Tag: books

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There are some books in existence that are simply must-reads. The World According to Garp is very much one of those books. Irving has written a novel of such simple complexity that it astounds the reader time after time. With this novel the statement is conveyed that all the nuances of life are important; every…

Haunted: Tales Of the Grotesque by Joyce Carole Oates – A Book Review

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I really looked forward to reading this collection of short stories. I love well-crafted, gothic tales, and from what I’d heard, Oates, an author I’d never before read, is something of a master. Sadly, nothing about Haunted indicated as such. First of all, I’m all for leaving a story off in such a manner that…

Toward the End Of Time by John Updike – A Book Review

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John Updike’s Toward the End Of Time proved a bit of an enigma to me. At times I thoroughly enjoyed it and at other times I seriously thought about putting the book down, never to open its contents again. In the novel our protagonist goes by the name of Ben Turnbull, a retired finance expert…

Night Shift by Stephen King – A Book Review

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This collection of short stories by Stephen King encompasses all that is great about one of our most prolific and talented writers. I’ve given most of King’s latest work a hard time over the last few years, but only because I know how truly talented he can be. These stories, most of which are from…

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx – A Book Review

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This novel won the Pulitzer Prize, so it was obviously held in high esteem by those far wiser than myself. And I have to admit that I enjoyed it very much. Proulx’s a rather fascinating writer. I’ve read a few of her books now, and I have to say that no two of them struck…

Goodbye, Mr. Vonnegut

Aug 20, 2008

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Note: This Post Originally Published 4-12-07 If you haven’t heard, the great American writer Kurt Vonnegut passed away. He died from brain injuries suffered from a fall a few weeks ago. I think it’s only fitting that we know every move Spears and Hilton make on a daily basis, but no one I know, many of…

Meeting Michael Chabon

Aug 19, 2008

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Note: Originally Published 5-24-07 About a year ago, Michael Chabon (who is, in my opinion, America’s greatest living author) had been scheduled to do a book signing at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago in order to promote his latest novel, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union. One problem-the book got delayed for many different reasons. That…

The Best Book You’ve Never Read

Aug 19, 2008

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Note: Originally Published 6-9-07 About once a year, I like to remind my friends that there is a superb book out there they’ve never read. It’s by a terribly talented man from my neck of the woods named Ken Bradbury. The book is a short story collection called homerville, and if you grew up or…

Feed Your Habit While Supporting Your Libraries

Aug 18, 2008

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Knowing we had a baby on the way and I was taking a year off work to be a stay-at-home dad, I understood we had to start cutting back on nonessential purchases. Among those things I deemed unnecessary to buy were graphic novels. However, as a lover of the genre for over twenty-seven years, there…

Lisey’s Story by Stephen King – A Book Review

Aug 14, 2008

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