Twelve Trains to Babylon. Alfred Connable.

Twelve Trains to Babylon
by Alfred Connable.
Little, Brown: 1971.

Jon is a spy, transferred to America several years ago. His job is to transfer messages or suitcases from one place to another. He is part of a vast network and nobody knows who anyone else is or what they do. All is well until a government agent discovers him and coerces him to find out who the other links in the network are. The network finds out he is discovered and needs to kill him in order to protect its secrecy. During all of this, he is also trying to decide which of two women he loves - and what is love, anyway?

Things get even more complicated when it is revealed that the spy network has been taken over by the mafia, and he has actually been smuggling heroin for the past several years. Soon, good guys become bad guys and vice versa, and multiple people have had the same identity. This book is very complex and slightly confusing, but it makes for one of the best spy novels I've ever read. A 'classic' suspense story that emphasizes the action and mystery rather than dwelling on gruesome people or graphic details as in most modern suspense stories. Very well written, and it is interesting to watch Jon change - again, it is refreshing to have a dynamic character is what is formally, at least, pulp fiction.

Tall Mass Markets?

In a move which will be enjoyed by consumers, many publishers are now binding books in a "tall" mass market size? These are on the same low-quality paper, and bound with the same low-quality binding, as your typical pocket book, but are about 3/4" taller. The good news is, the type is much easier to read - it's a little bigger and the space between the lines is a little wider. The other good news is that these "premium" mass markets are generally $10 new compared to $8 for a new traditional mass market or $15 for a new trade paperback. So, for a price closer to a mass market, you can enjoy the something close to the readability of a trade paperback or hardcover.

The bad news is that they don't fit on mass market shelving. Is this the new size that all pocket books will be made? Will bookstores around the world re-size their shelving? A quick glance at our paperback section reveals that the pocket books printed in the 1940s-60s were, in fact, 1/2" shorter than the pocket books printed since. So, this has happened once before. What is the deciding factor here? Are Americans' eyes failing? Are today's pulp novels just so horrendously long that no one can stand to read 400 pages of small-type anymore? Has the readership market changed from 1940s teenagers (with better eyesight on average) to 2000s retired couples (with worse eyesight on average)?

Or do publishers just want the extra $2 a pop? It is, after all, convenient for publishers that you get a book that's 10% larger for 20% price increase.

I will see what I can dig up, and keep you posted.

Guardians of the Singreale. Calvin Miller.

Guardians of the Singreale
by Calvin Miller.
Harper & Row: 1982.

This tale takes place on a world akin to Eden: people are vegetarian, live for thousands of years, etc. The evil black-haired (the rest have gray hair) Parsky tricks people into eating meat and is after a magic diamond which is symbolic of God's love.

This is the first of a trilogy, and suffice it to say that I will not be reading the next two volumes. Simple in plot, boring in characters, tedius in moral teachings, the book could effectively be read in an hour or two. Perhaps its biggest flaw is a lack of imagination: the only interesting thing are the tilt-winds which are powerful seasonal winds the locals use to go hang-gliding. Whoopee.

Up Against the Wal-Marts. Dan Taylor; Jeanne Archer.

Up Against the Wal-Marts
by Dan Taylor; Jeanne Archer.
Amacom: 1996.

Easy-reading book with 90% self-evident information: focus on customer service, keep costs low, plan and evaluate everything.

However, their points are often backed up with examples of how smaller businesses can compete with the retail giants. They also extensively elaborate on several points -- especially making sure your employees are as focused on customer service -- and able to provide it -- as you are. Another major point, though sort of passed over, is to use modern merchandising.

There is a good reference section on simple accounting reports and types of evaluations one can & should do, some worthless examples & tips at the end, and good background info on the big chains. I only wish this were more up-to-date with online retailing.