‘Books’ Archives
José Saramago and the Reconstruction of Novel as an Inner Monologue
After having weathered the post-modernist deconstructionist storm of the last fifty years, I think the novel format has found its reconstructionist master in the person of José de Sousa Saramago (pronounced Sa-ra-ma-YU in Portugese), the late Portugese writer who won the [Read More]
Book Review: Warbreaker
Although there is a sufficient number of titles to grant “fantasy” a section separate from science fiction in most bookstores, they are still grouped together. The irony is, in most cases, a fantasy novel has to incorporate many features of science fiction to [Read More]
Growing Up with Science Fiction in the 1940s
When I was a kid, I bought my first science-fiction magazine at the age of thirteen. All older science-fiction fans remember when they bought their first magazine, and we were all about the same age – twelve, thirteen, maybe fourteen. In the 1930s and 1940s we were [Read More]
Jane Austen and Zombies? Why Didn’t We Think of this Sooner?
Okay, I’ll admit it: I don’t like Jane Austen. I know that is some kind of blasphemy. I’m ready for the flaming and requests to hand in my chick card. I just cannot stand to read 90% of her writing. I know that she is considered one of the great writers in [Read More]
Why You Should Love Christopher Moore
I recently broke down and bought “Fool,” a new book by Christopher Moore. I’m just getting started, but so far it is hilarious. It is a retelling of “King Lear” from the perspective of Pockets, the court jester. Of course it is told in a way that only Christopher [Read More]
Book Review: Twilight
You’ve been living under a rock for the past year if you haven’t heard about the best selling Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. At the very least, I’m sure you have heard about the Twilight movie. Haven’t you? Come on now. For those of you who HAVEN’T [Read More]
Book Review: Living Green
I am one of the least likely people to go green. Until recently, I have never been particularly concerned about the environment. I thought I could be healthier by drinking soy milk, diet sodas, and bottled water in plastic containers. Reading labels other than fat or [Read More]
