Have you ever read a book that you knew instantly you should have read years ago? I knew it after reading the first chapter of The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. I was working at a mom-and-pop bookstore in Santa Fe, NM in 1996 when this novel was published. I...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 104: Angel On My Shoulder by Natalie Cole
by MHill | Apr 28, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Black History Month, Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog
"As you walk your own journey, keep your eyes open, listen well, and if you look real hard, you just might find an angel on your shoulder." Those words are from the last paragraph of the late Natalie Cole's autobiography, Angel On My Shoulder published November 2000,...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 103: Queen of Angels by Greg Bear
by MHill | Apr 26, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Rereading Series, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Queen of Angels by Greg Bear has been a book I've wanted to read for years. I've seen it at used bookstores and bought it several times intending to read the book but never get around to it until recently. Queen of Angels is an ambitious, thought-provoking...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 102: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
by MHill | Apr 26, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
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 All-Time Favorite Novels, 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 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 Book Review 96: Black Titan by Carol Jenkins & Elizabeth Gardner Hines
by MHill | Feb 19, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Black History Month, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
"Athletes and musicians who have made millions in their industries deserve our respect, but it is critical that blacks understand that our history, and our (often neglected) successes, run deeper than that. All children need to be made familiar with images and...
Icon #14
by MHill | Feb 6, 2022 | Black History Month, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog
Rocket learns a valuable lesson with the responsibility she has as a superhero and being Icon's partner. She asks Icon to attend a community event, but he cannot attend because his day job as a lawyer demands his attention. Rocket is frustrated with his duties as a...