The year 2023 is off to a pretty good start on the reading front, as I finished 6 books through January 7:

1. The Lone Rider (I Must Ride Alone), by Jackson Gregory — First published in 1940, though I read the Popular Library paperback whose cover is shown above. This is a reasonably effective western with a few mysteries at its heart, concerning not just the leaders of a gang of rustlers nor the killer(s) of a murdered couple, but also the identity of a mysterious woman who comes to a cowboy’s camp in the night, pursued by those who blame her for the murder. Recommended for western fans.
2. The Betrayers, by Donald Hamilton — The tenth Matt Helm book, published in 1966, finds the agent’s plan for some R & R diverted into a mission to put a stop to the treasonous activities of another agent in Hawaii. As usual, there are plenty of twists and some effective action sequences. Recommended.
3. Alfred Hitchcock’s Ghostly Gallery — First published in 1962, though I read a paperback reprint from 1984. One of a series of Alfred Hitchcock Story Collections for Young Readers, this volume offers up 11 weird tales, ranging from the lighthearted (such as “Miss Emmeline Takes Off,” by Walter Brooks, and “The Haunted Trailer,” by Robert Arthur) to the grim (such as F. Marion Crawford’s famous tale of a haunting at sea, “The Upper Berth,” and A. M. Burrage’s “The Waxwork”). Perhaps my favorites of the stories were Crawford’s tale and Arthur’s “The Wonderful Day,” though “The Truth About Pyecraft,” by H. G. Wells, and one of Lord Dunsany’s Jorkens stories, “In a Dim Room,” have some merit as well. Also included are stories by Algernon Blackwood, Henry Kuttner, and Robert Louis Stevenson; a third story by Robert Arthur is present as well. I’m looking forward to reading the other Hitchcock anthology I purchased at the same time. Recommended.
4. Quick Service, by P. G. Wodehouse — A pleasing romp first published in 1940, this novel has the typical Wodehousian elements of romance, comedy, and crime, as multiple parties, including the original artist, attempt to secure a portrait that a ham magnate wishes to use in a new advertising campaign. The story zips along and delivers the farce desired. Recommended.
5. Every Man Is Innocent Until Proven Broke, by Brant Parker and Johnny Hart — This paperback collection of Wizard of Id comics (first published in 1976) offers up the usual humor to be found in the strip, with the King, Sir Rodney, the Wizard, and the other regulars all making their appearance. Reasonably amusing. Recommended for fans but mildly recommended otherwise.
6. The Body on the Pavement, by Gordon Meyrick — First published in 1942 but reprinted by Dean Street Press in 2019 (the edition I read), Meyrick’s novel relates the efforts of a Scotland Yard inspector to foil a sinister plot takes the life of one man at the beginning of the book (hence the title) and menaces a young woman and to bring the guilty party or parties to justice. The book combines elements of both mystery and thriller, with exciting and unexpected action and a partially known cast of crooks but also an element of uncertainty regarding the identity of the rest of the villains, whether working together or at cross purposes. Mildly recommended.

I have also begun a few books that I will be reading throughout the next several months or the whole year:

1. A Laugh a Day Keeps the Doctor Away, by humorist Irvin S. Cobb — a collection of 366 amusing anecdotes published in 1923 (100 years ago!), which I’ll be reading at the rate of one per day.
2. More Heart Throbs — the sequel to the similar Heart Throbs, an anthology of prose and verse selections, often sentimental in nature, submitted by the general public and famous people, published in 1911; I’ll be reading one or more pages (as needed for the selections) per day throughout the year.
3. The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night: A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights Entertainments, translated by Sir Richard F. Burton in the late 19th century — I hope to read all ten volumes as well as the six supplemental volumes this year.

On the periodical front, I’ve begun reading issue #3 (Spring 2021) of Whetsone: Amateur Magazine of Sword and Sorcery and should finish it by the time of my next weekly wrap-up. Later this year I plan to undertake a reading of the first issues of Weird Tales on the occasion of that pulp magazine’s centennial, and through the year I anticipate reading both more modern fantasy periodicals and older pulp magazines, especially other issues from 1923 when I can.

Check back next week for more updates!