The Same Old Story A young idealist leaves his hovering mother behind to go change the world, only to find the world less than eager to be changed. Crushed at a couple of minor setbacks, he falls into a deep depression, and recovers only to become obsessed with money and material success.The story of one […]
Read more "“The Same Old Story” by Ivan Goncharov; trans. Stephen Pearl"Grass Shoots: A tender African Love Story “Grass Shoots” covers an interconnected group of people in modern-day Kenya as they negotiate the country’s ups and downs. The title refers to a charitable organization that one of the characters organizes, and suggests the novel’s hopeful message, that of change that begins at the local level and […]
Read more "“Grass Shoots” by Jane Bwye"The Afterlove (Extended Version) [Explicit] If you listened to popular music around 2005-2006, or even if you didn’t, you probably heard James Blunt’s breakout single “You’re Beautiful”, and you probably developed a strong opinion about it. Many people hated it. I quite liked it, but here we have the irony of the breakout single: I […]
Read more "“The Afterlove” by James Blunt"Starburst (Women of the Grey) (Volume 1) Operating somewhere on the border between horror, suspense, and sci-fi, “Starburst: Women of the Grey” is deceptively simple and yet creepily riveting. The narrative alternates between Lisa, Craig, Maggie, Rafael, and Iggy. We gradually learn that Lisa belongs to a non-human (but humanoid in appearance) all-female group called […]
Read more "“Starburst: Women of the Grey” by Carol James Marshall"Elite Fighter II – Quickie: Qui-Mu’s Tale (Tales of Gentalia Book 8) Oh goodness! It’s hard to pick a favorite amongst the zany Tales of Gentalia, but “Elite Fighter II” is awfully good. It relies in part on in-jokes and cameos from the other Tales and the Annals, so if you haven’t read those, you […]
Read more "“Elite Fighter II–Quickie: Qui-Mu’s Tale” by CB Archer"Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalitis Second Edition: it’s mitochondria, not hypochondria Anyone who has every had a mysterious or chronic illness probably knows that there are some things that modern Western medicine doesn’t handle very well. If you have the misfortune to suffer from some aspect of the FM/CFS/ME family, […]
Read more "“Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalitis” by Dr. Sarah Myhill"The Cutaway: A Thriller Today’s the release day, so I’m rerunning this review! “The Cutaway” is a fast-paced and exciting story set in the glitz, glamor, and danger of DC. Containing elements of a police procedural, it changes the focus by narrating the action from the point of view of a television reporter covering the […]
Read more "“The Cutaway” by Christina Kovac"The Idea of You Lucy is a single and successful glass-ceiling-shatterer. Only it’s not by choice. As glad as she is to have risen high in her profession, and as committed as she feels to helping other women achieve the same thing, what she wants more than anything is a baby. When she meets Jonah […]
Read more "“The Idea of You” by Amanda Prowse"A Woman of Integrity In “A Woman of Integrity,” fifty-something fading actress Laura is faced with the loss of her agent, her career, her flat, and possibly her self-respect. Invited to participate in a documentary about her youthful idol, silent cinema actress and acclaimed photographer Georgie Hepburn, she jumps at the chance, only to discover […]
Read more "“A Woman of Integrity” by J. David Simms"War and Peace (Vintage Classics) I feel like an idiot even thinking about writing a review of “War and Peace,’ but since I just re-read it, by God I’m getting a review out of it, and adding it to my official book count. So what to say about this stunning, confounding, confusing, maddening, amazing work […]
Read more "“War and Peace,” Pevear and Volokhonsky Translation"
E. P. Clark: Author, Book Reviewer, and All-Around Literary Handiwoman 