I found out last week that celebrated author Paul Auster passed away at the age of 77. In my previous blog post, I expressed my appreciation for his stories and paid my respects. As a result, I wanted to reread his most famous body of work, The New York Trilogy, in...
RIP Paul Auster (1947-2024)
by MHill | May 10, 2024 | Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Paul Auster, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I just found out today one of my favorite authors passed away back on April 30th at the age of 77. It came as a shock to me that the renowned writer, Paul Auster, had departed from this world. I first read The New York Trilogy in my mid 20s when I lived in Santa Fe,...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 140: The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
by MHill | Apr 28, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Guy Gavriel Kay, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
A significant sign that you are truly invested in a book is when you prioritize reading amidst your busy work week and other commitments, consistently devouring 10 pages here, 15 pages there, and 20-30 pages whenever you can. A novel that entices and captivates your...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 139: Culture Care by Makoto Fujimara
by MHill | Apr 21, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Makoto Fujimara, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Nonfiction, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
"Culture care emphasizes that God cares for the whole of the creation (as his own artwork) and for history (as God's own story lived through our fallen reality), and that there is not one hair of our head or one moment of our journey that God does not pay close...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 138: Art + Faith by Makoto Fujimara
by MHill | Mar 29, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Christianity & Art, Makoto Fujimara, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I have always had a fascination with the intersection of art and faith, particularly from the perspective of American Christianity. Throughout most of my life as an adult (currently in my early fifties), and even prior to that, it seems like these two things have been...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 137: The Hacienda by Isabel Canas
by MHill | Mar 15, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Sometimes a novel will to come to your attention when you are just scrolling through Goodreads recommendations. I rarely take much notice to those recommendations, but when I saw The Hacienda by Isabel Canas, I immediately stop scrolling. I’m glad I did. The Hacienda...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 136: A Red Death by Walter Mosley
by MHill | Feb 28, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Black History Month, Book Reviews, Easy Rawlins Series/Walter Mosley, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
When the IRS comes knocking at your door looking for back taxes, it will put you in an untenable position that provides no easy way out. Easy Rawlins finds himself in such a situation in the novel, A Red Death. A Red Death is the second novel in the Easy Rawlins...
Wisdom From Kammbia Story Review 23: Since You Went Away by Frankie Y. Bailey
by MHill | Feb 20, 2024 | Black History Month, Short Story Review, Wisdom of Kammbia Story Review
Anthologies provide a great opportunity to explore new genres of fiction that you wouldn't typically read. Also, I have integrated more short stories into my reading life in the last couple of years. Incorporating short stories into your reading life can provide a...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 135: Suder by Percival Everett
by MHill | Feb 16, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Black History Month, Book Reviews, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Percival Everett, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Percival Everett has quickly joined my favorite author’s list, which includes Paul Auster, Octavia Butler, Jonathan Carroll, Charles de Lint, Guy Gavriel Kay, & Haruki Murakami. Having read multiple novels by these authors, I must say that Everett has ventured...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 134: Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
by MHill | Feb 5, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Sometimes when you dive into a highly praised novel with certain expectations for the storyline, only to swiftly realize it takes an entirely different direction. This is the case with Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. Spending the entire first month of 2024...