What does it mean to being smart? It seems we have judged intelligence by IQ and rational knowledge throughout human history. However, there was a book published over twenty-five years ago that challenged the notion and looked at emotions as an important factor...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 80: Planting Stories (The Life of Librarian & Storyteller Pura Belpre) by Anika Aldamuy Denise & Paola Escobar
by MHill | May 23, 2021 | 2021 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
The joy I get in reading with my daughter Norah is you learn about someone that you have never heard of before. This is the case with the book, Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre by Anika Aldamuy Denise and Paola Escobar. Pura Belpre...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 79: Respect-The Life of Aretha Franklin by David Ritz
by MHill | May 2, 2021 | 2021 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Sometimes after reading one book will make you want another book with a similar topic. My previous review was a fictional music documentary in a novel titled The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton. Opal Jewel was one half of a groundbreaking punk rock...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 78: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
by MHill | Apr 24, 2021 | 2021 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's All-Time Favorite Novels, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
"The easiest thing in the world is to be yourself. The hardest thing in the world is to be yourself." Those two sentences were appropriate for one of the two major characters, Opal Jewel, in Dawnie Walton's excellent debut novel, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev....
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 75: Invisible Men by Ken Quattro
by MHill | Feb 19, 2021 | 2021 Book Reviews, Black History Month, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Black History Month is in full swing and I have seen many social media posts recognizing the achievements of African Americans throughout the nation's history. However, I have always wanted to find out something that does not get much recognition or overlooked during...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 73: The Dark Fantastic by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas
by MHill | Feb 14, 2021 | 2021 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
"The principles of the dark fantastic are so ingrained in our collective consciousness that when the expected pattern is subverted, most audiences cannot suspend disbelief. Readers and viewers complain that dark heroic protagonists are not likable. Critics observe...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 72: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
by MHill | Feb 6, 2021 | 2021 Book Reviews, Black History Month, Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
If your spouse was wrongly accused of rape and went to prison for five years but gets released, would you remain married? That was the question An American Marriage by Tayari Jones attempted to answer in her popular novel. An American Marriage was selected for...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 69: Silver Surfer #1 (1968) by Stan Lee & John Buscema
by MHill | Dec 25, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom of Kammbia Story Review
As a teenager, I had a huge comic book collection. It was mostly Marvel and DC Comics with a few independent comic book publishers like Image, Dark Horse, and Valiant Comics. I read Avengers, Green Lantern Mosaic, Green Arrow, The Spectre, Sandman, and Icon (from...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 68: The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John Le Carre
by MHill | Dec 24, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Rereading Series, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
John Le Carre passed away earlier this month. I posted on social media my respects and fondness for The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, the only Le Carre novel I had read. I was going to read A Perfect Spy in honor of his death. However, I got about fifty pages into...
Marion’s Favorites: Marion’s Favorite Reads of 2020
by MHill | Dec 22, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
2020 is mercifully coming to a close, and it has been probably one of the most challenging years that I can remember. A global pandemic. A contentious American presidential election. Big time celebrity deaths. So on and so on. Reading has been choppy. However, I...