6 days agoBook Review: “Set for Life” by Andrew EwellPublish or Perish There seems to be a new trend lately in novels being published, usually by first-time male writers, about men who are, in some capacity, outright failures as human beings. In The Golem of Brooklyn, a young man gets stoned and creates a giant golem out of clay…Books5 min readBooks5 min read
Nov 19Book Review: “One of the Good Guys” by Araminta HallBad Boy — One of the writers that I keep an eye out for is Araminta Hall. She’s simply an author who knows how to write a crackling good thriller. Her earlier novel, Our Kind of Cruelty, was a shocking indictment of male violence against women and stalking. It was a memorable book…Books5 min readBooks5 min read
Nov 14Book Review: “American Caliph” by Shahan MuftiThe Siege — Shahan Mufit’s work of narrative journalism, American Caliph, is — fortuitously or not — required reading during the latest Israel-Palestine war. Its timing as a trade paperback release couldn’t have come at a so-called better time in terms of being a relevant read if one can say that of a…Books5 min readBooks5 min read
Nov 11Book Review: “Western Lane” by Chetna MarooA Short Book(er) — When the Booker Prize is awarded later in November 2023, it may go to a fairly short book. Sarah Bernstein’s Study for Obedience can be read in a sitting or so, and If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery runs, if memory serves correctly, roughly 250 pages. Add to this…Books5 min readBooks5 min read
Oct 15Book Review: “The Mystery Guest” by Nita ProseMolly Maid Part Two — The following isn’t meant to be churlish in the least, but The Mystery Guest is, in many ways, an unnecessary book. It is a sequel to Nita Prose’s bestselling The Maid. That book was, in many ways, so perfect that it didn’t require a sequel. It had a “happily ever…Books5 min readBooks5 min read
Oct 9Book Review: “The Hollow Kind” by Andy DavidsonHollow-een — It’s October 2023, and that means only one thing: Halloween is just around the corner. I’m guessing that this makes for a prime season of horror book offerings from publishers, and the paperback publication of Andy Davidson’s The Hollow Kind is one of those books. It’s part of a genre…Books4 min readBooks4 min read
Oct 7Book Review: “Nobility in Small Things” by Dr. Craig R. SmithThe Noble Narrative? — Dr. Craig R. Smith may not be a household name, but among the American medical community, he’s quite famous. In 2004, he performed successful quadruple bypass heart surgery on former U.S. President Bill Clinton and attended to complications from that surgery the following year. This book goes into some detail…Books5 min readBooks5 min read
Oct 2Book Review: “The City of the Living” by Nicola LagioiaIn Cold Blood — When you think of Rome, Italy, you might think of the city as a bit of a tourist trap: a place to visit the ancient Coliseum or see some statues of Michelangelo. In Nicola Lagionia’s hands, however, this version of the city is turned upside down. His latest work —…Books5 min readBooks5 min read
Oct 1Book Review: “Dracula” by Bram StokerThe Vampires of Eastern Europe — I grew up between 1979 and 1982 in a small hamlet in eastern Ontario, Canada, called Wilno. The burg is known for two things nationally and internationally. First, it is home to Canada’s first Polish settlement. Second, it is a haven for vampires. I’m not kidding! While most residents of…Books5 min readBooks5 min read
Sep 14Book Review: “Deliver Me” by Elle NashDeliver Us from Evil — Karl Ove Knausgaard wrote in his recent collection of essays, In the Land of the Cyclops, that he used to enjoy reading detective novels and thrillers. However, he came to realize that these stories don’t have the same literary heft as the classics of literature. From what I can recall…Books5 min readBooks5 min read
