“So much of life was the peeling away of illusions.” I had been very much looking forward to reading this book, but unfortunately it has been quite a disappointment. The first hundred pages, about the childhood and teen years of Eileen Tumulty, fly by and are quite promising. But something curious happens as she becomes … More Book Review: We Are Not Ourselves, by Matthew Thomas
Lilian Shang has been haunted by her father for many years. A Map of Betrayal is both of their stories, and in typical style for Ha Jin, it’s an elegant, restrained exploration of family, loyalty, and patriotism. Lilian’s father Gary immigrated to the US as a translator with the CIA, where he earned a stellar … More Book Review: A Map of Betrayal, by Ha Jin
“You could know the what of something forever and never discover the why.” Well this was disappointing. Seriously disappointing. The Southern Reach trilogy started out promisingly enough in Annhilation, but there were signs of trouble even then. Jeff Vandermeer began spinning a wickedly creative story about an expedition into the heart of a mysterious, possibly … More Book Review: Acceptance, by Jeff Vandermeer
“A circle looks at a square and sees a badly made circle.” In my last review, I compared Annihilation (the first book in the Southern Reach trilogy) to the first season of Lost in that it sets up a strange mythology and throws a lot of questions at you without providing anything in the way … More Book Review: Authority, by Jeff Vandermeer
With the Battle of the Bonds behind him, Roger Moore returned for one last time to portray James Bond, a role he had dominated for twelve years. The end of an era. At 58 years old he was still spry and mischievous enough to carry off the part, but still, it was undeniably time for … More The Bond Movie Series: A View to a Kill
What happens when a Bond movie isn’t officially a Bond movie? Never Say Never Again. That is to say, nothing good. Back before there even was a series of Bond movies, Ian Fleming was trying to sell his spy novels for film. He enlisted the help of Kevin McClory to help him write a screenplay … More The Bond Movie Series: Never Say Never Again
In 1983 the filmmakers behind the Bond series found themselves in a tricky little predicament. First, their 007, Roger Moore, celebrated his 56th birthday. Moore had enjoyed a wildly successful run as James Bond at the box office, but it was becoming very apparent that he was aging out of the role. Moore himself was … More The Bond Movie Series: Octopussy
“When you are too close to the center of a mystery there is no way to pull back and see the shape of it entire.” When Annihilation opens, a lot has already happened. Approximately thirty years prior, in an undisclosed location, a mysterious event occurred that separated a portion of the coastline from the rest … More Book Review: Annihilation, by Jeff Vandermeer
I am instantly suspicious when dust jackets or book blurbs declare someone “the next …” The comparison rarely ever works, and usually only does the new author a disservice–establishing a comparison they just can’t hope to live up to. So you can imagine how my senses started twitching when I saw blurbs describing this book … More Book Review: The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing, by Mira Jacob
Not Your Typical Immigration Saga This is not your typical immigration saga. Stories of families relocating to another country, dealing with cultural displacement, and (hopefully) making a go of it have become increasingly commonplace. Yelena Akhtiorskaya would like to turn those conventions on their head. To be fair, she succeeds at that goal quite well–and … More Book Review: Panic in a Suitcase, by Yelena Akhtiorskaya
Supposedly Fun 