I took a break from exploring for forgotten gems in our home library and read two new (to me) books a couple of weekends ago. Peggy Noonan’s Patriotic Grace: What It Is and Why We Need It Now (published earlier this month) and Tony Earley’s Jim the Boy (published in 2001) are both short, quick-reading… Continue reading Book Reviews: “Patriotic Grace” and “Jim the Boy”
Category: Reading & Writing
Book Review: “Proust and the Squid”
…the goal of reading is to go beyond the author’s ideas to thoughts that are increasingly autonomous, transformative, and ultimately independent of the written text. … The experience of reading is not so much an end in itself as it is our best vehicle to a transformed mind, and, literally and figuratively, to a changed… Continue reading Book Review: “Proust and the Squid”
Book Review: “The Road”
In his devilish little book called A Reader’s Manifesto: An Attack on the Growing Pretentiousness in American Literary Prose (reviewed in these pages in 2006), B.R. Myers devotes an entire chapter to Pulitzer prize winner Cormac McCarthy, calling his prose unspeakable in every sense of the word. That and similar pronouncements were at the front… Continue reading Book Review: “The Road”
Book Review: “The Lizard King”
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by reptiles. Growing up in rural West Texas, I had plenty of encounters with lizards and snakes, and cultivated an encyclopedic knowledge of the more notorious species. But I never graduated to collector status, and thus never encountered the types of characters and degree of… Continue reading Book Review: “The Lizard King”
Book Review: “The Year of Living Biblically”
A.J. Jacobs’s first book, The Know-It-All, chronicled his quest to read the Encyclopedia Brittanica from A-to-Z. Jacobs has now extended his version of literary flagpole-sitting to the Bible in The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible, in which he describes his attempts to adhere to… Continue reading Book Review: “The Year of Living Biblically”
Book Review: “Grace (Eventually)”
Anne Lamott continues to exasperate – and, occasionally, infuriate – me. Her latest book, Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith, takes up where the previous one left off, and you might recall my less than warm review of that one. I had expectations of a kinder, gentler Lamott for this book, based on the pre-release publicity.… Continue reading Book Review: “Grace (Eventually)”
Book Review (Sort of): “Blue Like Jazz”
No one ever accused me of being on the cutting edge of anything. I’m behind the curve in all areas of life, slow on the uptake. I defend myself as intelligently cautious; those who know me would say that I’m just clueless. Anyway, I offer that as an excuse as to why I’m just now… Continue reading Book Review (Sort of): “Blue Like Jazz”
Book Reviews: “The Blue Star,” “The Good Guy,” and “Blasphemy”
Summer is fast approaching, and that’s prime novel-reading season. I’ve read three novels in the past month or so, something of a record for me, and wanted to share some observations in case you’re getting summer book-buying fever. (Note: There are no plot spoilers in these mini-reviews.) The Blue Star – Tony Earley A review… Continue reading Book Reviews: “The Blue Star,” “The Good Guy,” and “Blasphemy”
Book Review: “Signed, Mata Hari”
The latest review copy arrived from the publisher a couple of weeks ago, hand-delivered by special courier, and I tore into the important-looking package with eager anticipation. …rewind… The latest review copy arrived from the publisher a couple of weeks ago, deposited on my front porch by the Fed Ex gal’s signature sling-ring-and-run maneuver, and… Continue reading Book Review: “Signed, Mata Hari”
Book Review: “Dead Boys”
Do you think your life sucks? If so, perhaps you need to pick up a copy of Richard Lange’s Dead Boys, collection of short stories filled with characters whose lives are so desolate and hopeless as to make even the most committed pessimist feel like he or she is walking on sunshine. Lange’s stories are… Continue reading Book Review: “Dead Boys”