As a writer, I have always been curious how other writers practice their craft, what they read, and how they conduct business. I believe you can learn a lot from other writers that are further down the writer's journey than you are. Charles Johnson's The Way of the...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 48: Late Bloomers by Rich Karlgaard
by MHill | Jul 6, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Sometimes there is a book on your shelf that is waiting to be read. The book waits patiently until you have gotten other books out of the way before you are ready to read it. Late Bloomers by Rich Karlgaard is one of those books. I bought this book shortly after it...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 10: Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
by MHill | Apr 21, 2019 | 2019 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books
Cal Newport has written another excellent book about how technology (mostly social media) has affected modern life. Digital Minimalism is the follow-up the ground-breaking book, Deep Work and Newport expands on...
Book Review 128: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
by MHill | Feb 28, 2018 | 2018 Book Reviews, Black History Month, Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Rereading Series, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Can a novel you read in your early 20s effect you in the same manner when you re-read it in your mid-40s? Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison gives this reviewer a split verdict to the aforementioned question. It is the story of an unnamed protagonist who leaves the...
Book Review 127: Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
by MHill | Feb 12, 2018 | 2018 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books
Sometimes listening to an author's interview at the right time can you make read their novel. This interview on the Guardian Books podcast made me want to read Exit West by Moshin Hamid. He spoke about hopefulness towards immigration and how we are all migrants. I...
The Value of a Reading List
by MHill | Jan 30, 2018 | Marion's Reading Life Blog
I was not a fan of a reading list until a few years ago. I will admit with Goodreads coming on the book reading scene has helped in letting me see the need of a reading list. Since 2015, I have kept a reading list, and it has made a better reader. My reading list has...
Do You Re-Read?
by MHill | Jan 6, 2018 | Marion's Reading Life Blog
I have a question. Do you re-read? I will admit that I do not re-read much. The last book I re-read was Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. I did gain a lot of insight re-reading that powerful novel the second time around. I would like to think as a reader that I...
Book Review 121: The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
by MHill | Nov 24, 2017 | 2017 Book Reviews, Louise Penny Gamache Novels, Marion's Favorite Books
I have become a Louise Penny fan! I wanted to make that statement clear from the opening sentence of this review. The Beautiful Mystery is the third Louise Penny novel I've read in 2017. Starting with The Long Way Home and A Trick of the Light, the Inspector Gamache...
Book Review 119: Emphyrio by Jack Vance
by MHill | Oct 10, 2017 | 2017 Book Reviews, Jack Vance
What is a legend? Does the truth about a legend matter only to those who believe in it? Or does the propaganda about a legend matter more than the truth? These questions came to mind after reading Emphyrio by Jack Vance. Vance has been considered one of the giants...
Book Review 118: The Anome by Jack Vance (Durdane #1)
by MHill | Sep 16, 2017 | 2017 Book Reviews, Jack Vance
I was told by a reader since I like imaginative and escapist fiction I should read Jack Vance. I had heard of Vance's name over the years but never had an inclination to read any of his work. I did internet research about the author and found out he has been an...