Category Archives: Book Reviews

Book Review: Henry Miller: The Paris Years by Brassai

“Brassai” is the pseudonym of Gyula Halasz, a Hungarian photographer who lived in Paris at the same time as Miller did, in the 1930s.  Henry Miller was quite enamored of his photos depicting the streets of Paris, which Brassai published … Continue reading

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Book Review: This Immortal by Roger Zelazny

Roger Zelazny exploded onto the science fiction scene back in the mid-sixties.  Two of his stories won Nebula Awards in 1966, the first year they were ever given:  “He Who Shapes” won the Nebula for best novella, and “The Doors … Continue reading

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Book Review: The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T. J. Stiles

During the summer I often like to tackle really big books, often history books.  This summer I took on a book that has already received a lot of acclaim:  it has won the Pulitzer Prize as well as the National … Continue reading

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On Reading The Lord of the Rings for the Fourteenth Time, Part Three: The Return of the King

Now we come to the end of it.  There are some splendid passages in this book that never fail to bring tears to my eyes.  As Gandalf says, “Not all tears are an evil.”  One of the greatest is the … Continue reading

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On Reading The Lord of the Rings for the Fourteenth Time, Part Two: The Two Towers

I’m in a martial arts studio in New Jersey watching my oldest son train.  A peculiar situation, you might say, in which to write a review of a fantasy story.  But not so. “The Lord of the Rings” has to … Continue reading

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On Reading The Lord of the Rings for the Fourteenth Time, Part One: The Fellowship of the Ring

Every time I read “The Lord of the Rings” it is a profound literary experience.  I’m not sure I have read it fourteen times; it could be thirteen or fifteen, but I think fourteen is a good guess.  Most of … Continue reading

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More Favorite Short Stories

Yes, I do love those short stories.  In my last post on my favorite short stories I wrote about five of the all-time greats.   They were: 1.  “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream” by Harlan Ellison. 2.  “Sundance” … Continue reading

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Book Review: The Books in my Life by Henry Miller

Henry Miller at his best is a virtuoso writer.  He can write about anything and it is entertaining.  He is with words like Jerry Garcia was with guitar:  you didn’t really give a damn whether he was actually playing a … Continue reading

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My Favorite Short Stories: Part One

One of my favorite literary forms is the short story.  Another is memoir.  So here is a perfect combination:  memories of some of my favorite stories.  I have not put a number in the title because I don’t know how … Continue reading

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Book Review: Selected Short Stories by Rabindranath Tagore

If you don’t know who Rabindranath Tagore is, you should.  He was a Bengali writer, the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for literature.  It was awarded primarily for his book “Gitanjali”, a collection of poetry.  Besides poetry, though, … Continue reading

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