“Straight” by Dick Francis

Straight Dick Francis “Straight” has always been one of my favorite Francis stories, and I’m not sure why. The main topic–gemstones–holds absolutely zero interest for me, and neither do the clever gadgets that the main character has to figure out. But maybe that’s why it’s interesting. The chances of me ever wearing lots of gems, […]

“Just Like the Bronte Sisters” by Laurel Osterkamp

Just Like the Bronte Sisters Laurel Osterkamp Jo Beth and Skylar are about as close as sisters can be, despite seeming complete opposites: Jo Beth is a daredevil ski racer, while Skylar loves to read. But then everything changes. I have a hard time summing up “Just Like the Bronte Sisters,” since, while it’s not […]

The Fountain Boxed Set by Ellison Blackburn

The Fountain Boxed Set Ellison Blackburn I’ve enjoyed reading all three books in The Fountain trilogy, so I’m glad to see them all gathered together in this boxed set, which is definitely the convenient way to get them. The Fountain is a unique addition to the speculative fiction/technothriller genre, telling the story of two (very […]

“A Double Life” by Karolina Pavlova

A Double Life Karolina Pavlova Although of course Russian literature is the best literature, or something like that, it does have a significant flaw, which is the dearth of female authors, especially from the Golden Age when Pushkin and his Pleiad were writing. Some have claimed that the brilliance of Karolina Pavlova makes up for […]

“A Hero of Our Time” by Mikhail Lermontov

A Hero of Our Time Mikhail Lermontov The first thing I ever read in Russian that was an actual piece of text and not an example sentence was a story about a young Russian officer who ends up amongst a household of smugglers and gets tricked by a pretty girl who, it turns out, is […]

“Unlocking Lyme” by William Rawls, MD

Unlocking Lyme William Rawls, MD I am reviewing this book somewhat prematurely, since I haven’t actually tried out most of the things in it yet. However, each person’s reaction to treatment is so individual that my success or failure probably won’t mean much either way. What is more of interest to me about this book […]

“The Living Corpse” by Leo Tolstoy

The Living Corpse Leo Tolstoy In 1900, more than 20 years after finishing his masterpiece “Anna Karenina,” Tolstoy returned to a character named Karenin in a troubled marriage, although this Karenin seems to have no blood relation to the original. Still, it’s a fascinating indication that, for all the dislike he felt for the novel […]

So Many Deals and New Releases!

Tired of reading about macho men? Looking for some speculative fiction that’s a bit different? Maybe something a bit more…feminine (dare we even say: feminist?). Do we have the special offers and new releases for you! First of all, The Breathing Sea I is free December 2-3 on Kindle: myBook.to/tbsi And The Breathing Sea II is […]

“Cross of Iron” by Willi Heinrich for #GermanLiteratureMonth

Cross of Iron Willi Heinrich I have to admit that I read this book a long time ago, so perhaps it isn’t as good as I remember. But as I remember, it is incredible, a true classic of combat writing, so I thought I’d write a review of it for German Literature Month 2017. […]

“Strata” by Terry Pratchett

Strata Terry Pratchett Before there was the Discworld, there was “Strata,” the story of a company that builds planets. Including, it turns out, a strange flat planet out in the middle of nowhere… It’s a bit hard to review “Strata” in a meaningful way, because it both prefigures the Discworld novels, and stands in inevitable […]