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 science-fiction novel that deals with race, crime, religion,… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 102: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
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 so important? Because… Continue Reading
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 101: The Opposite of Art by Athol Dickson
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 has an accident at… Continue Reading
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 100: Bag of Bones by Stephen King
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 block, discovers their summer home is haunted… Continue Reading
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 99: Buffalo Soldier by Maurice Broaddus
Buffalo Soldier by Maurice Broaddus tells the story of Jamaican agent Desmond Coke and his companion, Lij Tafari. They are on the run and Desmond wants the boy to have a normal life, but it seems unlikely because of those who want to capture Lij for nefarious reasons. This alternate history tale has the United… Continue Reading
Wisdom From Kammbia Story Review 10: The Cookout by Jacqueline Turner Banks
A stepfather-stepdaughter relationship can be challenging, especially when the stepdaughter is coming into her own. The Cookout by Jacqueline Turner Banks, a short story published in Shades of Black: Crime & Mystery Stories by African-American Writers, makes a convincing case for that kind of relationship. The story opens with Stacey Barron’s mother, Frances, leaving on… Continue Reading
Wisdom From Kammbia Story Review 9: The Storyteller by Rafik Schami
“Good storytellers are like good wine—the older the better!” The aforementioned sentence came from the last paragraph of The Storyteller by Rafik Schami. This short story was taken from his novel, Damascus Nights and reprinted in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: Seventh Annual Collection published in September 1994. I’ve been reading from various anthologies… Continue Reading
Wisdom From Kammbia Story Review 8: Recitatif by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison is one of those authors I have admired and respected but not loved her fiction. I have read Song of Solomon, Jazz, & Paradise of her work. Song of Solomon is my favorite but my feelings as a reader on a storytelling level have been lukewarm at best. However, this short story (the… Continue Reading
Wisdom From Kammbia Story Review 7: What People Leave Behind by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
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 Kristine Kathryn Rusch told the story of how Detective Andrea… Continue Reading
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 98: Aura by Carlos Fuentes
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 review about Aura last week… Continue Reading
