In this rereading series, spanning several years, I’ve revisited books I initially read nearly a decade ago, sharing my thoughts on these second readings. My last rereading post was on the novel, A Wooden Sea by Jonathan Carroll, and my feelings upon that reread were...
Rereading The Wooden Sea by Jonathan Carroll
by MHill | Jun 1, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Jonathan Carroll, Magical Realism, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Jonathan Carroll is on the top tier of my favorite author's list. He occupies a space with Charles de Lint as the authors I have read the most throughout my adult reading life. I have reviewed seven Carroll novels since I started this blog in January 2011 and the...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 165: Magical Realism by Maggie Ann Bowers
by MHill | May 21, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Magical Realism, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Nonfiction, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Over the past couple of years, I have tried to find a home as reader (and a writer for that matter). While I've enjoyed reading across genres and have broadened my reading life in immeasurable ways. Still, I've always wanted a reading home that I connected with the...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 164: Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami
by MHill | May 14, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Fiction about Artists, Haruki Murakami, Magical Realism, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
My previous review was a reread of A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami and admittedly I did not enjoy my reading experience the second time around for one of my favorite novelists and a book that introduced me to the Murakami fictional universe. However, I had been...
Rereading The Opposite of Art by Athol Dickson
by MHill | Mar 30, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Athol Dickson, Book Reviews, Fiction about Artists, Magical Realism, Marion's All-Time Favorite Novels, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Rereading Series, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
A novel must meet certain criteria to become one of my all-time favorites. I must reread it, and the rereading must feel similar to my first experience reading the novel. I will write upfront that The Opposite of Art by Athol Dickson passed my criteria for an all-time...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 162: Widdershins by Charles de Lint
by MHill | Feb 9, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Charles De Lint, Fiction about Artists, Magical Realism, 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 130: The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint
by MHill | Oct 29, 2023 | 2023 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Charles De Lint, Fiction about Artists, Magical Realism, Marion's Favorite Books, Newford, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
"I suppose the other thing too many forget is that we were all stories once, each and every one of us. And we remain stories." This sentence written near the end of The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint brings home an important point in human development. We are all...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 100: Bag of Bones by Stephen King
by MHill | Apr 22, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Magical Realism, 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 71: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
by MHill | Jan 24, 2021 | 2021 Book Reviews, Magical Realism, Toni Morrison, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I have a question. Has there been a well-regarded or lauded author you keep trying out as a reader but have never connected with their books? Toni Morrison is my answer to that question. I have attempted several of her books (Jazz, Paradise, and Love) over the years...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 15: Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint
by MHill | Jun 11, 2019 | 2019 Book Reviews, Charles De Lint, Fiction about Artists, Magical Realism, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Newford, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I have mentioned in several blog posts over the years that Charles de Lint is one of my favorite authors. I read a few of his novels in the early to mid-1990s when he was the big name in fantasy fiction. His...