Category Archives: Book Reviews

Book Review: The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

As I have mentioned before, with the libraries closed, I am searching my shelves for overlooked books that I may have bought sometime in the past but never read. The Windup Girl is one of these. I found it in … Continue reading

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

Book Review: Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

I bought this book thinking that it was a typical biography – typical, that is, in the sense that it would be an absorbing story of an extraordinary individual set in a fascinating time period of world history. In these … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Book Review: Slow River by Nicola Griffith

This book, Slow River by Nicola Griffith, I’ve had on my shelf for years but never got around to reading. Not that I didn’t want to – it’s a Nebula Award winner and all – but it always seemed that … Continue reading

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

Rereading On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

In these days of lockdown, with the library and physical bookstores inaccessible and even books delivered by post under suspicion, I find myself groping for reading material, as I relate in my recent post “How to Find Books During a … Continue reading

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

Book Review: The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company by William Dalrymple

Until I left my birthplace and took to the road in earnest, seeking adventure and my voice as a writer, I had no idea that the Indian Subcontinent would become so important to me. I hitchhiked up and down the … Continue reading

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

Book Review: The Best American Short Stories 2019 Edited by Anthony Doerr and Heidi Pitlor

The short story is a particular type of art form. I love reading great short stories, but it’s notoriously difficult to find them. Even the stories in the various best of the year volumes don’t always match my tastes. I … Continue reading

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

Book Review: Bird Cloud: A Memoir by Annie Proulx

I have been living in rented apartments and houses for several years now, ever since I left Greece to return to the States. In Greece we had owned our own home; here, I struggle every month to pay the rent … Continue reading

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

Book Review: The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson

I first came across the name of Bill Bryson in a volume of interviews called A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration by Michael Shapiro. While reading this book, I made a list … Continue reading

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

Book Review: The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 4 Edited by Neil Clarke

This is the third Best of the Year volume in the science fiction and fantasy field that I have read this year, and… I wouldn’t say that I am becoming jaded, but I am learning that not all that is … Continue reading

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

Book Review: American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race by Douglas Brinkley

This is a fascinating book about America’s efforts to conquer space during the Cold War. However, it is not a comprehensive history of the space program. Instead, it focuses on John F. Kennedy’s fixation on space exploration and eventually on … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment