Book Review: China Dolls by Lisa See It is 1938, the tail end of the Great Depression, and San Francisco is trying to shake off its blues with a World’s Fair on Treasure Island. They’re going to need a lot of employees for that, and the prospect of a job draws Grace Lee all the… Continue reading Book Review: China Dolls
Tag: Hollywood
Book Review: Mrs. Roosevelt’s Confidante
Book Review: Mrs. Roosevelt’s Confidante by Susan Elia MacNeal It is late December, 1941. The Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor, and America is now at war with the Axis powers. The United States’ alliance with Great Britain is now an active one, and to cement that alliance, Prime Minister Winston Churchill has crossed the ocean… Continue reading Book Review: Mrs. Roosevelt’s Confidante
Comic Book Review: Poseurs
Comic Book Review: Poseurs written by Deborah Vankin, art by Rick Mays Jenna Berry is a Jewish-Cherokee teen living in a downmarket part of Los Angeles. Her mother is a hard-drinking legal secretary who has been dating a string of pretty boys, and they’re always on the verge of poverty. When Mom’s shoplifting costs Jenna… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Poseurs
Manga Review: Gimmick!
Manga Review: Gimmick! Story by Youzaburou Kanari, Art by Kuroko Yabuguchi Studio Gimmick doesn’t look like much from the outside–it’s a two-man operation by Kohei Nagase, special effects makeup expert, and his stuntman friend Kannazuki. But if you need their skills, and have nowhere else to turn, you may be able to hire them to help… Continue reading Manga Review: Gimmick!
Book Review: The Year’s Greatest Science-Fiction and Fantasy Second Annual Volume
Book Review: The Year’s Greatest Science-Fiction and Fantasy Second Annual Volume edited by Judith Merril This 1957 volume contains speculative fiction stories from magazines published in roughly the previous year, hand-picked by the editor to represent the best the field had to offer at the time. (I’ve previously reviewed the fifth annual, which switched the… Continue reading Book Review: The Year’s Greatest Science-Fiction and Fantasy Second Annual Volume
Book Review: The Year’s Best S-F: 5th Annual Edition
Book Review: The Year’s Best S-F: 5th Annual Edition edited by Judith Merrill This 1960 book features a selection of speculative fiction short stories published during the 1958-60 time period. Editor Judith Merrill provides an introduction about the concept of wonder, chatty introductions to each story (she doesn’t think much of Kingsley Amis as a… Continue reading Book Review: The Year’s Best S-F: 5th Annual Edition
Movie Review: Trocadero (1944)
Movie Review: Trocadero (1944) Hollywood columnist Erskine Johnson (playing himself) needs a story for his Sunday slot, and goes to his favorite nightclub, the Trocadero. It’s hopping as usual, but headwaiter Sam (Ralph Morgan) finds a moment between celebrity cameos and musical numbers to talk to the columnist. He reveals that things were not always… Continue reading Movie Review: Trocadero (1944)
Book Review: Jet Set
Book Review: Jet Set: The People, the Planes, the Glamour, and the Sex in Aviation’s Glory Years by William Stadiem Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. My copy was an Advance Uncorrected Proof, and there will be considerable changes made to the final product,… Continue reading Book Review: Jet Set
Comic Strip Review: Johnny Comet
Comic Strip Review: Johnny Comet by Frank Frazetta & Earl Baldwin Before Frank Frazetta hit it big with movie posters and book cover paintings of brawny barbarians and scantily-clad women, he worked in comic books and tried to break into the lucrative newspaper comics business. After a couple of abortive efforts, Mr. Frazetta was… Continue reading Comic Strip Review: Johnny Comet
Book Review: Splatterlands
Book Review: Splatterlands edited by Anthony Rivera and Sharon Lawson Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. According to Wikipedia, “splatterpunk” was a movement in horror writing between roughly 1985 and 1995, distinguished by its graphic and often gory descriptions of violence and attempts to… Continue reading Book Review: Splatterlands