Between the holidays and being sick and traveling, I’ve read more books than I can possibly review. Or that I want to review. So I’m introducing a new format that will appear occasionally: mini reviews (stolen, with credit, from River City Reading). Hopefully this will allow me to catch up without disappointing anyone (including myself).Continue reading “Mini-Reviews: The Scent of Pine, Fiddlehead, and What Nora Knew”
Tag Archives: books
The Anticipation Is Killing Me: A Top Ten List
I’m too tired this week to come up with anything remotely amusing for this week’s list introduction. So I’ll leave it at this: I hate anticipation. Whoever said anticipation is the purest form of pleasure lied. Who likes to wait? Or be surprised? Or not know something? I can assure you it’s not me. PatienceContinue reading “The Anticipation Is Killing Me: A Top Ten List”
Why Are You So Sad? by Jason Porter
Raymond Champs, a furniture manual illustrator for an international furniture company (akin to Ikea), has the world figured out (please see how I feel about Ikea here). As a species, we’re all suffering from severe clinical depression. We just don’t know it. He sets out to prove it – statistically and methodically. He starts withContinue reading “Why Are You So Sad? by Jason Porter”
Best Books of 2013
This week’s top ten list: Best (fiction) Books of 2013 (as hosted by The Broke and The Bookish). I decided to change things up a little bit and do a video/vlog (that word is ridiculous) to accompany my post. I couldn’t come up with a tenth book, but let’s pretend I did. As always, beContinue reading “Best Books of 2013”
The Troop by Nick Cutter
To begin this review, let’s look at the versatile word visceral. vis·cer·al [víssərəl] adjective 1. felt in or as if in the internal organs of the body : deep <a visceral conviction> 2. not intellectual : instinctive, unreasoning <visceral drives> 3. dealing with crude or elemental emotions : earthy <a visceral novel> I sincerely doubtContinue reading “The Troop by Nick Cutter”
It’s Never Too Late by Dallas Clayton
I wanted to hate Dallas Clayton’s new children’s book for adults. I really did. His success (almost) smacks of elitism because yes, this is the same Dallas Clayton that dated Shannyn Sossamon. And yes, he’s been touted by everyone from Gwyneth Paltrow to Justin Timberlake to Joaquin Phoenix* for his self-published debut An Awesome Book!.Continue reading “It’s Never Too Late by Dallas Clayton”
Literary Mixtape | Pride and Prejudice
Do you ever want a modern soundtrack to a classic novel? Yes? Me too. That’s the point of this feature. So read on to find out what songs I assigned to Pride and Prejudice. On a side note: Did you know that December 16th is Jane Austen’s birthday? Jsne Austen’s classic novel is beloved byContinue reading “Literary Mixtape | Pride and Prejudice”
Blaze by Richard Bachman
Confession? I have never read Of Mice and Men. I am well aware of how literarily shameful this is. No need to point it out. However, I have read The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, and The Log from the Sea of Cortez (the latter of which is best consumed as a sleep aid).Continue reading “Blaze by Richard Bachman”
Autobiography of a Corpse by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky
I recently finished reading Autobiography of a Corpse by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky. My opinion can be summed up quite nicely by a quote from this unusual short story collection: This may have been a pseudo-hallucination, I don’t know: It’s all the same to me. I’m tempted to stop with that quote. It really is a suitableContinue reading “Autobiography of a Corpse by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky”
Crimes in Southern Indiana by Frank Bill
When you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose. (To quote Bob Dylan, as I’m wont to do more often than not. This time with good reason. Bob Dylan makes an appearance – albeit briefly – in the pages of Frank Bill’s masterful short story collection.) This sentiment applies to nearly all of Frank Bill’sContinue reading “Crimes in Southern Indiana by Frank Bill”
flannel and folklore 