Last year, I read the first book of a duology about twin brothers, Ndoro and Obaseki. They were separated at birth and that book delved into their past revealing what made each brother special amongst the people of Sesu, an African-inspired kingdom on the continent of...
Book Review 133: Permission Marketing by Seth Godin
by MHill | May 27, 2018 | 2018 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Nonfiction
"The marketer is not in control, the consumer is. And the consumer is selfish. Consumers care very little about you, your company, your products, your career, or your family. They're not likely to spend time trying to discover how you can help them solve their...
Book Review 132: The Land Across by Gene Wolfe
by MHill | May 19, 2018 | 2018 Book Reviews, Gene Wolfe
One of the greatest living American authors just had their eighty-seven birthday earlier this month. Is it Philip Roth? Cormac McCarthy? Richard Ford? John Irving? Toni Morrison? None of them. It is Gene Wolfe. Wolfe has never gotten the mainstream literary success...
Welcome to Kammbia!
by MHill | May 7, 2018 | Kammbian Characters, Kammbian Culture, Kammbian History, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Greetings from Kammbia! Welcome to a world you’ll want to escape to again and again! But first, I’d like to ignite your imagination with a whirlwind tour of all things Kammbian. Look for these things as you read—and absorb more about this fantastic world. The Lay of...
Book Review 131: Camber of Culdi by Katherine Kurtz
by MHill | May 6, 2018 | 2018 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorites
Sometimes an article can make you read a novelist you have seen in used bookstores for years. This article from the Strange Horizons website gave spotlight to Katherine Kurtz's Deryni novels. I had seen the...
Book Review 130: Warrior by K.M. Tremills
by MHill | Apr 23, 2018 | 2018 Book Reviews
Last year, I read the first book in a series of an introspective and thoughtful fantasy novel by an author I had made an online acquaintance through a Facebook writers group. That first novel, Messenger, got my attention through its absorbing prose and a protagonist,...
Do You Have A Reader Prejudice Towards A Popular Author?
by MHill | Apr 16, 2018 | Marion's Reading Life Blog
I had a reader prejudice against Stephen King for a long time. I don't know why. Prejudice does that. I have several reasons or rationalizations for my reader prejudice towards King. One of them was because I did not like to read anything scary. However,...
Book Review 129: Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay
by MHill | Mar 18, 2018 | 2018 Book Reviews, Guy Gavriel Kay, Magical Realism, Marion's All-Time Favorite Novels, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Have you ever as a reader given a novel you did not finish another chance? Well, there is a first time for everything. I gave Children of Earth and Sky a second chance. I read it a couple years ago when it was first released. Kay writes beautifully, and the...
It’s Not Snobbish or Old-Fashioned If You Still Prefer Reading A Book!
by MHill | Mar 5, 2018 | Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I have a confession to make. I still prefer reading a physical book over an eBook or audiobook. Whew...I got it off my chest! It seems these days (in our social media age) that if you only read paperbacks or hardcover books, you are outdated like the 8-Track or...
Book Review 128: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
by MHill | Feb 28, 2018 | 2018 Book Reviews, Black History Month, Book Reviews, Marion's All-Time Favorite Novels, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Rereading Series, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Can a novel you read in your early 20s effect you in the same manner when you re-read it in your mid-40s? Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison gives this reviewer a split verdict to the aforementioned question. It is the story of an unnamed protagonist who leaves the...