Star Wars is on the brain…of everyone. After the supreme disappointment of the prequels (okay, they weren’t that bad, and we probably all had our hopes set too high, anyway), the hype and the excitement and the energy and the shear cultural force of Star Wars + JJ Abrams + the biggest fandom in the […]
Book Review | Superman – Action Comics, Vol. 1: Superman and the Men of Steel (Action Comics Vol. II #1) by Grant Morrison
2015-12-10 · by ·
I’m not typically a reader of comic books. But Grant Morrison could almost persuade me to become one. I came home from knee surgery to find myself bored, drugged, and distracted. Somehow, I ended up with a copy of Morrison’s treatment of Superman in this renumbering of the Action Comics line (as a comics novice, […]
In defense of physical books: home “libraries matter even more than money”
2015-12-07 · by ·
I can’t tell you how often Abby (7 going on 14) has gone into our library/office to find a book to read (or how often Oz, 4, or Ann, 2, carries them around, pretending to read). We’re still accumulating our collection, but she’s never come away without a book or three. Usually, I’ve got to […]
Book Review | Trespassers by Todd Wynn and Tim Wynn
2015-12-04 · by ·
There’s much to like about Trespassers. There’s intrigue, mystery, interesting characters, growth, romance, and a little bit of sci-fi, of the “handwaivium” sort. Todd Wynn and Tim Wynn have a story with potential in Trespassers. The plot of Trespassers revolves around three–or four?–groups: the secret government agency tasked with keeping humanity in the dark about […]
The day jobs that inspired famous authors
2015-12-02 · by ·
Credit: https://www.adzuna.co.uk/blog/2015/11/23/the-day-jobs-that-inspired-famous-authors/
Book Review | Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
2015-11-25 · by ·
For a guy who literally looks like the Dos Equis man, Mark Kurlansky has managed to find some of the least interesting subject matter I could imagine and turn them into full histories. Whether it’s salt (this one), cod (1988), oysters (2005), or the Basques (1991)…well, okay. A history of the Basques sounds like it has […]
Book Review | Hubris: The Tragedy of War in the Twentieth Century by Alistair Horne
2015-11-22 · by ·
Fascinating and with the touch of a master storyteller’s hand, if there’s one history I will recommend this Christmas season, it will be Alistair Horne’s Hubris: the Tragedy of War in the Twentieth Century. Interesting and accessible, Horne’s approach is a narrative that doesn’t merely tell a story, but also examines hubris in the tides […]
Book Review | The Thing in the Office by Phil Elmore
2015-10-24 · by ·
With Halloween right around the corner, it’s time to pick a few stories to get you in the mood for a spooky holiday. If I had my druthers, Phil Elmore’s The Thing in the Office would be the short story collection choice of the season. Elmore’s writing is clear, concise, and careful, reminiscent of the […]
Book Review | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (Charlie Bucket #1)
2015-10-19 · by ·
I started reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to the kids just a few nights ago. In only a couple of readings the setting moved from cabbage and cold to chocolate bars and edible buttercup plants, and we were floating along, delightfully, through rivers of chocolate and Oompa Loompa songs. Our guide was the indefatigable Willy Wonka, […]
Book Review | A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin (Earthsea #1)
2015-10-18 · by ·
I can’t remember how many years it’s been since I read anything by Ursula K. Le Guin, nor do I recall what it was that I read. So when Le Guin appeared in an article recently, it was a good excuse to reacquaint myself with one of her classics, A Wizard of Earthsea. Sparrowhawk is […]
