Category Archives: Book Reviews

Book Review:  Finding My Way: A Memoir by Malala Yousafzai

In parts of Finding My Way, Malala sounds like a typical young woman attempting to fit in, have fun, and enjoy new experiences during her college days at Oxford University. However, there is nothing typical about Malala at all. She … Continue reading →

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Book Review:  Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter by Neil deGrasse Tyson

As a writer who frequently delves into the genres of science fiction and fantasy, I have, in the past, conjured up various types of aliens as story characters. Depending upon the specific parameters and requirements of the tales, I have … Continue reading →

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Book Review:  Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters by Annie Dillard

I first encountered Annie Dillard while raising a family in Greece. I started with Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and then moved on to Holy the Firm, The Writing Life, and Teaching a Stone to Talk. I liked her blend of … Continue reading →

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On Rereading The Unknown Henry Miller: A Seeker in Big Sur by Arthur Hoyle

Before I begin this review, I have a confession to make: When I picked this book off the shelf on one of my rare forays to the Seattle Central Library downtown, it slipped my mind that I had already read … Continue reading →

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Book Review:  A Resistance History of the United States by Tad Stoermer

This is a very emotional book. As the author explains resistance movements and principles from early American history, he does not claim impartiality. It is clear that he is all for resistance against unjust governmental policy. In fact, at the … Continue reading →

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Book Review:  Digital Inc: From Print to E-Book – Inside the Transformation of the Book Industry by Richard Curtis

In this fascinating volume, Curtis tells of the radical transformations within the publishing industry over the past several decades: the transition from mass market paperbacks to trade paperbacks; the absorption of hundreds of independent publishers into a few publishing conglomerates; … Continue reading →

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Book Review:  Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz

If there is such a thing as literary comfort food, this science fiction novella qualifies. It tastes good and goes down smooth and easy. Ostensibly it’s a dystopia; after all, California has recently broken away from the rest of America, … Continue reading →

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Book Review:  On Trails: An Exploration by Robert Moor

This book was not what I expected. Going by the title alone, I supposed that it would be a travelogue in which the author describes his adventures on some of the world’s great hiking paths. There is some of that, … Continue reading →

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Book Review:  Vigil by George Saunders

This new piece of fiction by George Saunders is marketed as a novel, but it is shorter than most novels and it reads more like a novella – or a short story that got out of control. And that’s a … Continue reading →

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On Vineland by Thomas Pynchon, One Battle After Another, and Pseudo-Profundity

What prompted this rereading of Vineland was director/screenwriter Paul Thomas Anderson’s assertion that the Oscar-winning film One Battle After Another was based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel. I had read Vineland several years ago, and I couldn’t see the similarity. For … Continue reading →

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