It's been awhile since I read Octavia Butler and I had planned to read her short story collection, Bloodchild & Other Stories for quite some time. Well, I had an opening last week and read this excellent and important collection. Butler writes in the preface, “The...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 162: Widdershins by Charles de Lint
by MHill | Feb 9, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Charles De Lint, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Newford, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
True love, when it is meant to be, will always unite two people, no matter how long the journey. Jilly Coppercorn and Geordie Riddell, two beloved characters from Charles de Lint’s Newford contemporary fantasy series, are the focus of this story. Their story is...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 161: Spirits in the Wires by Charles de Lint
by MHill | Jan 19, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Charles De Lint, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Newford, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I can’t recall reading any novels that blend contemporary urban fantasy with the internet. I realize the internet, now a mature technology over three decades old, is no longer the cultural novelty it once was, despite our continued immersion in the social media age....
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 154: The Miracle Cures of Dr. Aira by Cesar Aira
by MHill | Oct 25, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom From Kammbia Novella Review
Nowadays, it’s much more tempting for readers to reach for a new book they just bought rather than the ones that have been collecting dust on their bookshelves for months or even a year or two. Those books on your shelf end up becoming de facto furniture than actually...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 152: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
by MHill | Sep 11, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Reading Life Blog, MH Travel, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
“A novel? Goodness, Nurieta…. The novel is dead and buried. A friend of mine who has just arrived from New York was telling me only the other day Americans are inventing something called television, which will be like the cinema, only at home. There’ll be no more need...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 146: The Truth of the Aleke by Moses Ose Utomi
by MHill | Jun 18, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom From Kammbia Novella Review
"History is only a story, told by those with power to justify why they have it. The truth does not bend to power's whims." These words came near the end of The Truth of the Aleke by Moses Ose Utomi. It is the follow-up novella to the excellent The Lies of the Ajungo I...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 143: The Locked Room (New York Trilogy #3) by Paul Auster
by MHill | May 22, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Paul Auster, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom From Kammbia Novella Review
Can you find your true self in living out your best friend's wishes? The narrator of The Locked Room, the last novel in Paul Auster’s innovative New York Trilogy, attempts to answer that question. A man named Fanshawe has gone missing, leaving his wife, child, and a...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 142: Ghosts (New York Trilogy #2) by Paul Auster
by MHill | May 19, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Paul Auster, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom From Kammbia Novella Review
Ghosts is the second novel in Paul Auster's innovative New York Trilogy. As a tribute, I've decided to revisit his most celebrated work and share my impressions after three decades later after since my initial reading. Blue, a private detective, has been commissioned...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 141: City of Glass (New York Trilogy #1) by Paul Auster
by MHill | May 17, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Paul Auster, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom From Kammbia Novella Review
I found out last week that celebrated author Paul Auster passed away at the age of 77. In my previous blog post, I expressed my appreciation for his stories and paid my respects. As a result, I wanted to reread his most famous body of work, The New York Trilogy, in...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 140: The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
by MHill | Apr 28, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Guy Gavriel Kay, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
A significant sign that you are truly invested in a book is when you prioritize reading amidst your busy work week and other commitments, consistently devouring 10 pages here, 15 pages there, and 20-30 pages whenever you can. A novel that entices and captivates your...