marry her as soon as she leaves the prison gates after a judge jailed her for three years.

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Nude maid service raising eyebrows in Texas city

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Rare, Unexplained Daytime Fireball Scorches Texas Sky

Tomorrow Night I'll Be on the Air!

Join me for a night of murder/mystery/mayhem - on The Author's Corner - Thursday nite from 8-11PM EDT on trianglevarietyradio.com click on blog talk radio!

Song of the Day

FIRE LAKE BOB SEGER - YouTube:

Today's Vintage Ad


What Is The Most Poetic Song Ever Written?

What Is The Most Poetic Song Ever Written?

Hat tip to George Kelley.

Just the Way I Like It

Lean AND boneless

And Keep Off His Lawn!

The Daily What: Joe Binder, who runs the valet at Mario’s Restaurant in the Bronx, just turned 102, and he has no plans to give up his gig of 25 years.

PaperBack




















Peter Cheney, The Stars are Dark, Fontana, 1956 


5 Species You Won't Believe Are Related

5 Species You Won't Believe Are Related

Friday Night 1957

100 Funniest Movies to See Before You Die

100 Funniest Movies to See Before You Die

Today's Western Movie Poster


10 Odd Stories Behind Famous Authors’ Nom de Plumes

10 Odd Stories Behind Famous Authors’ Nom de Plumes

10 Viciously Backlashed Movies We Still Like (and Why)

10 Viciously Backlashed Movies We Still Like (and Why)

Robert Heinlein Update

Alex Proyas to Direct Film Version of Heinlein’s ‘The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag’ 

An American in Paris

Secret Admirer

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

‘The Hunger Games’ and More Top 10 Banned Books

‘The Hunger Games’ and More Top 10 Banned Books (PHOTOS) - The Daily Beast

Why Learning Leads To Happiness

Why Learning Leads To Happiness

Hat tip to George Kelley.

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

Texas Rangers
I've read most of the stories here, and they're highly recommended!

Amazon.com: Texas Rangers eBook: James Reasoner: Kindle Store: Acclaimed New York Times bestselling author James Reasoner returns with this collection of seven stories featuring the West's most famous outlaw hunters in action. The first three stories, "Callie and the Angel", "The Wish Book", and "Hacendado" star Cobb, a tough, enigmatic loner who is always sent out on the toughest missions. Drawn from history, "Dead Man's Hollow", "'With Nothing But My Naked Knife!'", "Day of Vengeance", and "Time of the Gun-Wolves" center around the famous "Old Company" of Texas Rangers that patrolled the wilds of southern Texas during the 1850s under the command of legendary Ranger Captain John S. "Rip" Ford. These tales of the Texas Rangers are full of exciting action and colorful characters. This is the first time they've been brought together in a collection sure to please Western readers. Approximately 40,000 words of frontier adventure in the Lone Star State.

The world's most terrible tans

Beyond the pale

Song of the Day

Today's Vintage Ad


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

Miss Lizzie
Walter Satterthwait's novels, out of print for far too long, are back in e-book form.  Here's a link to one of the fine standalones.  The Joshua Croft series is also available, not to mention Wilde West. They're all a treat, so check 'em out.

Amazon.com: Miss Lizzie eBook: Walter Satterthwait: Kindle Store: During the summer of 1921, a strange spinster rents the seaside cottage next door to Amanda Burton and her family. The new neighbor dresses in black, does card tricks, and reminisces about a long-ago trip to Paris. Her name is Lizzie Borden, and two decades earlier she was acquitted of one of the most notorious crimes in American history. Although her stepmother warns her to stay away, Amanda has no patience for her father’s doughy wife, and befriends their infamous neighbor. When tragedy strikes the seaside town, Miss Lizzie is the only one who can help.

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Yahoo! Sports: The Texas Tech coach and her seven chessmasters who won their second straight national championship this month will all return next year to defend their title. But they'll be doing it at a different school.


In an unprecedented move in the world of college competition, Texas Tech's entire team will transfer to Webster University in the chess hotbed of St. Louis, home to the World Chess Hall of Fame. The private university promised more funding for the team and access to a new, 6,000-square-foot learning center in the city.

PaperBack

Chester Himes, Run Man Run, Dell, 1969

A Brief Guide to Pop Culture in 1999

A Brief Guide to Pop Culture in 1999

Your Term Papers Not Included

The 8 Most Incredible Things Slapped Together in a Day

Kurt Vonnegut's 8 Tips on How to Write a Great Story

Kurt Vonnegut's 8 Tips on How to Write a Great Story

Today's Western Movie Poster


Yes, There Is a Texas Connection

5 Terrifying Killers (That Turned Out to be Mass Panics) 

10 Most Ridiculous Uses of the Internet in Movies

10 Most Ridiculous Uses of the Internet in Movies

Hollywood’s Strangest Biopic Casting Decisions

Hollywood’s Strangest Biopic Casting Decisions

Overlooked Movies -- The Pick-up Artist

Back in the '80s Molly Ringwald was an appealing teenage actress and Robert Downey, Jr., was getting is first lead role in The Pick-up Artist.  I think this is supposed to be a romantic comedy, but you have to consider that it was written and directed by James Toback, who's not exactly known for his comedic instincts.  (Downey was in another of Toback's comedies, if you can call it that, Two Girls and a Guy, about ten years after this one.)  If you're looking for a John Hughes teen comedy here, you've come to the wrong place.

Ringwald is a young woman whose father's in trouble with the mob (gambling debts), and she needs money to help him.  Downey is the title character, a guy who never strikes out with women.  Need I tell you that Ringwald burns him?  And that they'll get together eventually?  

This is a messy movie.  It has a great cast going for it (besides the two main characters, there are Dennis Hopper, Harvey Keitel, Danny Aiello, Vanessa Williams, Robert Towne [yes, the Chinatown guy], and Lorraine Bracco in one of her first U. S. movies).  There are a few amusing moments.  The cast and those moments can't save the movie, though.  It remains, for me, an oddity from the '80s.  

The Pick-Up Artist

Monday, April 09, 2012

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Police: Man in underwear threw orange at construction worker

10 3D Movies Actually Worth Your Time

10 3D Movies Actually Worth Your Time

Ed Gorman Podcast

Go to the link and click on Ed's name.
Prologue Books Podcast – Guest, Ed Gorman

And Keep Off His Lawn!

96-Year-Old Novelist Herman Wouk Lands Book Deal 

13 Free Books on the 13th

Gerrie Ferris Finger: Mark Your Calendar For Friday the 13th - 13 Free Kindle Books


That will be your lucky day! Coming to you from the 13 Mystery Authors Free Kindle Campaign which features 13 books from 13 established mystery authors. All free!


Books are expected to be free by around 9 a.m. EST on April 13. On that day, you can either visit this Amazon Listmania list or come back to this blog post, and click down the list of books to download.

Free Today for Kindle

By Hook or By Crook (Best Crime & Mystery Stories of the Year)Amazon.com: By Hook or By Crook (Best Crime & Mystery Stories of the Year) eBook: Ed Gorman, Martin Greenberg, Martin H. Greenberg: Kindle Store: The annual collection edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg available in a hardcover limited edition signed by ALL contributors including: Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman, Mary Higgins Clark, and others!

11 Books Every Introvert Should Read

11 Books Every Introvert Should Read

Song of the Day

Movie Stars In Their First Film Roles

Movie Stars In Their First Film Roles

The Cornell Hurd Band's Latest CD

Now available for purchase.  Some great songs, including "Shadowland, Texas," written by Allen Crider and featuring his guitar work.

For You Ailurophiles

Famous People On Why They Love Cats (PHOTOS)

Hat tip to George Kelley.

Today's Vintage Ad


Bound for Glory: 10 Great Memoirs by Musicians

Bound for Glory: 10 Great Memoirs by Musicians

Pulp Metal Magazine Spring Edition Now Online

Pulp Metal Magazine

A lamentation on the demise of books and other artifacts

A lamentation on the demise of books and other artifacts 

PaperBack




















Wenzell Brown, Jailbait Jungle, Belmont, 1962

Mike Avallone Update

Introducing our 'Man from U.N.C.L.E.' contest: Here's your chance to win some classic pulp | New York Daily News: All entries must be emailed to manfromuncle@nydailynews.com by Wednesday, April 11, with the sender's full name, address and telephone number. Entries over 250 words will not be considered. A copy of detailed contest rules will be automatically sent to all contest entrants.


Hat tip to Steve Stilwell.

Actors Who Couldn’t Escape Their Biggest Role

Actors Who Couldn’t Escape Their Biggest Role

Been Wondering about the 8th Wonder of the World?

Astrodome or Astro-dud? A Multi-Purpose Dome without Purpose

Today's Western Movie Poster


The 5 Most Badass Tales of Wartime Survival

The 5 Most Badass Tales of Wartime Survival 

10 Rock Stars Who Are Brilliant Businesspeople

10 Rock Stars Who Are Brilliant Businesspeople

UFO Update

UFO Filmed from Airplane over Seoul (Video)

Grease

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Brooklyn Leads the Way

Greenpointers embark on heroic mission to rescue pulpy sci-fi novels

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

New Story at BEAT to a PULP

BEAT to a PULP :: Sinking in the Sea of Love :: John Kenyon

The Alabama Bookstop in Houston was Cool. . .

. . . but not this cool.

Theatre Converted To Bookstore

Joe R. Lansdale Update

Joe R. Lansdale is a Fresh Discovery, Decades in the Making

20 Percent of U.S. Is Reading Electronically

Pew E-book Survey: 20 Percent of U.S. Is Reading Electronically 

Duuuude!

Snoop Dogg to release smokable book | Mail Online: The star, who has admitted a fondness for marijuana in the past, is printing the lyrics to some of his biggest hits in Rolling Words, with the pages made of his new rolling paper and the book itself being made from hemp materials.

Song of the Day

Peter Cottontail---Gene Autry - YouTube:

Does Mark Finn Write This Guy's Plans?

UPI.com: A man charged with attacking his roommate planned to wear a gorilla suit while attacking the Pittsburgh St. Patrick's Day Parade, investigators say.

Mike Wallace, R. I. P.

Mike Wallace Dies: '60 Minutes' Correspondent Was 93 - ABC News: Veteran broadcast journalist Mike Wallace has died, according to CBS News.


He was 93 years old and had been in declining health in recent years. A cause of death has not been released yet.

Today's Vintage Ad


10 Compelling Reasons to Memorize Poetry

10 Compelling Reasons to Memorize Poetry

Dating Advice from Dickens

Dating Advice from Dickens: A Collection of Victorian Vignettes

PaperBack




















J. W. Burke & Edward Grace, 3 Day Pass -- To Kill, Berkley 1955

Or Maybe You Did

8 Commercials You Didn’t Know Had Famous Directors

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Texas teen to become first American to graduate from prestigious Moscow ballet school

Today's Western Movie Poster


13 Awful Easter Bunny Family Photos

13 Awful Easter Bunny Family Photos

What Does the Easter Bunny Have To Do With Easter?

What Does the Easter Bunny Have To Do With Easter?

Paging Dan Brown

The Daily Beast: Lead poisoning or syphilis? Neither killed Caravaggio, says a Naples professor in a new book. Instead the master artist was slain and dumped in the sea by the Knights of Malta—with the Catholic Church’s blessing.

Happy Easter!

Easter: The exact origins of this religious feast day's name are unknown. Some sources claim the word Easter is derived from Eostre, a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility. Other accounts trace Easter to the Latin term hebdomada alba, or white week, an ancient reference to Easter week and the white clothing donned by people who were baptized during that time. Through a translation error, the term later appeared as esostarum in Old High German, which eventually became Easter in English. In Spanish, Easter is known as Pascua; in French, Paques. These words are derived from the Greek and Latin Pascha or Pasch, for Passover. Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection occurred after he went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew), the Jewish festival commemorating the ancient Israelites' exodus from slavery in Egypt. Pascha eventually came to mean Easter.

Saturday Night Fever