Have you ever read a book that you knew instantly you should have read years ago? I knew it after reading the first chapter of The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. I was working at a mom-and-pop bookstore in Santa Fe, NM in 1996 when this novel was published. I...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 103: Queen of Angels by Greg Bear
by MHill | Apr 26, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Rereading Series, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
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...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 102: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
by MHill | Apr 26, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
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...
Can an all-time favorite book be reread?
by MHill | Nov 1, 2021 | Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Can you one of your all-time favorite books be read more than once and is still an all-time favorite? That's the question I've been coming to terms with after reading Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler for the third time recently. Parable of the Sower is on the...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 87: How Long ‘Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin
by MHill | Aug 30, 2021 | 2021 Book Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I have a question for readers. Has there been an author or authors you have tried repeatedly to read? N.K. Jemisin has been one of those authors for me. Jemisin has gained recognition in the science fiction and fantasy genre over the past several years with...
Wisdom From Kammbia Story Review 3: Speech Sounds by Octavia E. Butler
by MHill | May 23, 2021 | Marion's All-Time Favorite Short Stories, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Octavia Butler, Short Story Review, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom of Kammbia Story Review
What if you lived in a society where speaking is a threat to the social order? Octavia Butler speculated on the aforementioned question in her Hugo Award-winning short story, Speech Sounds. I came across this story when it was discussed on the Novel Pairing Podcast....
Second Books In A Trilogy Or Series I Plan To Read In 2021
by MHill | Dec 30, 2020 | Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I have started to plan my reading year for 2021. I realized that I have read quite a few first books in a trilogy or series and had not read the second book. I usually don't read all the books in a trilogy or series right away. I don't know why but it's a quirky...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 67: Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey
by MHill | Dec 17, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Sometimes going down an internet rabbit's hole can lead you to an author you had never thought to read before. This is the scenario with Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey. Every time I go to my local used bookstore here in San Antonio, I see many of the McCaffrey...
Marion’s Favorites: Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin Documentary
by MHill | Nov 19, 2020 | Marion's Favorites, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I just finished watching a documentary on Ursula K. Le Guin, the great writer of Imaginative and speculative fiction. I know that Le Guin has categorized and championed herself as a science fiction and fantasy writer. After watching this documentary, I get why she...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 61: Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor
by MHill | Oct 31, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
How do you as reader feel after reading the last book in a trilogy? Do you wish you can continue in that fictional world? Are you glad it's over? Or are you still trying to process what you read? I will admit that last question in the previous paragraph is where I'm...