5 Stars – Page 21 – Looking For a Good Book

August 16, 2017

AURORA MODEL KITS – Thomas Graham

Try as I might, I could never get any of my children interested in model kits. I grew up in the 1970’s and I have fond memories of sitting in the living-room, at a card-table covered with newspapers, and gluing and then painting plastic model kits. I didn’t spend much time looking at manufacturer names… Continue reading

NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Entertainment, History, Memoir, non-fiction, Reviews

August 15, 2017

THE HIGHWAYMAN – Craig Johnson

Although I haven’t reviewed them here (yet), I’ve recently listened to the audio versions of the first three Longmire books by Craig Johnson. I started reading/listening to the books because of my enjoyment of the television series. And while I look forward to the next (and final?) season to be airing this fall, I do… Continue reading

MYSTERY, WESTERN

5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Mystery, Reviews, Western

August 3, 2017

GREAT SHORT STORIES BY CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN AUTHORS – Bob Blaisdell, editor

Ever since I had a class back in the 1980’s I’ve been fascinated with Native American literature. The themes and styles, while certainly unique to the individuals, have a characteristic that identifies the writer with the Native American culture. Only two of these authors (Leslie Marmon Silko and Sherman Alexie) were familiar to me before reading… Continue reading

SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized

5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Literature, Reviews, Short Stories, Western

August 2, 2017

DUSK OR DARK OR DAWN OR DAY – Seanan McGuire

If I had to select one book to be labelled the perfect supernatural fantasy (and fortunately, I don’t), I would choose Seanan McGuire’s Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day. There is more story, more power, more poetry, and more creativity in this novella than just about anything I’ve ever read. Jenna blamed herself for… Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized

5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Short Stories

July 28, 2017

THE VERY BEST OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION, VOL. 2 – Gordon Van Gelder, editor

What can one possibly say about something titled “The Very Best of…” when it’s covering stories from what is arguably the very best magazine publishing fantasy and science fiction stories? Well…you know it’s probably pretty darned good! There have been over thirty “Best of Fantasy and Science Fiction” anthologies, collecting years and decades worth of stories… Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized

5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Short Stories

July 25, 2017

DEAD ON THE BONES – Joe R. Lansdale

If you’ve ever thought to yourself: ‘they sure don’t write them like they used to’ – then this book is for you. If you’ve ever longed to read a new, pulp-style adventure story – then this book is for you. If you’ve ever wished someone would take up the mantle and write new adventures in… Continue reading

Dark Fantasy/Horror, SF/FANTASY, SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized

5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Short Stories

July 17, 2017

WHAT IS A SUPERHERO? – Robin S. Rosenberg & Peter Coogan, editors

You can hardly turn around today without seeing a movie or television show featuring a superhero and they’re often on the covers of magazines and there are novelizations of their stories. And of course there are the comic books and graphic novels from which many of them sprouted. But what is a superhero? Such is… Continue reading

ENTERTAINMENT, GRAPHIC NOVEL, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, comic book superheroes, Entertainment, essays, non-fiction, Reviews, superheroes

June 30, 2017

THE STRIVERS’ ROW SPY – Jason Overstreet

The Strivers’ Row Spy is the debut novel for author Jason Overstreet and is a hit from page one all the way to the end. Sidney Temple is one of the first black men to graduate from Middlebury College in 1919 and he’s driven to make sure that the sacrifices his mother made in order… Continue reading

HISTORICAL FICTION, MYSTERY, Uncategorized

5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Reviews, Thriller

June 26, 2017

BREAKTHROUGH!: CANADA’S GREATEST INVENTIONS AND INNOVATORS – John Melady

It’s sad how little I know about our neighbors to the north – Canadians and their country. And I live in a border state. But this book, Breakthrough!, by John Melady, lets us all in on a little secret … Canadians have done an awful lot to make the world a better place. In a… Continue reading

NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

5 Stars, Biography, Book Reviews, Books, History, non-fiction, Reviews

June 21, 2017

5-MINUTE PLAYS FOR TEENS – Lawrence Harbison, editor

There is a special knack to reading plays and unless you are used to it, it can be frustrating. But for those of us who enjoy reading plays, it can be difficult to find reading material that isn’t one of the classics that we’ve all already read a dozen times, or not the latest Pulitzer… Continue reading

ENTERTAINMENT, YA

5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Entertainment, Plays, Reviews, Theatre

June 6, 2017

PAPERBACKS FROM HELL – Grady Hendrix

This book seems targeted right at me. As a book buyer and a bookstore employee growing up in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s through today, I have fond memories of the plethora of horror books that were published during this time, often with awesome, creepy covers that called out to the book-buyer and let you know… Continue reading

ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

5 Stars, Art, Book Reviews, Books, Entertainment, History, Horror/Dark Fantasy, non-fiction, Reviews

June 2, 2017

THE RISE OF IO – Wesley Chu

I was going to say that Wesley Chu is a rising star in the sci-fi/fantasy literature community, but at what point do you stop ‘rising’ and are a solid star? With seven books out now, Chu has clearly established himself among the awesome elite of new(er) fantasy authors. In The Rise of Io, Chu begins… Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized

5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy