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Seraphina

Game of Thrones Jr. Author: Rachel Hartman I was already rooting for Seraphina, Rachel Hartman’s debut fantasy YA novel, before I even started reading, thanks to a couple of very important factors: 1.    An endearingly low-budget book trailer featuring lots of swirling gowns, castle walls, and Significant Glowering. 2.    Unlike seemingly 99% of young adult fiction being published now, it’s a single volume rather than a bloated, money-grubbing trilogy! It turns out that all the praise you’ve been hearing for this complex, original fantasy tale about a world of dragon/human cohabitation and politically charged royal scheming is richly deserved. I [...]

2016-12-31T17:56:47-07:00September 21st, 2012|Tags: , , , , , , |

Unconquered, The: In Search of the Amazon’s Last Uncontacted Tribes

Brazilian Whacks Author: Scott Wallace Generally speaking, I’d be up for visiting most parts of the planet (excluding the ones that aren’t currently at war or experiencing a natural disaster). But I think I might have to draw the line at the Amazon jungle after reading Scott Wallace’s harrowing nonfiction account, The Unconquered: In Search of the Amazon’s Last Uncontacted Tribes. While most people wouldn’t want to endure the hardships, starvation, and murderous flora and fauna that Wallace encountered on a seemingly hourly basis during his jungle trek, it does make for a thrilling tale of high adventure, best enjoyed [...]

2016-12-31T17:56:48-07:00September 20th, 2012|Tags: , , , , , , |

Art of Fielding, The

Swinging for the (Literary) Fence Author: Chad Harbach What is it with me and baseball books and movies?  Honestly, I couldn’t give a rat – or even two – about the game itself; it’s just not my thing.  Yet Field of Dreams is one of my favorite movies and now I’ve thoroughly enjoyed author Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding. The book begins as we meet Mike Schwartz.  He’s a big – really big – catcher playing his final summer league baseball game before returning to his small Wisconsin college to begin his sophomore football season.  He’s tired and sore [...]

2016-12-31T17:56:49-07:00September 11th, 2012|Tags: |
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