Tag: book review
-
Wraeththu: The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit
Wraeththu was one of my favorite books in high school so I decided to revisit it for nostalgia’s sake, and to examine what it is about the book that attracts me so much. After reading it again and reading others’ reviews of it, I realize it’s a little problematic and the plot is sketchy, but I…
-
Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose
Francine Prose’s Reading Like a Writer isn’t really about close reading, and it’s not really about learning to write better. It’s mostly about giving budding writers recommendations for books to read that exemplify good writing skills, and bringing some forgotten works back to the attention of general readers of literature.
-
Aleph by Paolo Coelho
Aleph is a novel, which the author calls non-fiction, of his spiritual and physical journey across the entirety of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Coelho allegedly travels through time, has out-of-body experiences, and becomes the love-object of a girl about forty years his junior. My response to this book, in three words, is: “Yeah fucking right.” You…
-
The Librarian by Larry Beinhart
Larry Beinhart’s “The Librarian” would make the perfect passive aggressive Christmas gift for conservative family. It’s a political thriller, made with a heaping cup of Bush satire and GOP-bashing. The book’s protagonist is a Jewish librarian named David Goldberg, who works at a college library in D.C. After his colleague, a stereotypical shrinking-violet librarian asks…
-
The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You! by Harry Harrison
I picked this copy of The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You! at Logos on a trip back to Santa Cruz. They have a lot of really sweet vintage scifi and if you ‘re passing through the area, you should stop by. It’s right on Pacific Street and it was one of my favorite haunts when I was in college.…
-
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
I’m a little late to the party on this one, as it came out in 2005 and was fairly popular when I first heard about it in 2009. By that time I was a senior in high school and not really interested in YA fiction as much, so I ignored the hype, but… a book group…
-
Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines
A librarian who can reach into books like portals and pull out magical weapons. A dryad accidentally summoned from a book, who falls love with the first person she sees. A pet spider who erupts into flame when supernatural creatures are nearby. Sound interesting?
-
Drift by Jim Miller
Jim Miller’s “Drift” is a collection of short vignettes about San Diego through the eyes of many different people. It is a sampling of different backgrounds and ideologies and how these flavor the way each individual sees the world. Every chapter switches point-of-view, which adds richness to the story. The impression that you walk away…