I’m one of the few people I know that has not watched Francis Ford Coppola’s film classic The Godfather. When a co-worker promised that “The movie was good, but the book was better,” I decided to test the thesis. And, indeed, I wonder if I’ll ever need to even try the movie after reading The […]
Book Review | Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds
2016-09-01 · by ·
Forty years from now, we have stepped out into the solar system, mining the asteroids and salvaging ice from comets to provide resources for humanity’s expansion. Then, in a moment, the moon Janus, one of Saturn’s ice moons, begins to leave first the orbit of the gas giant and then to chart a course out […]
Book Review | The Long Mars by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter (The Long Earth #3)
2016-08-06 · by ·
I want to love The Long Mars. I want to love it so much. It’s full of ideas, of characters, of wizbang…and it’s written by Terry freaking Pratchett (as well as Stephen Baxter). And yet, something is lacking that leaves me feeling dissatisfied after finishing. The Long Mars, third in The Long Earth series, is […]
Book Review | Uprooted by Naomi Novik
2016-07-28 · by ·
I want Naomi Novik’s Uprooted to win the Hugo Award for best novel this year. No matter how I look at it, it’s easily the best nominee in the group. It already won the Nebula and without a doubt Uprooted deserves to win the award. In a quiet village in the valley, Agnieszka grows up with her family. […]
Book Review | The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
2016-07-10 · by ·
Though I’ve read The Chronicles of Narnia multiple times, it’s been years since I last read them, and this is the first time I’ve read it to my children. We finished The Magician’s Nephew earlier this year, and last week we read the last chapter of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Without a doubt, […]
Book Thoughts | Night by Elie Wiesel
2016-06-24 · by ·
What is there to say about Elie Wiesel’s Night that has not already been said? It’s one of those books that has been so widely read, about a period of history that is among the most documented, and that has received such high honors and acclaim that I suspect there isn’t much I can add, except […]
Book Review | The Kidnap Plot by Dave Butler
2016-06-17 · by ·
Add this sure bet to your pre-teen’s summer reading list. The Kidnap Plot by Dave Butler is the cure for summer boredom. With cleverly written characters, dangerously intense plots, and colorful and exotic settings, The Kidnap Plot is a great pick for your eight to ten-year old’s summer reading list. In an alternate universe, Victorian Britain is populated […]
Book Review | Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson
2016-06-05 · by ·
Spoiler alert: The Lusitania sinks at the end and the United States entered World War I on the side of the Allies. Dead Wake is the first book by Erik Larson that I’ve read, though I know his books by reputation (especially Devil in the White City, which seems like it’s been read by almost […]
2016 Hugo Nominee | Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
2016-06-03 · by ·
If there’s a single word to describe how Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti reads, it’s “refreshing.” It’s short, accessible work of science fiction that eschews the usual cast of western characters, while adopting a universe that reminded me of William Kotzwinkle’s ET: The Green Planet. Space travel is by organic vehicles and aliens are as foreign as the creatures of […]
Book Review | Creativity, Inc: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull
2016-06-03 · by ·
I can’t tell if Creativity, Inc: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration belongs more in management, inspiration, self-help, or fodder-for-fans. What I can say, though, is that I sure enjoyed reading it. Though, born in West Virginia, Ed Catmull moved to Utah as a child and was raised in neighborhoods near […]
