All Books
The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir by John R. BoltonMy rating: 2 of 5 stars It is truly appalling that someone who purports to be a public servant would maintain silence in the face of so much corruption going on in the same room, however this review is not about John Bolton, […]
A Book About John Bolton’s Dereliction of Duty. Read More »
Pornland: How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality by Gail DinesMy rating: 2 of 5 stars Dines’s book is an excursion into the destructive nature of pornography on our society. It hits some of the problem on the head, especially the violence of the gonzo olympics. However, the book is flawed in that Dines enters the
Pornland is Informative But Also As Boring As Porn Read More »
This was part of my research for Secrets of Barrington Hall. They are dressed in Edwardian fashion. If you search around the office, you see many typical relics from the time. I like how there is a “Faces you hav’nt saw” on the bulletin board. Is there a story there? The desk in the foreground
The Adventures of Jesus Christ, Boy Detective by J. BradleyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars The Adventures of Jesus Christ, Boy Detective It’s disingenuous to begin a book like J. Bradley’s The Adventures of Jesus Christ, Boy Detective and not expect to wallow in irreverence, so don’t read it if your religious feathers are easily
The Satanic Verses by Salman RushdieMy rating: 4 of 5 stars A confounding, challenging book that leaves impactful philosophical impressions! This book is so many things: a weird odd-couple story that crosses the planes, a tale of the immigrant experience in England, and a fable about surrender to religion versus a rigorous adherence to secular
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Kyle made this delicious cover for me. I love the art, but not so much the layout. Maybe it should just be called Barrington Hall? Secrets sounds sinister but maybe potential readers will think it’s a romance. Needs more blood. I’m going to rewrite it in December from the first person perspective (Bartholomew’s) as an
Secrets of Barrington Hall – Update Read More »
I have a lot of revision to do. This is truly an “ugly first draft”, but the story is coming together as I write. Three more chapters to go, plus two intermission segments, altogether about 17000-20000 words, which can certainly be done in the 10 days remaining at this pace. This will indeed need a
Moving to the Climax Now Read More »
Skin Deep by Brandon SandersonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars I love Brandon Sanderson’s imagination. Mistborn and the world of The Rithmatist are two of my favorite places to dream about being. My expectations for Legion were, therefore, unrealistic, but that’s the danger when your audience becomes acquainted with dining gourmet. A lesser meal just
Legion II (Skin Deep) Read More »
The Heaven of Animals: Stories by David James PoissantMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Very enjoyable. In these pages you will meet many troubled people, each struggling with the enormity of life’s challenges. They will make you laugh, cry, but most of all, they will open themselves to let you use their lenses, so that
A good collection of short stories – check it out! Read More »
Ulysses by James JoyceMy rating: 3 of 5 stars This story of typical people from Dublin being ordinary is one of the oddest novels I’ve ever read. Though there are many admirers, it’s clear that the target audience for this book is James Joyce, and it celebrates his self-pleasure and creative freedom. This novel was
The Psychopathology of Everyday Life by Sigmund FreudMy rating: 2 of 5 stars Freud analyzes language, memory of names, and behaviors for signs of our repressed subconsciouses. He uses different anecdotes, describes the observation, and then uses his theory of the mind to explain how a forgotten name or a missed appointment derives from the
The Real Reason I Can’t Remember Names… Oh Shit! LOL. Read More »
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar WildeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars It’s been years since I had read this or watched it performed, but I still remembered how crisp and clever was the dialog. After reading it again, I enjoyed it even more than the pleasant memory. This play is about two men,
The Importance of Great Dialog and Sharp Wit Read More »
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine AddisonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars The Goblin Emperor is a delightfully refreshing fantasy novel replete with rich world building and a unique backdrop of gender and racial division that paints a poignant image of our own world’s challenges. Maia, the protagonist of mixed Elven and Goblin descent, becomes emperor
The Goblin Emperor is such a treat! Read More »
The Rithmatist by Brandon SandersonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Absolutely delightful. This is a story about Joel, the son of a deceased chalk maker whose mother is a cleaning lady in an expensive famous school. Part of the school is also dedicated to teaching Rithmatists, magicians who can animate chalk figures. Joel wants to
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson is a wonderful tale! Read More »
The Dark is Rising by Susan CooperMy rating: 4 of 5 stars The Dark Is Rising, the second novel of The Dark Is Rising Sequence, a set of five novels of speculative fiction and fantasy published from 1965 to 1977, is a lot more sinister than the first novel of the series: Over Sea, Under
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Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan CooperMy rating: 3 of 5 stars The first novel in the Dark Is Rising sequence, a five book seiries published from 1965 to 1977, is perhaps the story most directed to younger audiences. The principal characters in the story are Simon, Jane, and Barney Drew. Their family is visiting
Over Sea Under Stone by Susan Cooper Read More »