I like to read a variety of different fiction, although admittedly most of it falls into the broad categories of “fantasy & science fiction” and “historical fiction”. So recently I interspersed a lot of Jack Vance stories and Jennifer Vanderbes’ EASTER ISLAND with a handful of genre science fiction magazines from the early 1960s. The magazine was called WORLDS OF IF and it was the science fiction magazine I discovered in my stocking on Christmas Day, 1962, thus sparking my lifelong love of f&sf. The magazine was ideal for a teenager since it primarily contained adventure-type stuff, but it also had many excellent stories by well-known writers, such as J.G. Ballard’s “The Time Tombs” and Robert A. Heinlein’s last “young adult” novel PODKAYNE OF MARS in the issues I read.

Andy, Mark and I are ordering three cd’s from Columbia House to fulfill my membership requirement, and their offer this month is “Buy 1 get 2 free.” That’s one cd for each of us, so Andy selected the new Korn cd TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR, Mark chose the new Matchbox 20 MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE, and I picked A Perfect Circle’s THIRTEENTH STEP, which is progressive rock from the former lead singer of TOOL, a progressive metal band. Good stuff.