Category Archives: Book Reviews

Book Review: Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits Edited by J. Michael Straczynski; Part Two

I have been a traveler for much of my life, but my situation and finances don’t make it possible to do so at present. They do, however, make it possible for me to qualify for the national program known as … Continue reading

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Book Review: Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits Edited by J. Michael Straczynski; Part One

And now we turn to a complex subject: the writer Harlan Ellison. He was a volatile, controversial figure during his lifetime, and continues to be after his death. His literary executor, Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski, is intent upon … Continue reading

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Book Review:  The Devil’s Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival among America’s Great White Sharks by Susan Casey

In the days when there were only four channels on TV, no cable, and no streaming services, my friend and housemate Rolf and I used to go to a lot of movies. On one occasion we went to a downtown … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Playground by Richard Powers

My God this is a beautiful book. This is why I read: to discover gems like this. I don’t think it’s perfect; it gets a little confusing at the end and some of the threads remain unresolved. But it is … Continue reading

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Book Review:  The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides

I love a well-written true life historical adventure, and this is a great one. It tells the story of Captain Cook’s third and final voyage, a voyage on which he was killed in the Hawaiian Islands. The depth of research … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever by Matt Singer

Before I read this book, I had no idea of the existence, let alone the popularity, of the Siskel & Ebert film criticism TV show and its various iterations such as Opening Soon at a Theater Near You, Sneak Previews, … Continue reading

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Book Review:  The Future by Naomi Alderman

Don’t let the generic title of this novel fool you. It is a stylish, multifaceted, fast-paced, and well-written near-future fable that reveals itself as even more prescient due to recent political events in the United States. It concerns three billionaires, … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood by Ed Zwick

I have read several books on filmmaking from top directors and screenwriters, including Chasing the Light by Oliver Stone, Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino, and Adventures in the Screen Trade and Which Lie Did I Tell? by William Goldman, but … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

I’m about halfway through this book but I have some thoughts that can’t wait. Knife is a memoir of Rushdie’s recovery after a near-fatal attack by a knife-wielding assailant. It is deeply ironic that this happened at the opening of … Continue reading

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Book Review:  The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

In the introduction, Ta-Nehisi Coates clarifies that he is addressing his latest book The Message specifically to his students and more generally to “young writers everywhere whose task is nothing less than doing their part to save the world.” I’m … Continue reading

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