I never thought I would like reading a book about witches. Well, that's the power of reading. You can end up liking something unexpected. The White Raven by Carrie D. Miller is the story of Aven Dovenelle....
Book Review 135: The Man in The Maze by Robert Silverberg
by MHill | Jun 14, 2018 | 2018 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Robert Silverberg 1967-1976
"Science Fiction, more than any other form of literature, is a progress, and it comes with a sell-by date. Some old SF can become unreadable. Some reputations erode with time. What we respond to, once the sell-by date is past, is art and, perhaps, is also truth."...
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 129: Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay
by MHill | Mar 18, 2018 | 2018 Book Reviews, Guy Gavriel Kay, 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...
Book Review 128: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
by MHill | Feb 28, 2018 | 2018 Book Reviews, Black History Month, Book Reviews, 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...
Book Review 127: Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
by MHill | Feb 12, 2018 | 2018 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books
Sometimes listening to an author's interview at the right time can you make read their novel. This interview on the Guardian Books podcast made me want to read Exit West by Moshin Hamid. He spoke about hopefulness towards immigration and how we are all migrants. I...
Book Review 125: Estate Planning for Authors by M.L. Buchman
by MHill | Jan 20, 2018 | 2018 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books
Estate Planning is a topic that many people dislike to talk (or even think) about. That includes the writer of this blog post. However, Estate Planning is an essential element for personal finances and especially for creative types (like yours truly). I recently...
Book Review 123: South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami
by MHill | Jan 12, 2018 | 2018 Book Reviews, Haruki Murakami, Marion's Favorite Books
Is it possible to recapture a childhood love as an adult? Haruki Murakami attempted to answer the question in South of the Border, West of the Sun. I made this novel my first review of 2018. I wanted to read something more introspective and intimate to start off my...
Wisdom From Kammbia 4.9: My Favorite Reads of 2017
by MHill | Jan 1, 2018 | Marion's Favorite Books, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Another year has come and gone and I’ve read and reviewed 22 books for 2017. I had a good year reading and looking forward to a better reading year in 2018. Here’s my favorites in 2017: (click on the title to read that book’s review) A Man Called Ove by...
Book Review 122: Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
by MHill | Dec 31, 2017 | 2017 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books
A standalone epic fantasy novel is a rare thing in publishing these days. (I do know that Sanderson wrote a novella in the same world but it is not connected to Elantris). Reading Elantris by Brandon Sanderson and not having to wonder what will happen in Book 2 is a...