Defending Jacob by William Landay tells the story of a fourteen-year-old boy named Jacob Barber who is accused of murdering a classmate. If you enjoy crime fiction or psychological drama this a high-quality and addictive yarn. This is also a story that is hard to discuss without any spoilers so first I'll provide my general … Continue reading “Defending Jacob”: An Addictive, Engrossing Read
Tag: Book Review
Borne: An Accessible and Riveting Introduction into the Wonderfully Weird World of Jeff Vandermeer
It's odd to admit but I've recently realized that I have somehow stumbled into a reader relationship with Jeff Vandermeer. It all started because I, an unpublished fantasy author, began to worry that my young adult fantasy wasn't - well - weird enough. I can't really remember how I found Vandermeer's Wonderbook. Maybe it was through … Continue reading Borne: An Accessible and Riveting Introduction into the Wonderfully Weird World of Jeff Vandermeer
The Southern Reach Trilogy: Opaque, Unique, Non-linear
I came to Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy the way I often do to new books these days, through an introduction by way of a film. I saw the movie Annihilation and honestly wasn't sure what to make of it. The movie's end was deliberately left open to interpretation and I decided to seek out the … Continue reading The Southern Reach Trilogy: Opaque, Unique, Non-linear
Book Review: “The Glass Castle” – Engaging Tale About A Spectacularly Dysfunctional Family
The book “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls was first published in March of 2005. I had heard about the book periodically throughout the years but given the similarities of the title to a movie in the early 2000’s called “The Glass House” I think I subconsciously put the book into a B-list thriller category. … Continue reading Book Review: “The Glass Castle” – Engaging Tale About A Spectacularly Dysfunctional Family
Book Review: The Haunting of Hill House – Atmospheric and Unsettling with a Pitch Perfect Ending
In honor of Halloween I decided to read the classic haunted house story The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. I found this book on many "Scariest Books all Time" lists so I decided to give it a shot. Full disclosure before I move on, thus far the two scariest books I've ever read were The … Continue reading Book Review: The Haunting of Hill House – Atmospheric and Unsettling with a Pitch Perfect Ending
Book Review: “Columbine”, by Dave Cullen. No Easy Answers.
Columbine. For many Americans, this word conjures powerful words and imagery. I tend to associate the following whenever I hear the word: School shooting Bullying Jocks Trench coat mafia Outcasts Over the years, I had heard mumblings that perhaps this was the wrong narrative. That someone, somewhere got the story wrong. I hardly paid attention. … Continue reading Book Review: “Columbine”, by Dave Cullen. No Easy Answers.