Book Review: In the Land of Second Chances
I don't quite know what attracted me to "In the Land of Second Chances." The book revolved around some strange happenings in a small town in Nebraska as narrated by…
Book Review: Lottery
People laugh at me when I tell them I know I will win the lottery someday. I really do think that. It might not happen, but I believe it will.…
Book Review: The Song Is You
You can pretty much always get me with a book about music. The way emotions and memories collide through song fascinates me. Almost every novel I have written or attempted…
Book Review: The Enthusiast
When I develop an interest in something, I generally go overboard. I don't just listen to R.E.M.'s albums, I know detailed information about the bootlegs I own. I have only…
Book Review: Less Than Zero
While searching for titles to read recently, I came across a new book by Brett Easton Ellis. Like a lot of people my age, I had read some of his…
Book Review: Mistress of Riversdale
One of the perks of working in publishing is that you might grab a book which would ordinarily not catch your attention. "The Mistress of Riversdale" definitely fits that bill.…
Book Review: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
I don't remember where I first came across Michael Chabon's debut novel The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. The book came out in 1988 when I was finishing my sophomore year of…
Climbing a Big Mountain
I recently found myself in a bit of a reading rut. I have managed to stay ahead of the pace I hoped for – I like to read at least 12 books a year – but have had problems with some of the things I read.
I found myself under whelmed with back-to-back novels. The first one had been on my reading list for a number of years. I now wish I had left it there. The second was by an author whose first book really entertained me. He failed this time.
I didn’t know what to do. This time of year helps me easily meet my reading goals because our porch offers the perfect place to escape into a book. I didn’t want to just throw my arms up in frustration.
I had started and set aside a book I purchased years ago at a used book sale. The story actually got better as it went along, which helped kick me out of the rut a little bit, but I needed more. I needed something really spectacular to get me on a roll for the summer reading season.
Book Review: Summer Crossing
When I started reading "Summer Crossing" by Steve Tesich recently, I almost tossed the book aside after a few pages. The story opens at a state wrestling championships where the…
Book Review: The Unnamed
In his debut novel "Then We Came to the End," Joshua Ferris took a clever look at an advertising agency in hard economic times. His insightful use of the first…