"In this day and age, it may seem anachronistic to aspire to eternal works, or to ask for help from God with a painting or a poem. But we do not have any chance of accomplishing the first without the second." E. Lily Yu wrote the above sentence in the last section of...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 185: Exodus of the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe
by MHill | Feb 9, 2026 | Book Reviews, Gene Wolfe, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I’ve spent the first five weeks of 2026 engrossed in Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the Long Sun Quartet. The saga of the Long Sun began with Nightside the Long Sun, progressed through The Lake of the Long Sun and Calde of the Long Sun, and reached its culmination in Exodus...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 184: Calde of the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe
by MHill | Jan 29, 2026 | Book Reviews, Gene Wolfe, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Is giving yourself up as a sacrifice the right thing to do in order to bring peace? What boundaries are crossed when religion turns political and politics becomes religious? Those two questions came to mind after I finished Calde of the Long Sun, the third book in the...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 183: Lake of the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe
by MHill | Jan 19, 2026 | Book Reviews, Gene Wolfe, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Have you ever read a novel and felt the story was heading one way, only to find it taking a completely different turn? This is the case with Lake of the Long Sun, the second book in Gene Wolfe’s Book of the Long Sun series. The story picks up right after the first...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 182: Nightside the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe
by MHill | Jan 10, 2026 | Book Reviews, Gene Wolfe, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Gene Wolfe has become an author who has grown on me throughout my reading life. I’ve praised his work on my blog for years, considering him among the best American fiction writers after WWII. Even though the science-fiction and fantasy literary community lauds him,...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 181: Bathing the Lion by Jonathan Carroll
by MHill | Dec 27, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Jonathan Carroll, Magical Realism, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
One of the most rewarding discoveries I’ve made in my reading life is finding an author or authors whose sensibilities resonate with me in their stories, filling me with a deep sense of connection. The key word in that last sentence is sensibilities, as it appears...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 180: Sanshiro by Natsume Soseki
by MHill | Dec 18, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Booktube has become of my favorite places to find out about books, and I have watched a lot of content there. One of my favorite Booktube channels is Books with Zara. Zara has eclectic taste in fiction, and I have liked the vibe of her videos. She recently did a video...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 179: The South by Colm Tóibín
by MHill | Dec 4, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Fiction about Artists, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Does being an artist make you inherently selfish? That question was the first thought I had after reading Colm Tóibín’s first novel, The South. I was interested in this novel because most of it took place in Barcelona, Spain. I spent a week in Barcelona for my...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 178: Baumgartner by Paul Auster
by MHill | Nov 24, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Paul Auster, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom From Kammbia Novella Review
Paul Auster is one of the few authors who have over 5 books of their work on my main library shelf at home. The others are Charles de Lint with 14 books and Jonathan Carroll with 8 books. These three authors have shaped me as a reader and writer more than I could have...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 177: The City in Glass by Nghi Vo
by MHill | Nov 15, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom From Kammbia Novella Review
It does not happen to me often when I read a work of fiction. With The City in Glass by Nghi Vo, I’m left uncertain about what I read or the novella’s true theme. Nghi Vo tells the story of Vitrine, a demon that loves the city of Azril. In some respects, she is the...