When I heard that Ray Bradbury had passed in 2012, I realized that I had never read any of his books. Wow, that surprised me. Well, in honor of his passing, I decided to read his most popular and enduring work, Fahrenheit 451. “Do you know why books such as this are...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 101: The Opposite of Art by Athol Dickson
by MHill | Apr 22, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
The Opposite of Art is the story of the genius artist, Sheridan Ridler, who is known for painting nudes without faces. Ridler gets quite a reputation in the art world as a cad to the ladies and an arrogant jerk to everyone else that comes in contact with him. Well, he...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 100: Bag of Bones by Stephen King
by MHill | Apr 22, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Bag of Bones is the story of Mike Noonan, a bestselling novelist with a great life until his wife dies in an accident near their Western Maine summer home. From that accident, Mike's life is turned upside down and inside out. Because of that event, Mike gets writers...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 99: Buffalo Soldier by Maurice Broaddus
by MHill | Apr 12, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Buffalo Soldier by Maurice Broaddus tells the story of Jamaican agent Desmond Coke and his companion, Lij Tafari. They are on the run and Desmond wants the boy to have a normal life, but it seems unlikely because of those who want to capture Lij for nefarious reasons....
Wisdom From Kammbia Story Review 10: The Cookout by Jacqueline Turner Banks
by MHill | Apr 9, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Short Story Review, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom of Kammbia Story Review
A stepfather-stepdaughter relationship can be challenging, especially when the stepdaughter is coming into her own. The Cookout by Jacqueline Turner Banks, a short story published in Shades of Black: Crime & Mystery Stories by African-American Writers, makes a...
Wisdom From Kammbia Story Review 9: The Storyteller by Rafik Schami
by MHill | Apr 7, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Short Story Review, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom of Kammbia Story Review
"Good storytellers are like good wine---the older the better!" The aforementioned sentence came from the last paragraph of The Storyteller by Rafik Schami. This short story was taken from his novel, Damascus Nights and reprinted in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror:...
Wisdom From Kammbia Story Review 8: Recitatif by Toni Morrison
by MHill | Apr 3, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Short Story Review, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom of Kammbia Story Review
Toni Morrison is one of those authors I have admired and respected but not loved her fiction. I have read Song of Solomon, Jazz, & Paradise of her work. Song of Solomon is my favorite but my feelings as a reader on a storytelling level have been lukewarm at best....
Wisdom From Kammbia Story Review 7: What People Leave Behind by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
by MHill | Mar 31, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Short Story Review, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom of Kammbia Story Review
My reading excursion into short stories continues with an excellent whodunit story set in a suburban Oregon town where a single mother who owns a housecleaning business of foreclosure homes ends up on the wrong end of a home explosion. What People Leave Behind by...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 98: Aura by Carlos Fuentes
by MHill | Mar 29, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Hispanic Heritage Month, Marion's Favorite Books, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Carlos Fuentes is a writer that I have wanted to read for a long time. I have seen his books, The Old Gringo & The Death of Artemio Cruz, in used bookstores for years. I have always meant to get one of those books, but never did. However, I read an online...
Wisdom From Kammbia Review 97: The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark
by MHill | Mar 25, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark is a fantasy novella set in an alternate early 20th century Cairo, where the world of djinn and other supernatural beings has made Egypt a world super-power, and two Agents of the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and...