One gap I have in my reading life is classic fiction. I’ve read David Copperfield & Great Expectations by Dickens, Madame Bovary by Flaubert. I have Mansfield Park by Jane Austen & Don Quixote by Cervantes on my Kindle app to be read. For some reason, I have...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 197: To Leave A Warrior Behind by Jon Tattrie
by MHill | Jun 10, 2026 | Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Nonfiction, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Writing
"Writing isn't about doing what everyone else tells you to do. Writing is about doing what your creative voice wants you to do." I begin this review with those two sentences from Kristine Kathryn Rusch's The Write Attitude. Rusch writes about what a writer's mindset...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 196: The Horse by Willy Vlautin
by MHill | May 27, 2026 | Book Reviews, Fiction about Artists, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
He explained to her how he was tired of the uncertainty of a musician's life, tired of being gone nearly every night of the week while she sat at home alone. And he was tired of playing other people's songs in casinos. "I mean I play five nights a week with Ronnie...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 195: Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami
by MHill | May 26, 2026 | Book Reviews, Haruki Murakami, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Nonfiction, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Writing
Have you ever picked a book from your library and started reading it? I did that a few days ago with Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami. Murakami is one of my favorite authors, and this is my eighth book of his I’ve read and reviewed on this blog. I was...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 194: The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings
by MHill | May 18, 2026 | Book Reviews, Magical Realism, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Have you read a novel and you are still not sure what to make of it? I feel this way after reading The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings. I enjoy fantasy books that are unique and don’t have sequels, and I found out about this one recently. I’m glad it did...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 193: Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
by MHill | Apr 29, 2026 | Book Reviews, Magical Realism, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
In a hypothetical “most used copies” category for novels, Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me Ultima would stand among heavyweights like Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Jon Steinbeck’s Of Mice & Men, James Hilton’s Lost Horizon, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 192: Black Betty by Walter Mosley
by MHill | Apr 19, 2026 | Book Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I have a reading confession. Here it goes....is there a fictional genre that you treat like a paramour? I do, and its crime fiction. My main fictional genres are fantasy and literary fiction. I have read quite a bit of science fiction as well. However, I’ve always...
Marion’s Indie Book Spotlight Review #1: Unconscious Impulses by Kevin L. Bouyer
by MHill | Apr 11, 2026 | Book Reviews, Marion's Indie Book Spotlight, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Unconscious Impulses by Kevin L. Bouyer is the first book review under my new feature, Marion's Indie Book Spotlight. I explained the goal of this new feature on blog in my previous post. I will not repeat myself here, but the goal is to use this platform to provide...
Marion’s Indie Book Spotlight
by MHill | Mar 28, 2026 | Marion's Indie Book Spotlight
I’ve been reviewing novels on this blog since January 2011. Outside of publishing my Kammbia novels, writing reviews has been one of the most rewarding things I have done professionally. Writing reviews has clarified my thoughts about why I connect or not connect with...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 191: Night Hawks by Charles R. Johnson
by MHill | Mar 28, 2026 | Book Reviews, Short Story Review, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
In recent years, my consumption of short stories has significantly increased. I now appreciate the short story for its own artistic merit, moving past the idea that it’s less significant than a novel. After reading several novels to start my 2026 reading year, I knew...