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...
Book Review 121: The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
by MHill | Nov 24, 2017 | 2017 Book Reviews, Louise Penny Gamache Novels, Marion's Favorite Books
I have become a Louise Penny fan! I wanted to make that statement clear from the opening sentence of this review. The Beautiful Mystery is the third Louise Penny novel I've read in 2017. Starting with The Long Way Home and A Trick of the Light, the Inspector Gamache...
Book Review 120: The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
by MHill | Nov 3, 2017 | 2017 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books
Some novels read fast. Non-stop page turning action that grabs your imagination and doesn't let go until you finish. Other novels read slowly like eating a well-cooked meal at your favorite restaurant. You take the time to eat your meal with a glass of...
Book Review 117: The Gunslinger by Stephen King (Dark Tower 1)
by MHill | Aug 15, 2017 | 2017 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books
I rarely jump on the pop culture event of the moment. I have always waited for the event to die down or choose something out of the mainstream. However, when I found out about the Dark Tower Movie starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey as foes. I was intrigued...
Book Review 116: Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord
by MHill | Aug 6, 2017 | 2017 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books
Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord is a fable about a woman named Paama from the African village of Makendha. Paama endures a bad marriage to a gluttonous husband and when she finally leaves him brings the attention of the djombi, the undying ones, who present her...
Book Review 112: Real Artists Don’t Starve by Jeff Goins
by MHill | Jun 30, 2017 | 2017 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books
Is the starving artist path the only accepted way in our society for an artist? Jeff Goins answers that question in his latest book, Real Artists Don't Starve (Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age). The starving artist mythos has been accepted by...