Looking For a Good Book

Reviews, comments, and the occasional blog postings about books and reading.

  • CHILDREN’S
  • Dark Fantasy/Horror
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • GRAPHIC NOVEL
  • HUMOR
  • MAGIC
  • MEMOIR
  • MYSTERY
  • MYTHOLOGY
  • NON-FICTION
  • ROMANCE
  • SF/FANTASY
  • SHORT FICTION
  • YA
  • OTHER
  • Thoughts
  • Uncategorized

WRITERS & THINKERS – Daniel Fuchs

Posted by Daniel on August 18, 2022
Posted in: NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: 2 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, essays, non-fiction, Reviews. Leave a comment

26449456

Well … this was … interesting.

When I was in college (some 40 years ago!) I really enjoyed reading literary criticism. Researching an author and/or a book and writing papers was one of my favorite parts of getting an English degree (minor).  When I saw this book, Writers & Thinkers by Daniel Fuchs, those happy memories came flooding back and I wanted to relive some of that time. One of my favorite authors from that period, Bernard Malamud, is featured in a couple of the essays here and that definitely was the deciding factor in my wanting to give this a read.

And what I came away with was … does anyone read literary criticism for anything other than writing papers for school?

Fuchs addresses this to some degree in his Preface (an essay in itself):

Literary critics are sometimes asked to explain the kind of criticism they write. This is one such occasion. Though I have never been particularly concerned with methodology, my interest is in the character of the writer, in the illumination of the salient details of what he wrote, and in related problems of cultural definition. These essays are written in a Morningside Heights style.

This kind of criticism has had two tendencies, public and scholarly, with some of the critics in between or, as the case may be, moving with relative ease from one to another. The New York intellectuals in their heyday of the forties, fifties, and first half of the sixties were later thought of as public intellectuals, meaning, for one thing, that they addressed public issues that came within their intellectual purview.

…

The essays in this book, though primarily extrinsic, give due attention to artistic particularity. They are detailed but not formalist, focusing rather on how the particulars illustrate cultural and psychological realities. They are, in this sense, thematic. They are cultural criticism with no political program. … Writers and Thinkers is a collection of essays, but given the alternative space of a book on a single subject, I think that establishing the detailed relation of significant pattern to the primary ground of personal and cultural motive is even more important. D.J. Enright, in a Times Literary Supplement review of my Bellow book, said that my only fault as a critic was that I explained too much. Though I side with cultural criticism, I have often observed in it a shortcoming, a sort of condescension in actually referring to the particulars of an art work, or even to the work at all. To me, the critic is somewhat analogous to the conductor of an orchestra: the reader often responds to the critic’s ability to illuminate detail, to generate the drama of particulars. To this extent I am sympathetic to the close reading or practical criticism enterprise.

So, to Fuchs, to get the most of our reading experience, we should be guided by a ‘conductor’ to make sure we ‘get’ what we’re supposed to?

This makes some sense, and it’s what my university professors were teaching us … how to read literature – how to understand what we were reading and to think critically on our own.  Do we really need someone else’s voice – specifically Daniel Fuchs in this case – telling us what to look for and what might ‘really’ be going on? For me, the answer is ‘no.’

It doesn’t help that even here in these critical essays we’re very clearly getting an opinion and we have to take that into consideration.

Malamud is writing about failure in a time when America is moving toward “success.” (Of course, success brings failures of its own and failure may be a form of redemption.). … It is as if Malamud missed the boat, missed the great American Jewish turn to affluence for better or worse that Bellow’s vibrant prose records so brilliantly. Too often Malamud sings in the veynedich (tearful) cantorial style. It is moving but somewhat outdated. Bellow moves on to the wider energetics of contemporary American harmonics, thriving in the dialectical air between assonance and dissonance. The Bellarosa Connection is a case in point. For Malamud the Holocaust evokes the tearful past. Bellow brings the Holocaust into the pleasure-ridden present.

Perhaps it’s because I am much more of a fan of Malamud’s work than Bellow’s, but I found this to be humorous – almost outrageous. First, Fuchs counters the first sentence with his parenthetical response, and then doesn’t want to go too far and actually make a strong statement but follows it with “It is as if…”.

Were I still in school and writing papers on Malamud or Bellow or Hemingway I might use this as a resource for quoting in my paper, but given that this is criticism of books and authors that are no longer topping the book sales charts, its value is limited.  I’d like to see some new literary criticism on authors that are still connecting with readers with new books.  Where is the Anne Tyler criticism?  Margaret Atwood? Stephen King? Seanan McGuire?

There is no question that there are books from the 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, etc that are still relevant and important to today’s readers.  But are new criticisms of these books equally relevant? That is, I suppose, up to each of us as readers.

Looking for a good book? Writers & Thinkers by Daniel Fuchs is a collection of essays by the author. Though I have, in the past, enjoyed reading literary criticisms of authors I admire, I failed to find relevance for these essays.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-1halfJava-icon (1)-emptyJava-icon (1)-empty

* * * * * *

Writers and Thinkers: Selected Literary Criticism

author: Daniel Fuchs

publisher: Routledge

ISBN: 1412856914

hardcover, 272 pages

BUTTS: A BACKSTORY – Heather Radke

Posted by Daniel on August 16, 2022
Posted in: NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: 3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, non-fiction, Reviews. Leave a comment

59364094._sy475_

The human butt….  We have a complicated relationship with butts. We obsess over them, we admire them, we assess and critique them and are often complaining about our own while toning them and trying to make them attractive to others. But what is the butt really about?

Author Heather Radke explores some historical significance in some prominent human posteriors as well as how the butt has been transformed (psychologically, at least). We get some history on one of the first famous butts – that belonging to the Venus Hottentot (Sarah Bartmann) – to foot races between man and horse, to Miley Cyrus shaking her booty.

The first couple of chapters were really spot on with what I was expecting. We have a look at what, specifically, the human butt is designed for (as far as we can tell) – which is maybe a little surprising to a lot of us. The race between human and horse was fascinating (it’s tied in to the purpose of the human butt) and I really enjoyed the look back (pun intended) at how man (meaning both man and mankind) has had a bit of an obsession with the appearance of the butt and how clothing styles (specifically women’s styles) have emphasized the backside.

In this way, the first four chapters of the book (there are seven chapters) hold some interest, mostly from a historical point of view.  But as we get to the more pop era, starting with the popular “Buns of Steel” phenomenon in the late 1980’s, the book loses steam.

Author Heather Radke spends less time looking at the significance of the butt from either a historical or social aspect to more time informing the reader about specific people who for one reason or another are famous for the their butts. Kate Moss, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé Knowles, Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, as well as those whose names aren’t quite so familiar but they faces (or butts) were once recognizable because of exercise videos that had become highly popular at the time.

These last three chapters take this book from being a respectable history and social commentary to a People magazine-like, name-dropping, superficial look at pop icons. This is really disappointing. These chapters aren’t a ‘cultural history of the female butt’ as the advertising copy for the books reads, but rather a look at a couple of specific women.

Looking for a good book? Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke starts out with some nice research and a solid historic and cultural look at the human butt but it devolves into a superficial look at a few pop culture icons noted for their prominent backsides.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Butts: A Backstory

author: Heather Radke

publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon Schuster

ISBN: 1982135484

hardcover, 320 pages

50 BELOW ZERO – Robert Munsch

Posted by Daniel on August 12, 2022
Posted in: CHILDREN'S, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Children's Books, Reviews. Leave a comment

59880635

Jason just wants to curl up in a cozy place to sleep, but his father is a sleep-walker and Jason has to rescue his dad from some unusual and potentially dangerous locations at night – such as outside where it is 50 degrees below zero!

But early in the morning, when Jason’s mother walks into the kitchen, she finds husband and son curled up and sleeping comfortably even though in unusual locations.

This is a classic Robert Munsch book that has been adapted slightly to be an ‘Early Reader’ which means that some teaching moments are included in the back of the book meant to encourage some discussion and recognition of words and themes.  I love that rather than having someone write specifically for this format, taking an author like Munsch – sure to make kids and parents alike chuckle – and bringing a new life to the books.

The story is goofy and generally unbelievable, but that’s what makes it perfect for young readers.

The art by Michael Martchenko is perfectly suited to the book.

Looking for a good book?  You really can’t go wrong with a Robert Munsch book for young readers and 50 Below Zero is fun, funny, and educational.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

4-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

50 Below Zero

author: Robert Munsch

artist: Michael Martchenko

publisher: Annick Press

ISBN: 1773216554

hardcover, 40 pages

THE DARKNESS KNOWS – Arnaldur Indridason

Posted by Daniel on August 10, 2022
Posted in: MYSTERY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Mystery, Reviews. Leave a comment

55746431._sy475_

Inside the glacier Langjökull, a body is discovered.  It appears to be that of a business man who went missing thirty years prior. At that time a massive search had been conducted and one of the man’s business associates had been suspected of foul play, but there was never enough evidence to charge him with anything.

The case has haunted Konrad (the policeman who had been in charge of the investigation) ever since and now he comes out of retirement to investigate on his own.

The associate who had originally been arrested is arrested once again and now Konrad gets some new information that may help him finally put all the pieces together and solve this thirty year old crime.

It’s been quite a while since I read an Arnaldur Indridison novel – for no reason other than too many books, too little time.  When I saw that this was the first in a new series (featuring Detective Konrad) I thought that this was a really great time to get back to reading Indridison.

Over the past few years there’s been a fair amount of discussion about Icelandic and Nordic Noir crime fiction and Indridison has been a leader, as author, in that movement, which is often identified by the gloomy, cold settings and dark, brutal murders. This book steps slightly to the side – not quite as dark and not quite as outright brutal.  Rather than being a crime thriller, this book is more ‘police procedural’ as we follow Konrad retracing steps and following new leads and sit in as he conducts his unofficial interviews.

Indridison walks us through this procedural carefully and with great precision. With the background information that is revealed, we feel as though we are making discoveries and providing theories right along with Konrad. This brings us right in to the action which is precisely what readers of this sort of fiction are looking for.

What I missed from this book, however, was more background on Konrad.  As the series is named for this leading character, I wanted to know more about what drives him and has him so involved despite being retired.  Hopefully more will come with new books in the series.

Looking for a good book? The Darkness Knows by Arnaldur Indridison is more police procedural than Icelandic Noir, but it is well crafted and an absorbing read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-empty

* * * * * *

The Darkness Knows

author: Arnaldur Indridison

series: Konráð #1, Detective Konrad #1

publisher: Minotaur Books

ISBN: 1250765463

hardcover, 352 pages

TARZAN: THE NEW ADVENTURES – Roy Thomas

Posted by Daniel on August 8, 2022
Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Graphic Novels, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

59385409._sx318_

If any of my local Sunday newspapers printed a color comic like this … Tarzan: The New Adventures, written by comic author/legend Roy Thomas, then I’d be a subscriber in a heartbeat! But while the format of all the installments in this book look very much like a Sunday color comic, these adventures were only available to subscribers to the Edgar Rice Burroughs website – until now.

Roy Thomas is a really top-notch comics writer and his adaptability really amazes me.  Writing in this Sunday newspaper format is very different from plotting and writing in the other comic formats.  It is much more limited and probably really hard to build a continuing story and create some rising action in the half-page story. There are times when I’d flip a page and think “That’s it?”, but in this book compilation it’s important to look at the entire story and not just each segment.

In his introduction, Thomas mentions that it was artist Tom Grindberg who approached him to write this strip. Their format seems unusual to me, and make me admire the writing work even more.  Roy would prepare a general plot, Grindberg would draw the strips and then Roy would go back and add the dialog later.

I liked the inclusion of Greek mythology in the first story. The moment I saw this I raised an eyebrow in a bit of disbelief, but it worked and I didn’t question it after that initial reaction.

Tom Grindberg’s art is fantastic!  It is really reminiscent of Frank Frazetta’s comic work and Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant.

The second story in the book is illustrated by Benito Gallego. Gallego is a talented artist, but the difference was marked because Grindberg’s art was so strong.

The second story was also a bit more fantastical – hard to believe since we had ancient Greece in the first one.

I’ve never been a big Tarzan fan, but I really enjoyed the stories and the art in this collection.  It’s listed as a Volume 1 and I’m already excited to see Volume 2.

Looking for a good book? Tarzan: The New Adventures by Roy Thomas with art by Tom Grindberg and Benito Gallego is an exciting collection of Sunday comic strip-style stories by some of the best creators in comics.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-empty

* * * * * *

Tarzan: The New Adventures

author: Roy Thomas

artists: Tom Grindberg & Benito Gallego

publisher: Dark Horse Books

ISBN: 150671806X

hardcover, 108 pages

CITY OF MAGIC – Avi

Posted by Daniel on August 5, 2022
Posted in: CHILDREN'S, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: 5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Children's Books, Middle Grade, Reviews, Young Adult. Leave a comment

61333486._sy475_

It is 1492 and King Claudio has heard that someone in Venice has written a manuscript that explains a magical method for making money. King Claudio then orders Magnus the Magnificent (and Fabrizio, Magnus’s assistant) to go to Venice and steal the manuscript. To fail will mean death, but Venice doesn’t look kindly on magic or magicians and to get caught will also mean death.

Fabrizio (who is the focus of the book) talks a bit too freely and Magnus is thrown in a Venice jail, but the mission to steal the manuscript is still important.

Fabrizio befriends a girl by the name of Bianca.  She lives mostly on her own – her father has been away on a voyage and her uncle who operates a canal boat keeps an eye on her. Bianca is resourceful and manages to get Fabrizio into the jail where Magnus is being held (and where his health is failing) who instructs Fabrizio to continue on with the mission.

It takes some doing, but Fabrizio and Bianca do find the man with the manuscript explaining the magical money-making method.  But of course they aren’t the only ones looking for it.  When Fabrizio was talking a bit too freely …?  Others are now also looking for this special book.  But the author, a monk, tries to explain that there’s nothing magical about it … it’s an accounting method to keep better track of money, which only makes it look like it is creating money.  Still, it’s valuable to Fabrizio and Magnus (who is rescued from prison) as they return to manuscript to King Claudio (who clearly doesn’t understand it, but is happy to get it).

This is an Avi book, and if you aren’t already familiar with his work then you need to get over to the library and read as many of his books as you can.

I really like that this (along with one of the last books I read by the author) is set in this 15th Century time period. There is definitely a sense of wonder and magic that comes with this time period (and the location of Venice!) and it provides some great opportunities for the author to toss in some teaching moments – something that is often found in these kinds of children’s and middle grade reader books.

The story moves along swiftly but we never feel that we sacrifice any story for the pace. The characters are just a little bit ‘simple’ – not too deeply defined – but it is all quite appropriate for the target audience and I actually really liked all the characters in the book.

Looking for a good book?  It’s really fantastic that Avi is still writing these really great books for young (and older) readers, and City of Magic is an excellent read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-1half

* * * * * *

City of Magic

author: Avi

series: Midnight Magic #3

publisher: Scholastic Press

ISBN: 0545321972

hardcover, 304 pages

BORN TO THE DARK – Ramsey Campbell

Posted by Daniel on August 3, 2022
Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Horror/Dark Fantasy, Reviews. Leave a comment

57444661._sy475_

It’s been a bit more than thirty years since the events of the first book in Ramsey Campbell’s The Three Births of Daoloth series (this is the second book in the series). Dominic Sheldrake is now married and has a son of his own and he’s hoping he can finally put the incidents with Christian Noble behind him. But his son, Toby, is having nighttime seizures and nightmares, bringing back some terrifying memories.

Dominic and his wife Claudine have found a clinic that addresses the issues which Toby suffers from and it seems his symptoms are becoming more common. Are these shared visions? Is Christian Noble somehow behind this and is he taking aim at the world?

Dominic will need the help of some old friends to confront a familiar, growing evil.

Ramsey Campbell is a powerhouse in the world of horror literature but if you are looking for horror that is aggressive, slasher, or splatter, then you might be disappointed.  Campbell’s horror is slow and methodical. Think Lovecraft, not King.

Campbell’s horror is based on character – on people – and Campbell really understands what makes people tick, what drives them, and what terrifies them, and then he builds on to intensify each aspect.

What works especially well here is the history. Knowing that Dominic has survived a rough youth and his experiences with the betrayal of a trusted guardian, a teacher, puts the reader on edge immediately, and Campbell plays with this, making Dominic and Claudine’s life seem somehow idyllic. But we know the kind of book we’re getting in to and we can watch the horror build up, almost painfully slowly. But that in itself builds anxiety.

I wasn’t a big fan of Christian Noble in the first book, but here it’s Noble’s daughter who has taken up her father’s mantle and she makes a great foil in the story.

I did find the book a bit slow, but overall I enjoy this ‘slow-boil’ sort of psychological horror.

Looking for a good book? Born to the Dark is the second book in a trilogy by Ramsey Campbell.  It is methodical psychological horror, which definitely isn’t for everybody, but fans of the genre will want to dig in.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-1halfJava-icon (1)-empty

* * * * * *

Born to the Dark

author: Ramsey Campbell

series: The Three Births of Daoloth #2

publisher: PS Publishing

ISBN: 1786361868

hardcover, 287 pages

SHADOW AVENGERS – Carrie Harris

Posted by Daniel on August 1, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: 3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, comic book superheroes, Middle Grade, Reviews, Young Adult. Leave a comment

59709240._sy475_

Doctor Strange has been preparing for the arrival of Dormammu – a being who rule the Dark Dimension – and formed the Shadow Avengers as a small, super-hero army to do battle with the dark entity and his supporters when the time comes. The team consists of Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, and the Black Panther.

The reluctant, anti-hero Venom is one of the first to have an encounter when he sees Loki (under Dormammu’s control) dumping toxic waste into the city water supply from an Oscorp vehicle. There’s a bit of a battle and then Loki disappears into a magically created portal.

The showdown is nigh and our newly formed group of superheroes, used to working alone, will have to find a way to work and trust one another to save the world from the Dread Sorcerer Dormammu.

This is a children’s book … or a middle-grade reader, at least.   It’s written ‘down’ just a little. This is the sort of book one expects to see in one of those school book order flyers (I loved when we got those!) or featured on an endcap of a library shelf taking advantage of the timeliness of the book and the hope that the subject will keep youngsters reading.  There’s nothing wrong with this thought, but this is taken to an extreme, trying to appeal to all potential readers and not just those who already love these movies (and just who would that be?).

The book spends too much time in idle chit chat – Spiderman and Ms Marvel getting to know each other for an entire chapter, for instance. This doesn’t advance the story or the plot, but it does fill in some gaps if you don’t know who they are.

Of course if you know who they are already, it really drags the story down. This should be as fast-paced as the movies with a breather for some Spidey sarcasm now and then.  Superheroes! World-consuming villainous plans! Evil being from another dimension! Must stop! Must protect!  And what we get are a lot of conversations between the superheroes as they get to know one another.

It’s comic-related and it’s connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so these books will sell, and sell well. I only wish we were hooking young readers on stories that engage.

Looking for a good book? Shadow Avengers by Carrie Harris does provide readers with another opportunity to read the further adventures of some favorite comic book characters, but it’s not particularly thrilling despite all the action going on.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-emptyJava-icon (1)-empty

* * * * * *

Shadow Avengers: A Marvel: Crisis Protocol Novel

author: Carrie Harris

series: Marvel Aconyte Novels

publisher: Aconyte

ISBN: 1839081023

paperback, 352 pages

The Gwendy Books – Stephen King and Richard Chizmar

Posted by Daniel on July 28, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

 GWENDY’S BUTTON BOX

34430839

Twelve-year-old Gwendy Peterson lives in Castle Rock, Maine. Like many girls her age, she has confidence issues and concerns of her weight and fitting in with other students her age.  She will be going to middle school at the end of summer and she does not want her nickname – Goodyear – to follow her to school.

One day a man (he introduces himself as Richard Farris) calls out to her and he gives her a special box … he calls it a button box due to the buttons and levers around it. One lever dispenses chocolates, another issues rare Morgan Silver Dollars. Just as Mr. Farris has promised, the box has magical properties that are just right for a 12 year old girl, and Gwendy will discover that those chocolates themselves have magical properties.  And when Mr. Farris warns Gwendy that there are buttons that she should be wary of, and even a button she should never push, Gwendy comes to learn that as delightful the box can be, it is a burden to care for it.  The temptation to push a button in retribution or punishment for the way she’s treated by other school kids can be overwhelming.  And what would be the harm?  The magical properties of the button box would mean she would never be directly responsible for anything bad that might happen so someone else.  Right?

This is a really great little psychological horror novella. Authors King and Chizmar have captured the desires of a pre-teen girl pretty well, and put some incredible responsibility and power in the palms of her hands … literally.

As readers, we have our hopes and desires for how Gwendy will act with her new-found power and aren’t surprised if she exercises some youthful logic.

I really appreciated the slow approach here – not slow story-telling. We aren’t hit with splatter or gore, we’re connected with a young girl at odds with her peers – but who of us haven’t felt this way?  We’re then kept interested to see what Gwendy will do.

Looking for a good book? The novella, Gwendy’s Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar is not the strongest horror story, but is a very good psychological suspense story, with just the right amount of mystery and magic tossed in.

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-empty

* * * * * *

Gwendy’s Button Box

authors: Stephen King and Richard Chizmar

series: The Button Box #1

publisher: Cemetery Dance Publications

ISBN: 1587676109

hardcover, 171 pages

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

GWENDY’S MAGIC FEATHER

45428419

Many years have passed since the events of the previous book unfolded. Gwendy is now successful by all accounts.  She is a published author and now also a Congresswoman! But just as things seem to be really flowing her way, life starts throwing curveballs.  First there’s the vile, loud-mouth racist president in office, her mother’s health is rapidly declining, there might be a serial killer in her home town of Castle Rock killing girls, and someone from her past reconnects (which is not a good thing).  There couldn’t be both a better and a worse time for the Button Box to make a reappearance.

This volume in the Gwendy series is seriously dull. We get a lot of set-up … look at Gwendy now! She’s a success! Everything’s going her way … just look! And we’re shown her successful life, with a few minor challenges along the way, but nothing that would be beyond normal or worthy of a Stephen King/Richard Chizmar book (Anne Tyler … maybe).  (And, to be clear, Stephen King did not write or co-write this.  He gave his nod to Chizmar, who co-authored the first book.)

The problem with the book is that nothing happens.  It’s a long narrative hinting at something to come, presumably to keep us excited and engaged, but we don’t need all the mundane details in Gwendy’s life to get the idea that she has put the button box behind her (or at least thought she had) and lives a relatively well-adjusted life.  Chizmar lays it on thick and it slows everything down.

Once the guts of the story really start, we’re well into the book and have already mentally checked out and it’s a bit late.  On top of that, the action, as it is, is all settled quite abruptly which is quite unsatisfying.

This is the middle book in a trilogy, with Stephen King’s name attached to it, so of course we’re going to read it, but it could have, should have, been so much better.

Looking for a good book? If Gwendy’s Magic Feather by Richard Chizmar were only the second of two books, it wouldn’t be worth recommending.  But as it’s the middle of a trilogy, there may be some appeal to get the whole story (we won’t know for sure until after the next book.

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-emptyJava-icon (1)-emptyJava-icon (1)-empty

* * * * * *

Gwendy’s Magic Feather

author: Richard Chizmar

series: The Button Box #2

publisher: Gallery Books

ISBN: 1982139722

paperback, 212 pages

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

GWENDY’S FINAL TASK

59433723._sy475_

Gwendy Peterson, the girl with the button box, is now 64 years old.  She’s a senator from Maine and a successful author. She is also in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. It takes some time for Gwendy to recognize that her forgetfulness is the sign of something bigger to come, but once she does, she realizes the potential dangers of herself, with Alzheimer’s, in control of the button box.  She also knows that it is absolutely impossible to get rid of or destroy the dangerous box.

Gwendy manages to hide her on-coming Alzheimer’s from her colleagues and constituents (though those closest to her are not surprised when they learn of it), and as a special guest/Senator she is planning a trip of a lifetime to visit the International Space Station. She sees an opportunity here to finally take care of a nagging problem.

This third book does a fine job of wrapping up some of the storylines throughout the trilogy.  I liked that the now mature Gwendy faces some real-life issues (Alzheimer’s) and that the button box, which was her own saving grace back when she was a tween, has become a constant burden (and temptation) throughout her life.

It is nice to have Stephen King back as co-author and this book moves the story along swiftly.

A down-side to the book is the very overt politics and clear comparison of the whacked-out politicians in the book to our current (2020’s) political leaders and want-to-be leaders.  I happen to follow King’s twitter posts, so I know his leanings – I don’t need the politics here in this story as well.  Yes, given that Gwendy is a Congressperson, it’s hard to escape, but it did feel heavy-handed.

This was not my favorite Stephen King book (or series), but I’m really glad I took this little three-book trip.

Looking for a good book? For simple reading pleasure, Gwendy’s Final Task, as the third book in the Button Box trilogy, by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar satisfies.

I received a digital copy of this book from the published, through Netgalley, in exchange for an hoenst review.

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-empty

* * * * * *

Gwendy’s Final Task

authors: Stephen King and Richard Chizmar

series: The Button Box #3

publisher: Gallery Books

ISBN: 1982191554

paperback, 288 pages

EXPERIMENTAL FILM – Gemma Files

Posted by Daniel on July 26, 2022
Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, Uncategorized. Tagged: 2 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Horror/Dark Fantasy, Reviews. Leave a comment

25867895

Lois Cairns is … was … a film history professor. She is currently out of a job and now in a deep depression after her son was diagnosed with autism. She retreats to where she is comfortable – film history – where she discovers the previous lost to the public, early 20th century Ontario filmmaker Mrs. A. Macalla Whitcomb (possibly Canada’s first female filmmaker?) who disappeared.

Lois throws herself into researching Whitcomb, her obsessions and her filmmaking (often one and the same), but the mysterious forces that may have been behind Whitcomb’s disappearance are invading Lois’s life, putting not only herself but her son and husband’s lives in danger as well.

This is billed as a contemporary ghost story, something which really interests me, and combined with the subject of films, this looked really appealing to me.

So, we’ve got two great characters (Cairns and Whitcomb) with both a contemporary and historical setting (modern film researcher and 1900’s filmmaker), and a bit of unexplained supernatural activity. Unfortunately we also have some dreadfully slow pacing. The story itself doesn’t really pick up until about half way through the book, which means the first half is spent setting up the characters and establishing the grounds for the story. But does it really take half a book to set up two main characters?  Our minor characters our little more than stock characters used stereotypically (the husband is supportive and boring, the son, autistic perhaps senses something the rest of us don’t – ah, the supernatural).

I struggled to stay interested. While I definitely prefer strong characters who give me a reason to care about them (and this didn’t have that), I was still interested in the general concept enough to really want to like this and therefore even more disappointed that it let me down.

If you’re looking for a horror story or ghost story, there are a lot of really good options out there and this doesn’t stand up well to many of them.

Looking for a good book? Experimental Film by Gemma Files is a ‘contemporary’ ghost story that would fare better if it took on more a more ‘classic’ feel.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-emptyJava-icon (1)-emptyJava-icon (1)-empty

* * * * * *

Experimental Film

author: Gemma Files

publisher: ChiZine Publications

ISBN: 1771483490

paperback, 352 pages

BAD RIVER – Ralph Cotton

Posted by Daniel on July 22, 2022
Posted in: Uncategorized, WESTERN. Tagged: 3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, Western. Leave a comment

57499890

Ranger Sam Burrack is on his way south in search of a notorious gang of bandits. He’s gotten a tip from Escalante – a prisoner in the Yuma Penitentiary – that the Cowboy Gang are holing up along Bad River. The mayor of the nearby village is as corrupt as the gang and if the rumors are true, they’ve even got a former Russian assassin among their gang, making their bank and train robberies that much more dangerous.

Burrack knows he won’t be able to just walk in and make arrests, he’s going to have to be patient and then maybe he’ll be able to pick them up one at a time.

So this book wasn’t quite what I was expecting and had me thinking about the “western” genre. Typically, when I choose to read a western – a classic style western – I’m looking for character, action, setting, and story, pretty much in that order. And when that order is changed up my first reaction is that I didn’t like the story. Such is the case here.

This is a slow-moving, thoughtful (reflective) story.  Given the nature of the characters … a ranger and some criminals, including an assassin … one would expect a lot of shoot-’em up action, but that’s not the case here.  This is probably much more realistic (and certainly smarter) to not have our hero rush in against overwhelming odds, but ‘real’ isn’t always exciting to read.

I found this to be quite slow. It seemed like a lot of set-up for a nice payoff, but it was too little, too late.

This was my first book by author Ralph Cotton and there were enough hints that I might like other books by the same author, so I hope to give Cotton another chance, but this particular book just didn’t hit the mark.

Looking for a good book? Bad River by Ralph Cotton is a western that is likely much more realistic in it’s approach to having the law catch the criminals, but it’s a lot of planning and very slow moving. If you want a thoughtful western, give this a try. If you want an action western, move along.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

2-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

Bad River

author: Ralph Cotton

publisher: Berkley Books

ISBN: 0593437721

paperback, 304 pages

THE STAR TREK COOKBOOK – Chelsea Monroe-Cassel

Posted by Daniel on July 20, 2022
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Cookbook, non-fiction, Reviews, Star Trek. Leave a comment

58438643._sx318_

I was going to start this review with the comment that we’ve finally seen it all … we’ve now got a Star Trek cookbook. But as I went to snag the cover image to post on my blog, I learned that we didn’t finally get a Star Trek cookbook … there have been a few of them over the years.  I wish I had been aware of them … for the past twenty years I’ve been the primary cook in the house, and I think I would have tried more ST recipes for the family if I had known about them.

But to this book…

This is an interesting mix of cookbook and coffee-table book. While I read this from my computer, it appears to be a larger sized book with a lot of glossy photos of the various foods. You could definitely put this on your coffee table for your friends and visitors to pick up, thumb through, and create some conversation.

But while it works as a coffee-table book, the primary purpose is as a cookbook and this works quite well. There are some nice variations of some traditional foods (“Mashed Andorian Tuber Root” anyone?) and, more interesting to me, some pretty unusual recipes.

So what makes it Star Trek? Ah … this is what I thought was really great – the food and drinks presented in this book have made an appearance (or at least a mention) in the Star Trek franchise. For those of us who were first fans of the original series, one of the first foods that comes to mind is probably Plomeek Soup.  Yup, that recipe’s here. But so are recipes of food mentioned in The Next Generation, Voyager, Enterprise, Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks.  There’s even a recipe for a food mentioned in a Star Trek book, and a Star Trek video game (oh…these look good!)

candy

I forgot to mention, there’s also recipes from Deep Space Nine.  A lot of them.  Which makes sense since since a main character ran a bar that served food.

There are also drink recipes included in this book (I don’t think I’m up to trying a Klingon Bloodwine).

Each recipe is tagged with the culture it comes from (ie, Human, Andorian, Klingon, etc) and also which series mentions or shows it.

I mentioned at the beginning that one of the first foods that comes to mind for the Original Series fans is Plomeek Soup, but it’s also possible that the first food that comes to mind are the brightly colored food cubes that we see from time to time.  Those are in here, too.

candy1

This looks like a lot of fun and I regret I’m currently on a diet, but I do intend to try many of these.  Maybe tonight I’ll go an make myself a Quadrotriticale Salad.

Looking for a good book? The Star Trek Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel is a beautiful-looking, Star Trek-themed cookbook with lots of great recipes to offer and insight on their origins.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

4-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

The Star Trek Cookbook

author: Chelsea Monroe-Cassel

publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek

ISBN: 1982186283

hardcover, 192 pages

Posts navigation

← Older Entries
  • Recent Posts

    • WRITERS & THINKERS – Daniel Fuchs
    • BUTTS: A BACKSTORY – Heather Radke
    • 50 BELOW ZERO – Robert Munsch
    • THE DARKNESS KNOWS – Arnaldur Indridason
    • TARZAN: THE NEW ADVENTURES – Roy Thomas
    • CITY OF MAGIC – Avi
    • BORN TO THE DARK – Ramsey Campbell
  • Support my reviews and buy me a coffee, please!

    Buy Me Coffee
  • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

  • Search

  • Tags

    1 Star 2 Stars 3 Stars 4 stars 5 Stars Action/Adventure Adventure Art Audio Book Biography Book Reviews Books Business ChickLit Children's Books Classic collection comic book superheroes Cookbook Entertainment Environment Erotica essays Food Games Graphic Novels Green Lantern Historical Fiction History history book Holiday Horror/Dark Fantasy Humor Lantern Corps Literature Magic Memoir Middle Grade Military Music Mystery Mythology/Legend Nature non-fiction Paranormal Paul S. Kemp Photography Picture books Plays Poetry pulp fiction quotes random thoughts Religion Reviews Romance science fiction Sex SF/Fantasy Short Fiction Short Stories Short Story Collection Speculative Fiction Sports Star Trek Star Wars superheroes Television Theatre the Lantern Corps Thriller Western writing YA Young Adult
  • Sticker - NG Member -Prof Reader
    badge_top_reviewer
    eighty_percent_feedback_ratio_120
    30482711-0-reviewer-image
  • Archives

    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
  • Category Search

  • Blogs I Follow

    • Too Much White Paper
    • Captain Pigheart
    • Flying Paperbacks
    • Audiobook Creation Exchange Blog (ACX)
    • Simply Scrivener
    • Official Blog
    • A. Page in the Stacks
    • Riley Hanna
    • Jade Mays
    • Kanundra's Blog
    • Mikhaeyla Kopievsky
    • Write Naked
    • Andrez Bergen / Little Nobody
    • Enchanted Book Promotions
    • quotidianarts
    • The Book Smugglers
    • Steve McHugh
    • A-Thrill-A-Week
    • lifeinthethe8tre
  • Posts I Like

    • Tuesday Trekkin': Favorite "Be… on The Fog of Ward.
    • Un-hinged on lifeinthethe8tre
    • Tied-Up With Tie-Ins: seaQuest… on The Fog of Ward.
    • Happy 50th Anniversary, Conque… on The Fog of Ward.
  • Meta

    • Register
    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.com
Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.
Too Much White Paper

art, pigments, reviews

Captain Pigheart

Stories and Thoughts of a Pirate in Exile

Flying Paperbacks

Throwing Books into Oblivion

Audiobook Creation Exchange Blog (ACX)

Audiobook Creation Exchange

Simply Scrivener

Official Blog

The Official Blog of Geocaching

A. Page in the Stacks

A Writer's Blog

Riley Hanna

Jade Mays

Kanundra's Blog

Writing and life. Life and writing.

Mikhaeyla Kopievsky

Book Punk and SFF Author

Write Naked

A writing life cut open.

Andrez Bergen / Little Nobody

a wayward soapbox for the expat Australian, Tokyo-based journalist/author/DJ/muso/hack writer & crap comic artist also known as Little Nobody.

Enchanted Book Promotions

quotidianarts

The Book Smugglers

Smuggling Since 2007 | Reviewing SF & YA since 2008

Steve McHugh

Author

A-Thrill-A-Week

Review Of Thriller Book Series From A Scientific Viewpoint

lifeinthethe8tre

Intentional living in the theatre and beyond

Looking For a Good Book
Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.
  • Follow Following
    • Looking For a Good Book
    • Join 105 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Looking For a Good Book
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...