January 2015 – Looking For a Good Book

January 30, 2015

IT SHOULDN’T HAPPEN (TO A DOG) – Don Freeman

It took me a little while to remember where I knew Don Freeman’s name from, but it clicked while I was reading this. Freeman is the author/artist of the children’s Corduroy books — books about a stuffed bear that I used to read to my children quite regularly. It Shouldn’t Happen (To a Dog), while an Continue reading

HISTORICAL FICTION, Uncategorized

Art, Book Reviews, Books, Historical Fiction, History, Reviews

January 29, 2015

AGENT TO THE STARS – John Scalzi

THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A BOOK FROM MY SHELF I don’t listen to a lot of audio books, but on occasion I will drive some long distances and during those times I like to listen to a book. I’m a little slow to the John Scalzi bandwagon, but I’ve been aware that he has quite a Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized

Audio Book, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy

January 28, 2015

FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE – Robert Bausch

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I requested an ARC of this book but what I found was an unlikely protagonist in Bobby Hale. Hale is a Civil War veteran and deserter and veteran and deserter. He is a man who doesn’t know what he wants and follows his gut, Continue reading

HISTORICAL FICTION, Uncategorized, WESTERN

Book Reviews, Books, Historical Fiction, Reviews, Western

January 26, 2015

STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT STUFF – Tripp Crosby and Tyler Stanton

I am a fan of ‘bathroom reader’ books. You know … books with packets of information delivered in small bits so that you can read just as long as you need to and not get carried away by a story. Typically these are trivia books, or joke books, but Stuff You Should Know About Stuff, Continue reading

HUMOR, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

Book Reviews, Books, Humor, non-fiction, Reviews

January 23, 2015

THE BEAUTY – Aliya Whiteley

This is one of those books that you might not normally decide to pick up and read because it just looks a little too — ‘off’ (for lack of better word). But the reality is that this is poetic, haunting, and beautiful. This book, a novelette, really, is a sci-fi/fantasy story in which all the Continue reading

SF/FANTASY

Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy

January 21, 2015

STAR TREK: CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER – graphic novel

Yes! Finally a Star Trek graphic novel that combines an interesting, well-thought-out story with really terrific art wherein familiar characters actually look like the characters we readers know! It helps that this book is a graphic novel adaptation of a much-loved Star Trek episode, “City on the Edge of Forever,” by noted author Harlan Ellison. So Continue reading

GRAPHIC NOVEL, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized

Art, Book Reviews, Books, Graphic Novels, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Star Trek, Television

January 19, 2015

STONE MATTRESS: NINE TALES – Margaret Atwood

First, a big “thank you” to Netgalley and publisher Nan A. Talese for making this book available. Margaret Atwood is not an author who needs advance reviews from the average ‘Joe’ or small-time blogger. Still, it’s great for us to have the opportunity to see a copy of a book like this, from a well-known, Continue reading

SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized

Book Reviews, Books, Literature, Reviews, Short Stories

January 16, 2015

SPAM NATION – Brian Krebs

You probably wouldn’t be reading this blog, or this review as posted on-line, if you didn’t know what ‘spam’ is, or if you only thought it was a canned meat-like food. And if you know what spam is, you probably find it annoying — a clutter filling your email in-box — but not necessarily dangerous. Continue reading

NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

Book Reviews, Books, non-fiction, Reviews

January 14, 2015

MACDEATH – Cindy Brown

We know, pretty early on, that something bad is going to happen because actress Ivy Meadows (real name: Olive Ziegwart) has been cast in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth and almost immediately in to the rehearsal period, somewhere says “Macbeth” (and not in the context of rehearsing the lines). For anyone with even the smallest bit of Continue reading

MYSTERY, Uncategorized

Book Reviews, Books, Mystery, Reviews

January 12, 2015

THE ART OF THE BRICK – Nathan Sawaya

Beautiful. Nathan Sawaya’s, The Art of the Brick, is a truly beautiful book. Sawaya is an artist whose choice of media is the Lego®. You know…those little, bright-colored plastic bricks that kids (and kids-at-heart) play with? Yes…that is the medium for an incredible art form. Sawaya’s art is anything but childish. His ability to create Continue reading

ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, OTHER, Uncategorized

Art, Biography, Book Reviews, Books, non-fiction, Reviews

January 9, 2015

IN THOSE DAYS – Kenn Harper

I’ve really come to appreciate Inhabit Media publishing for the variety of books on Inuit themes. I can’t say that I’ve ever been particularly knowledgeable, or even, perhaps, interested in, the Inuit history. But I realize now that it’s likely because it’s just never been in front of me. Since sampling a few books, I’ve Continue reading

MEMOIR, NON-FICTION, OTHER, Uncategorized

Biography, Book Reviews, Books, non-fiction, Reviews

January 7, 2015

THE SHADOW NOW – graphic novel

I really like The Shadow. I listened to the stories on the radio when CBS used to re-run old radio serials, and I devoured the books that I scrounged from used and antique book stores. I even liked the Alec Baldwin film! And Dynamite Entertainment has put our dear Lamont Cranston to the test on Continue reading

GRAPHIC NOVEL, Uncategorized

Book Reviews, Books, Graphic Novels, Reviews