Blogroll

Book Review: First Contact by Marc Kaufman

Imagine the proverbial search for the needle in the haystack. Fortunately, anyone searching knows what a needle is. Multiply the strands of hay billions of times and you’re approaching one of the haystacks in which those in search of extraterrestrial life are working. Yet their effort struggles with a fundamental question: How do you define […]

Book Review: Beneath Blossom Rain by Kevin Grange

My idea of the ideal vacation? Oceanfront on the Pacific or Caribbean, sun and plenty of cold drinks and reading material. A hammock is always an exquisite addition. What did Kevin Grange do in 2007? He embarked on what is billed as the toughest trek in the world, a 24-day horseshoe-shaped journey of 216 miles […]

Book Review: The Paperbark Shoe by Goldie Goldbloom

How important is character to a novel? You can find an answer in what comes to mind when you hear names like Holden Caufield, Jay Gatsby, Rabbit Angstrom or Atticus Finch. Gin Boyle Toad, the central character of Goldie Goldbloom’s The Paperbark Shoe, may never rank up with those names. She is, though, one of […]

Book Review: The Gospel of Anarchy by Justin Taylor

Young adulthood is often a search for both self and meaning. As such it is prime ground for literary exploration. Yet while Justin Taylor’s The Gospel of Anarchy gives a somewhat different take on the subject it’s an exploration that falls short.

The story is built around David’s search for self, which brings him into […]

Book Review: My Dead Dad Was in ZZ Top by Jon Glaser

Although many may consider it a less important symbol than the dollar sign, never underestimate the power of the asterisk. Jon Glaser certainly doesn’t.

After being estranged for years, Glaser was going through his father’s belongings following his death when he stumbled across rock and roll history.* He learned his father was a member of […]