In this rereading series, spanning several years, I’ve revisited books I initially read nearly a decade ago, sharing my thoughts on these second readings. My last rereading post was on the novel, A Wooden Sea by Jonathan Carroll, and my feelings upon that reread were...
Rereading The Wooden Sea by Jonathan Carroll
by MHill | Jun 1, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Jonathan Carroll, Magical Realism, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Jonathan Carroll is on the top tier of my favorite author's list. He occupies a space with Charles de Lint as the authors I have read the most throughout my adult reading life. I have reviewed seven Carroll novels since I started this blog in January 2011 and the...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 161: Spirits in the Wires by Charles de Lint
by MHill | Jan 19, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Charles De Lint, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Newford, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I can’t recall reading any novels that blend contemporary urban fantasy with the internet. I realize the internet, now a mature technology over three decades old, is no longer the cultural novelty it once was, despite our continued immersion in the social media age....
Marion’s Sixteen All-Time Favorite Novels (Part Two)
by MHill | Nov 27, 2023 | Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
The number 16 symbolizes trust, intuition, balance, and leaning into your own wisdom. In addition, it’s a number that isn’t commonly seen on all-time lists, but I thought it was the right choice for my list of favorite novels. I just posted part one of my all-time...
Marion’s Sixteen All-Time Favorite Novels (Part One)
by MHill | Nov 26, 2023 | Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
The number 16 symbolizes trust, intuition, balance, and leaning into your own wisdom. In addition, it's a number that isn't commonly seen on all-time lists, but I thought it was the right choice for my list of favorite novels. It's getting close to the time of year...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 130: The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint
by MHill | Oct 29, 2023 | 2023 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Charles De Lint, Fiction about Artists, Magical Realism, Marion's Favorite Books, Newford, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
"I suppose the other thing too many forget is that we were all stories once, each and every one of us. And we remain stories." This sentence written near the end of The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint brings home an important point in human development. We are all...
Wisdom From Kammbia Review 129: Forests of the Heart by Charles de Lint
by MHill | Sep 24, 2023 | 2023 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Charles De Lint, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Newford, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
In all my years reading (and writing), if someone asked me who is your favorite novelist, what would I write? I have to write that it is Charles de Lint. Over the past three decades, I have kept de Lint novels on my shelf more than any other author. Two of my...
Wisdom From Kammbia Review 128: The Death of Doctor Island by Gene Wolfe
by MHill | Aug 27, 2023 | 2023 Book Reviews, Gene Wolfe, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom From Kammbia Novella Review
Gene Wolfe is one of my favorite authors. However, I did not come to his work through his magnum opus, The Book of New Sun. I've started with some of his standalone novels, like Pirate Freedom and The Land Across. Also, I've read the first book of some of his series...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 126: Moonlight & Vines by Charles de Lint
by MHill | May 6, 2023 | 2023 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Charles De Lint, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Newford, Short Story Review, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
"Jilly's always saying that magic's never what you expect to be, but it's often what you need. I think she's right. And it doesn't matter if the experience comes from outside or inside. Where it comes from isn't important at all. What's important is that it does...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 125: The Language of the Night by Ursula K. Le Guin
by MHill | May 1, 2023 | 2023 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Nonfiction, Rereading Series, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Writing, Writing and Publishing Resources
"All Art is entertainment. That's so clear it's fatuous to repeat it. Art and Entertainment are the same thing, in that the more deeply and genuinely entertaining a work is, the better art it is. To imply that Art is something heavy and solemn and dull, and...