What a great book! I really enjoyed almost every turn and nuance. Christopher Moore has pulled together The Merchant of Venice and Othello into a compelling story of antisemitism, racism, revenge, economics, and dragons. Most important though, it’s really, really funny. This adaptation never loses its tone or its “authentic” voice and Moore’s interwoven Shakespearean […]
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Mars Con is the first SFF Con I attended. Here are a selection of photographs from my Con Experience in 2017 and 2018.
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This was the first audio book I tried out using Overdrive. My experience was mixed. The voiceover had a nice subtle Eastern European accent, but the read itself was oddly staggered as if English was a second language and the reader was struggling to come up with the right word. As such, the narrative had […]
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The great thing about anthologies is that they offer the reader a chance to discover a new author to explore more deeply… and Robots vs. Fairies achieves that. The big names may be the ones that grab your eye… Valente is here telling a wonderfully oddball story of a pro wrestling tournament match between histories […]
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One day as my friend and fellow author Henry Sienkiewicz were talking current events, philosophy, and how ideas rub against each other to form knew thoughts, he made a dash to his bookshelf and pulled out this book called the Medici Effect. He thought it would be an interesting fit. He was right. The Medici […]
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As I walked down the sidewalk of downtown Bethesda today, I noticed the darkened Barnes & Nobles. The behemoth keystone to the community of shops, restaurants, and cinemas fell. It startled me. It was a place I always stepped into to go and smell the roses. Now admittedly I’m more of an indie bookstore and […]
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The Last Mayor’s Son is an oddly addictive read. It flows easily and is well paced with characters that are rich with emotion and subtext. The world building is interesting, especially beautiful is the interweaving of how the wood of the setting’s Treebound village is cured, treated, and used in all its form and function. […]
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A prevailing wind that many authors and artists must navigate these days is the notion that they should shut up and entertain… that art should not be political or delve into sociological concerns. In wrestling with this, I think about the popularity of the Little Rascals and Shirley Temple during the Great Depression. The need […]
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The notion of a “Best Books” list annoys me. How is it possible to have read, reviewed, or be even aware of every book out there? On Goodreads, I reviewed forty-five books this year. That’s a lot of books! In addition, I’ve probably thumbed through a few dozen others for work, research, etc. Still, that […]
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I made it! The morning smells of waffles, cinnamon, and chocolate muffins. Today, for the first time, I wear the mantle of guest of honor. It’s a day of laurels which must be why my breakfast is Continental. I A run of texts and emails waits. There is much to do, but first I must […]
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