Miguel is working in his dad’s comic book/record store one afternoon when a girl he doesn’t know wonders in. Lainey is beautiful, with a sense of humor, intelligence, an Australian accent, red-gold hair, and a matching dog–excuse me, dingo. The two hit it off immediately, but weird things start to happen–and it all seems to […]
On Writing by Stephen King: Book Review
Stephen King sits down to share his thoughts on the writing process. No matter what you think of his books personally, you have to admit that he’s a master at drawing in legions of fans. He prefaces his work with an explanation of what prompted him to write it. He was talking with author Amy […]
Watchers by Dean Koontz: Book Review
Travis Cornell is a man for whom life has lost all meaning. But on a hike one day, he runs into a golden retriever, somewhat battered, obviously friendly, but determined to protect him from something. Travis, a former member of the elite Delta Force, finds himself running in a blind panic with the dog. He […]
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami: Book Review
There’s a lot going on in this book. Basically, Toru Okada has just quit his job in Tokyo and all kinds of strange people enter and leave his life while all kinds of strange things happen to him. To say more would give away some things. I finished this book, put it down, and told […]
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson: Book Review
Chicago wins a bid to be the host of the World’s Fair in 1892, the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s discovery of America. The city’s top architects immediately swing into gear to make this a fair to remember. Paris had hosted a world’s fair a few years earlier and everyone said that it couldn’t be beaten. […]
The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss: Book Review
I have to start with this actual physical book. If you read my blog, you might be aware that I don’t accept books for review. Reading on a schedule was starting to feel like work, so I decided to just say no to free books and read what I want when I want. It works […]
Fire by Kristin Cashore: Book Review
Fire lives in a country known as the Dells, and she is a human monster. There’s a strain of wildness in the country that leaves some of the animals and people with impossibly seductive beauty and power. Fire is so named because of her hair. She can enter minds and control people and animals. But […]
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks: Book Review
Hanna Heath studies and restores rare books. She is offered the chance of a lifetime when she is contacted by the United Nations to restore a rare illuminated Haggadah at the end of the Bosnian War. Hanna manages to pull out a few clues to the book’s history. As she follows up on the clues, […]
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman: Book Review
Twelve-year-old Odd doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of his village. He crushed his leg when he was younger and that’s left him with a limp. He’d rather be carving alone in the woods than hanging out in the hall with the other villagers fighting and telling stories. His stepfather is just awful. So […]
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling: Book Review
This book is the one that Hermione inherited from Dumbledore. It contains the “Tale of the Three Brothers” that was told in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It also contains notes about each story written by Dumbledore and J.K. Rowling. I’ll be honest here. True, morbid, Brothers Grimm fairy tales are just not my […]
The Fat Man by Ken Harmon: Book Review
Gumdrop Coal has gotten the axe. Founder of the Coal Patrol, those elves who deliver coal into bad little kids’ stockings, Gumdrop is out on his ear when Santa decides that every child deserves a real gift on Christmas. Gumdrop takes it hard. His methods might be harsh, but he believes they’re fair and they […]