if you’re new to Stephen King, where do you start? Which of his 50+ novels are worth reading? Joe and I share our favorites.
Book Reviews
“Make Me the Monster I Need to be”: Half-Witch by John Schoffstall
How many of us do the right thing when no one is looking? Function on the superego level all the time? Or are we all calculating ambition, ruled by the id and the ego’s veiled self-interest? Altruism is out of… Read More ›
Revisiting the Old and Nearly (but not quite!) Forgotten – Jennifer Pelland’s UNWELCOME BODIES
There’s this thing that happens in books, wherein after about three or six months, they’ve been out enough that no one really looks at them or takes them seriously anymore, for the most part. Books have a short shelf-life in… Read More ›
Strong Roots: Family in Jade City by Fonda Lee
We’re all products of our family. Our parents shape us and we bear the burden of living under their thumbs. Rebel or conform at your peril. When your family is the mafia, rebellion comes at a cost. The award winning… Read More ›
Something is Happening in Austin, and in Port Saint Frey
I don’t know if you knew this, but something is happening in Austin. Some cities seem to have a high concentration of talent. Some of these cities make sense, if only because of their relative size and access to the… Read More ›
Maus is Beautiful
I was skeptical when I found a graphic novel at the school I teach for. I’ve never been able to read one. Unlike every other graphic novel I’ve tried, I could actually read and get into Maus by Art Spiegelman…. Read More ›
Existential Crisis in a Bottle: Mark Lawrence’s One Word Kill
Here’s a confession that I was ashamed to admit during my time at the Stonecoast M.F.A. program when all the horror and sci-fi and fantasy writers went to the convenience store to stock up on soda, snacks, and beer, and… Read More ›
When Someone Shares Their Experience, Believe Them: Bonnie Chau’s “All Roads Lead to Blood”
At one point while reading Bonnie Chau’s All Roads Lead to Blood I literally asked myself, am I the right person to review this book? And then I thought, I can focus on it solely as an example of amazing… Read More ›
Ben Kane’s Military Love Song: Clash of Empires
Clash of Empires by Ben Kane has many of the attributes I look for in a novel: lots of disparate characters whose paths collide, historical accuracy, great dialogue, etc., but it conspicuously didn’t have one thing that is always high… Read More ›
More than fun: Nicholas Eames’ Bloody Rose
A while ago I was talking to another teacher about short fiction. The story I had just taught to my class was “Carnal Knowledge” by TC Boyle, an old favourite of mine, and it turned out he just had another… Read More ›