I loved reading fantasy and horror and suspense as a kid, and I loved the literary fiction we read in school. As an adult, I started taking myself and my choice of reading materials far too seriously, staying away from anything too genre, making rare exceptions for Atwood’s Madd Addam series or Tolkien. [I know. Insert eye roll <<here>>] And then about six years ago, I read and loved Iain Banks’s The Wasp Factory, and I started looking into his other books and found that […]
Like lickin’ honey off a thorn tree
When MsWas sent out the email offering free copies of The Sasquatch Murder, I knew I had to have one. About six months ago, a new coffee shop opened about a block from my house. It’s called Coffee for Sasquatch. I had visions of reading the book under the giant wall sculpture of Sasquatch, as if she’s reading over my shoulder. That didn’t quite happen, but I am writing this review while drinking coffee and glancing up at Big Sassy herself. I’m not quite sure […]
We are shaped and fashioned by what we love
Over the last five years, I’ve made a renewed effort at writing, something I loved as a kid but let slip in favor of more practical pursuits. [Translation: I gave up what I really wanted in favor of what others wanted for me.] Having no idea what I’m doing, I’ve read a lot of books on writing and creativity, trying to avoid specifics on writing and storytelling mechanics in favor of tips and tricks on the creative process. This book caught my eye on Amazon, […]
All we ask is to be allowed to remain the writers of our own story
I’m a big fan of Atul Gawande’s work, easily the best I’ve read by a medical doctor. His style is effortless, and he manages to find the right balance of technical and non-technical. Being Mortal feels like his most personal work, and I loved it. While his first three books mostly covered his own experiences through surgical residency and practice, his latest explores a topic he admits up front to knowing very little about. He mentions right away that his medical training included almost nothing […]
Sometimes, the world don’t give you what you need, no matter how hard you look
I dread writing this review. I hated this book. I’ll just get that out of the way. Hated it. Yet I hesitate. How can I eviscerate a book that contains lines like this: ‘Come on, son,’ Pop says. When he begins walking toward the house, I follow, trying to leave the memory of Leonie and Michael fighting outside, floating like fog in the damp, chilly day. But it follows, even as I follow the trail of tender organ blood Pop has left in the dirt, […]
What’s the title of this book? I didn’t hear the first 20 times you said it.
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu is one of those books that I bought because I loved the cover. Love the font, love the image, love the finish. It’s a book that felt great in my hands when I picked it up. The story is meant to be an Asian take on traditional fantasy. Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu are young men living under the regime of an emperor who took over the seven kingdoms of the Islands of Dara, Garu from a middle […]