Sometimes, I read a book and I think, “this would make a great movie!” Sometimes, I don’t want to see the movie, because I know that film and CGI will never match the story in my head. In the case of Labor Day by Joyce Maynard, I’m not sure I want to see the movie, because I don’t think Hollywood will get it… Read more
I seem to be gathering quite a collection of Scandanavian crime novels lately! I’ve got Joe Nesbo, Camilla Lackburg, Ake Edwardson…and now I can add Mari Jungstedt to the list. Killer’s Art is a very good mystery novel set in the art world of Gotland, an upscale, picturesque Swedish island. In the walled city of Visby, a killer is on the… Read more
I know this review is a little early. The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore isn’t due out until April 2014. I’m posting it now because (a) the book is still fresh in my mind (in fact, I’m still chuckling over it) and (b) this will give you time to pre-order it or get yourself on top of your library’s reserve list.… Read more
First of all, let me tell you about Kindle First. If you have Amazon Prime, Kindle First lets you get a free book for your Kindle every month – prior to its release date! Did you see that? FREE BOOKS! (As if I needed more free books.) It’s a very cool way to get new books as soon as they… Read more
I’ve got so many thoughts running around in my head, after finishing Robert Plant: A Life by Paul Rees. Let me see if I can put them in some order: 1. It has brought back fond memories of the Robert Plant poster that I had on my bedroom wall as a teenager. I studied that poster in great detail. I had thoughts… Read more
I love a good thriller and I definitely enjoyed The Absence of Mercy by John Burley. It reminds me a bit of Defending Jacob by William Landay; both begin with the murder of a teenager, and both deal with a father who is a central character in the investigation. In Absence of Mercy, Dr. Ben Stevenson is the local coroner; his wife is… Read more
If you’re a fan of books by motivational speakers, you know that sometimes the cover is of questionable taste. For example, Larry Winget’s recent title Grow a Pair features the author holding a pair of personal watermelons, representing…a pair. When I saw Jason Ellis’ book, The Awesome Guide to Life: Get Fit, Get Laid, Get Your Sh*t Together, I expected… Read more
Folks, it pays to troll the Daily Deals and links on Amazon’s Kindle pages. That’s where I picked up Rage Against the Night, edited by Shane Jiraiya Cummings, with stories by all your favorites — Stephen King, Ramsey Cambell, Peter Straub, and more. The book is a fund-raiser for Rocky Wood, author, president of the Horror Writers Association and an expert on… Read more
Billed as an environmental thriller “inspired by the Sierra Club’s 1960s battle with Walt Disney Company over a proposed ski resort in the Sierra Nevada Mountains,” The Condor Song is compelling reading. Although informed by historical fact, the writing style is likable and engaging. You want to sit down and finish the book in one sitting, even though it spans… Read more
While the Kindle version is half the cover price, Princesses Behaving Badly: Real Stories from History Without the Fairy-Tale Endings is a hard-backed treasure you’ll want on your shelves for inspiration over the years to come. Douglas Smith’s woodcut designs grace the header for each narrative, which ties the stories together. McRobbie’s goal for this book is to make these… Read more