I found this middle-grade book in the independent reader section of a used book store and picked it up because I love dogs and I love reading authors’ takes on animal “voices.” As the title suggests, this book is told from the point of view of Squirrel, a stray dog who spends most of her […]
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I found this book in the YA section at a used bookstore and picked it up because of its content and its accolades as “an ALA Notable Book.” The Forestwife is a twist on the mythos of Robinhood, following a young woman named Mary as she escapes betrothal to a much older man after a […]
Note: I originally wrote this book review for Freedom Forge Press, a publisher celebrating freedoms of all kinds. The review is reprinted here with permission. Emily Miller is a journalist and a resident of Washington, D.C. When she found herself defenseless as criminals broke into a friend’s home, she decided to go through the red […]
I’m on a “kick” of reading or re-reading dystopian-style novels, including 1984, We, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, and Brave New World. It’s interesting that they all have so many themes in common. Certainly, the later dystopias have been influenced by the earlier ones, but I’m fascinated by the common threads running through each—and the […]
I’ve previously read and reviewed book one and book two in this trilogy. This review of the third and final book in the series will contain some spoilers, though I’m trying to hold back. Where we left off, Calwyn, a once-powerful and talented chanter, has lost her powers. She no longer senses magic in the […]
It’s fitting that my birthday is surrounded by two reviews of books by Ayn Rand. Rand is an author I greatly respect, despite her tendency to be verbose. Yes, Atlas Shrugged breaks the 1,000 – page mark. I won’t even try to summarize all that happens in this novel. The film series being released as […]
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a book review here, but I’ve been re-reading Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead for a unit I’m teaching at school. The students had a choice between the two books, but I re-read all 1,700 + pages. The Fountainhead is an accessible way to introduce yourself to Ayn Rand. […]
Continuing my review of spooky books for September and October, I’ve reviewed a quirky and spooky–yet humorous–mystery. The first in the Emily Castle mystery series, this short novel follows twenty-six-year old Londoner Emily Castle to a strange party. Emily is grieving for her late dog, and the party thrown by a neighbor is her first […]
Comprised of the novel Cabal, as well as four (long) short stories, this horror novel is typical Clive Barker, and you must enjoy horror to read this book. With his descriptions, little is left to the imagination, and this is definitely for the 18-and-over crowd. This story is violent and depraved from the very start. […]
This book is the second in the Monster Moon series written by BBH McChiller, which is the pen name of a team of three authors (Lynn Kelley, Kathryn Sant, and Maria Toth). The book follows the adventures of a twelve-year-old named AJ. He and his friends, Freddy and Emily, travel to Chinatown with his aunt. […]
