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Dark, soulful tales that haunt long after the last page.
Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt My rating: 1 of 5 stars I seldom give up on a book, but about half of this one was all I could take. Within the first couple of chapters I was wondering why I’d thought it would interest me at all. Did I click the…
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,000 times in 2014. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 3 trips to carry that many people. Click here to…
Face the Music: A Life Exposed by Paul Stanley My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Starchild of KISS finally tells his side of the story in what is really the most readable of the four (co-authored) autobiographies by the band’s original members. While I’ve enjoyed all four books, Paul’s is the one where I…
Stoner by John Edward Williams My rating: 5 of 5 stars Having just now finished John Edward Williams’ Stoner, I’m almost at a loss as to what to say about it. The novel may be the most pleasant kick in the teeth you’re ever likely to get. William Stoner may be the saddest character in…
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell My rating: 4 of 5 stars Brace yourselves. This could be the sappiest book review I’ve ever written. It was hard to choose categories for this novel. Adventure? Mystery? Science fiction? Historical drama? It’s a little of everything. The novel is divided into sections that barely connect, but each one…
Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck My rating: 4 of 5 stars I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one. For The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden John Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors. Some of his shorter books, though, are hit or miss. I’d heard good things about Tortilla Flat…
Razor’s Edge, The by Michael Page My rating: 4 of 5 stars My journey through books about the meaning of life continued with W. Somerset Maugham’s The Razor’s Edge. While not as enlightening as Hesse’s Siddhartha, it was a solid, entertaining book, particularly for fans of Victorian British literature. Yes, I realize it was written…
Well, that didn’t take long. Sorry, folks. My bad. Yes, it seems every time I get involved with a small press publisher things go into the crapper. 3F Publications? Gone. Scrybe Press? Gone. Graveside Tales? Gone. (Yes, the Web site is still there, but check the dates.) Stone Thread Press? Closed up shop just before…
For the first time since I began teaching AP English Literature and Composition back in 2008 my reading list is the same for two consecutive years. I’ve finally found a year-long schedule of longer works that I really enjoy, that are of high literary merit, and that the majority of my students don’t complain about…
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’d give this one a 4.5 if Goodreads allowed half stars. I’m very tempted to give it a five. Normally, any book that is able to evoke so much emotion would be a sure five, but there were a…
Steven E. Wedel 