web analytics

reviews

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

Author: Tom Franklin It’s sad but true that nearly all the books I read don’t live up to their hype, so it’s such a pleasant surprise when one not only lives up to, but exceeds, expectations. In addition, it’s usually not a good sign when a novel says “BOOK CLUB READING GUIDE INCLUDED” on the cover, but even with all that against it, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter turned out to be the most enjoyable psychological mystery (if that’s a genre) I’ve read in some time. Larry Ott, aka “Scary Larry,” is a socially ostracized and underemployed mechanic in the small [...]

2016-12-31T17:57:40-07:00February 14th, 2012|Tags: , , , , , , |

Demi-Monde, The: Winter (The Demi-Monde Saga)

Author: Rod Rees I’ve been reading a lot of book-1-in-a-forthcoming-series titles lately, and I have to tell you, it’s really wearing me down! It’s a big time investment figuring out the geography and rules of any made-up universe, not to mention the particular political and/or magical machinations that are driving the plot (especially if, after all that work, you cut bait and decide not to continue the series). The worst part, though, is always the ridiculous and self-indulgent fantasy lingo that authors love to throw around by the shovelful. And the most egregious offender I’ve ever seen in my life, [...]

2016-12-31T17:57:41-07:00February 13th, 2012|Tags: , , , , , , |

Stone of Kings: In Search of the Lost Jade of the Maya

Made in the Jade Author: Gerard Helferich Jade has come a long way (mostly down) from the ancient Asian and Mesoamerican civilizations that considered it the world’s most valuable gem, fit for a king… or for a human sacrifice to the gods. Do a quick online search for jade today — go ahead, I’ll wait — and what you’re likely to find is a whopping assortment of cheap imported beads, tacky carved figurines, and dyed or resin-stabilized composites. Ho hum. Yet in its heyday, jade was so highly prized that artisans spent hundreds of hours laboriously carving this dense, hard [...]

2019-08-26T15:38:00-07:00February 2nd, 2012|Tags: |
Go to Top