Blogroll

Book Review: I Hate New Music by Dave Thompson

There’s a fine, some might say invisible, line between a deep passion with an agitative edge and simply knowing that anyone with half a brain would realize you are right if they just opened their eyes or ears. Whether that line exists is also probably dependent on perspective, particularly in the case of Dave Thompson’s […]

Book Review: Don’t Go There! by Peter Greenberg

When we think about vacations, “Where would I like to go?” is probably the most frequent question. Peter Greenberg, the travel editor for NBC’s Today show, CNBC and MSNBC, suggests “Where should I avoid?” should also be on the list.

In Don’t Go There!: The Travel Detective’s Essential Guide to the Must-Miss Places of the […]

Book Review: Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television and Politics by Gordon B. Arnold

Admit it. At some point, some conspiracy theory has enticed you. Maybe it’s not the claim the government was behind 9/11 or that AIDS was created in a government lab or that organized crime was responsible for the assassination of JFK. But at some time one or more such ideas may have gained some credence […]

Book Review: The Mental Floss History of the World

Gaining and keeping the average reader’s interest in history is a problem authors have faced for, well, probably most of history. One method is to try to liven things up with different takes or an unusual focus. That’s the promise of The Mental Floss History of the World: An Irreverent Romp through Civilization’s Best Bits. […]

Book Review: Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese

“Write what you know” is an adage that can both help and handicap writers. It clearly seems a source of Mathias B. Freese’s collection of short stories, Down to a Sunless Sea, and may also serve as a handicap.

Freese is a psychotherapist who will tell you that these stories take us “into the minds […]