And So It Goes…

Kurt Vonnegut’s advice to the people of 2088 also applies to the people of 2020.

“This week, I stumbled upon some very good advice Kurt Vonnegut set out, in 1988, for the citizens of the world of 2088. Sure, it was part of a Volkswagen ad campaign for TIME, but it still counts as salient advice from one of our great literary minds—and though it was supposed to be for people living 100 years after he wrote it, almost all of it applies to those of us trapped in 2020 as well. (And if not, well, at the very least, I got a laugh out of “bag ladies and bag gentlemen.”) Here’s what Kurt thinks we should be doing to save ourselves:”

The More Things Change – – –

Fraud of the Century:

The Ponzi Scheme, 100 Years Later

In 1920, Boston’s Charles Ponzi gave a classic confidence trick its name. Why are investors still falling for such a notorious swindle?

On August 11, 1920, the scheme was exposed by The Boston Post.

Two days later, on Friday the 13th, Ponzi was in jail.

Some Book Stories for the End of July

~ from Lithub ~

The First Black-Owned Bookstore and the Fight for Freedom. Black abolitionist David Ruggles opened the first Black-owned bookstore in 1834, pointing the way to freedom—in more ways than one.

 

Public libraries have been vital in times of crisis – from conflict to Covid-19

 

Take a look at the dreamy book tunnels in this beautiful Beijing bookstore.

 

Mary Trump’s book sold almost a million copies by the end of its publication day.

 

Why do people on the internet care so much about how other people organize their books?

Jasper Fforde on rabbits, racism and writing fiction ‘to slightly improve a flawed world’

New from Greg Rucka!

From the pen of our friend Greg Rucka –

Staring Charlize Theron –

“The movie positions its team of almost sorta immortals (they can die eventually, but they tend to heal quickly from even the most surely fatal of injuries) as both avenging angels roaming the world doing justice and ancient sad sacks grown tired with their mission. Well, at least Charlize Theron’s team leader Andy (short for Andromache of Scythia) is a bit over it all, sick of the world’s ceaseless parade of horrors, one that all her butt-kicking over the millennia has done little if anything to stanch.”

 

 

Netflix’s The Old Guard Often Feels Brand-New

 

 

“Credit to director Gina Prince-Bythewood for teasing that out, and to screenwriter Greg Rucka, adapting his own graphic novel. The Old Guard is a naked attempt to kick off a franchise, but I wasn’t bothered by all those obvious table-setting mechanics because what they’re establishing is so tantalizing.”

 

 

 

 

 

~ Trailers for the Show ~

Other writings about the graphic novel and the movie

Read this before you watch The Old Guard

The Old Guard is an action blockbuster with historical tragedy in its bones

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NETFLIX – JULY 10

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Cautions from the Future “Nineteen Eighty-Four” Author

Celebrate George Orwell’s birthday by reading his (scathing) 1940 review of Mein Kampf.

In Preparation of the new “Perry Mason”

“PERRY MASON” debuts on HBO Sunday, June 21st. Check your schedule for times!

“Set in 1932 Los Angeles, the series focuses on the origin story of famed defense lawyer Perry Mason, based on characters from Erle Stanley Gardner’s novels. Living check-to-check as a low-rent private investigator, Mason is haunted by his wartime experiences in France and suffering the effects of a broken marriage.”

Perry Mason and the Case of the Wildly Successful, Perpetually Restless Author

How to Write Legal Thrillers That Won’t Drive Lawyers Crazy with Mistakes and Inventions

What Perry Mason Taught Americans About the Criminal Justice System

 ‘Perry Mason’ Reboot Is No Rerun: This Is A ‘Very Dark’ Take, Says Matthew Rhys

An original ‘Juneteenth’ order found in the National Archives

From The Washington Post, by  Michael E. Ruane 

June 18, 2020

“The National Archives on Thursday located what appears to be an original handwritten “Juneteenth” military order informing thousands of people held in bondage in Texas they were free.

 

The decree, in the ornate handwriting of a general’s aide, was found in a formal order book stored in the Archives headquarters building in Washington. It is dated June 19, 1865, and signed by Maj. F.W. Emery, on behalf of Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger.

“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, ‘all slaves are free,’ ” the order reads.

“This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.”

The order sparked jubilation among African Americans in Texas and resulted in generations of celebration. It rings poignant today, as in recent weeks outpourings of anger against police brutality and racism have filled America’s streets.

 

Juneteenth celebrates ‘a moment of indescribable joy’: Slavery’s end in Texas

 

It is a modest, two-paragraph entry in the book labeled “Headquarters District of Texas, Galveston … General Orders No. 3.” But it affected the lives of about 250,000 enslaved people.”

 

for the full article, and pictures of the order, see the link above.

Author Recommendations – more for the new month!

The Mysterious Bookshop in NYC has been posting lists of books recommended by (a better mix of) Big Name Authors. We’re passing them along. You can click on the links to order directly from the Mysterious Bookshop. If you’re interested in any title, please do order from a small independent bookseller!

Brendan DuBois recommends – – –

Laurie King recommends – – –

Andrew Gross recommends – – –

Lindsay Faye recommends – – –

F. Paul Wilson recommends – – –

Stephen Hunter recommends – – –

Mary Anne Kelly recommends – – –

Dennis Lehane recommends – – –

Andrew Klavan recommends – – –

Joseph Kanon recommends – – –

Susan Isaacs recommends – – –

Alafair Burke recommends – – –

Author Recommendations – Additions to:

The Mysterious Bookshop in NYC has been posting lists of books recommended by Big Name (male) Authors. We’re passing them along. You can click on the links to order directly from the Mysterious Bookshop. If you’re interested in any title, please do order from a small independent bookseller!

Jonathan Santlofer recommends – – –

Andrew Gulli recommends – – –

Peter Robinson recommends – – –

Robert Goldsbourough – – – 

James Sallis recommends- – –

James Ellroy recommends – – –

James Grady recommends – – –

Author Recommendations (aka More Of)

The Mysterious Bookshop in NYC has been posting lists of books recommended by Big Name Authors. Thought we’d pass them along. You can click on the links to order directly from the Mysterious Bookshop. If you’re interested in any title, please do order from a small independent bookseller!

Martin Cruz Smith recommends – – –

Tasha Alexander recommends – – –

Wallace Stroby recommends – – –

A.J. Finn recommends – – –

Charles Ardai recommends – – –

Lorenzo Carcaterra recommends – –

Limited Edition Bibliomysteries! From Otto Penzler – – –               Most of you know that we have been publishing original bibliomysteries at the Mysterious Bookshop for several years. We publish them in paperback as well as in limited edition hardcovers, numbered or lettered and signed by the author.                 The publisher of Suntup Editions has selected six of these stories, those with a trace of supernatural elements, and published an extraordinary limited edition. The stories he selected were by Reed Farrel Coleman, John Connolly, Christopher Fowler, Elizabeth George, Anne Perry, and F. Paul Wilson. All copies are signed by all authors.                 Beautifully illustrated and hand-bound, Suntup Editions have become legendary collectors’ items.                 These books can be ordered only directly from the publisher—not from the Mysterious Bookshop. [see the link above – eds.]                 Fair warning: The books are expensive but they are exceptional books for serious collectors. The last two titles published by this press each sold out in about twenty minutes, so if you want one I suggest you order instantly!                 Please remember that you cannot order any copies from our store. Regrettably, we don’t have any and will not have any.                 Good luck and best wishes, Otto