Monthly Archives: July 2022

Book Review:  The Best Short Stories 2021: The O. Henry Prize Winners Edited by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Jenny Minton Quigley

I was in the mood for reading some short fiction, and so I searched for the newest literary collection the library had. I knew it was likely to be a mixed bag, and that’s exactly what it was. Appreciation for … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Another Look: The Dragon Ticket and Other Stories

High in the Himalayas a young woman receives an extraordinary gift.  Beneath the streets of Calcutta a man discovers a terrifying presence.  In a palace full of sybaritic pleasures a demigod incurs terrible retribution.  On a far desert planet teeming … Continue reading

Posted in Reading | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention – and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari

I came across Stolen Focus in the library and was instantly fascinated by its premise. I already had enough books in arms, though, and so I saved it for later. Then I made the mistake of reading the article on … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Check Out My YouTube Channel!

I have recently been posting videos and slideshows based on my books on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. When I tried to post some of them here on my blog, I discovered that hosting videos is an advanced function of which … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children’s Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

I came to Slaughterhouse-Five in a roundabout way, specifically after reading The Writer’s Crusade: Kurt Vonnegut and the Many Lives of Slaughterhouse-Five by Tom Roston. I happened upon the Roston volume by chance in the new book section of the … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  The Writer’s Crusade: Kurt Vonnegut and the Many Lives of Slaughterhouse-Five by Tom Roston

Let’s start with the title of this fascinating book, with its reference to the “many lives” of Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. This is an allusion to the multiple drafts that Vonnegut wrote over two decades before he was satisfied with … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews, On Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard

River of the Gods is a powerful, well-written book about some fascinating historical characters on adventurous journeys. Although the central focus is the expedition of Richard Burton, John Hanning Speke, and Sidi Mubarak Bombay through East Africa from Zanzibar to … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment