I have heard this book described as magical realist, and I don’t necessarily disagree, but I don’t agree, either. I think magical realism is kind of a catch-all term that get put on things that often don’t deserve them. It’s… Read More ›
Book Reviews
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
By Megan Bosarge It’s a funny thing, dreaming. We can’t define what it is really. A state of heightened brain activity? A way of processing the events of the day? A side effect of too much spicy food before bed?… Read More ›
The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay
Lifelong fans of Nine Inch Nails know they have taste. Precious few other musicians from the grunge/industrial era of 90s music have had such staying power. To be fair, I shouldn’t even call Trent Reznor my favorite musician. He is… Read More ›
Christmas is a Time for Victorian Diabolists
I hope this message in the aether thrown into the darkness of the blogosphere finds all of you well – well-fed, well-rested, and well-done with all the things that diminish your greatness. I have not mentioned the delightful series of… Read More ›
Holiday Gifting is for Big Books.
One of the most surprising gifts I received for Christmas in my twenties, from my parents, was a copy of Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros. I was surprised both because I quite enjoy the work of Sandra Cisneros but had not, yet,… Read More ›
Three Novellas that Examine the Power and Possibilities of Language–and a Language that Makes Users Human Lie Detectors.
Language is a slippery thing. I often marvel that American high schools require four years of English but not math or history, and think that it’s because rhetoric, language, and the grit that it takes to grasp and wield are… Read More ›
Planetfall by Emma Newman is Enjoyable Enough, but Not For Everyone
To me, one of the great narrative failures is when important information is kept from the audience simply because the author wants to maintain the secret. The narrator knows. They share winks and nods with other characters in the scene…. Read More ›
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien and Travel Light by Naomi Mitchison.
“You might not get this book back,” the student said, despite my name being written in permanent marker like the gold leaf on bible pages. I’m not particularly protective of books. In fact, every good book I’ve ever loved (in… Read More ›
Review of Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock
“Sword & Sorcery” fiction was one of the first fantastical genres I stumbled upon as a teenage reader. Mr Cahoon, my high school mentor, tried to steer me away from it but my friends urged me to try it out. … Read More ›
All Souls, All Warnings – a Review of THREE MESSAGES AND A WARNING edited by Eduardo Jimenez Mayo, Chris Brown, and Bruce Sterling
A member of the family passed away on All Souls, November 1. As a resident of San Antonio, TX, I am very familiar with the importance of this day. It is the day when spirits return to visit their living… Read More ›