The Relentless Moon, the latest book in Mary Robinette Kowal’s “Lady Astronaut” series, is a page-turner, the kind of novel that makes you say, “just one more chapter” over and over again, until you look up and realize it’s 4:00 a.m. In this alternate history, set in the 1960s, Earth is dying. An asteroid strikeContinue reading “The Relentless Moon: A Book Review”
Category Archives: Reviews
A Vividly Imagined Post-Apocalyptic World
Today I finished reading Catherynne Valente’s book, The Past Is Red. In the future, Earth’s landmasses have been inundated by flooding, and Tetley lives in Garbagetown, built on and from a mass of the floating detritus of our civilization. It’s a grim life, but Tetley takes it in stride and even believes she is luckyContinue reading “A Vividly Imagined Post-Apocalyptic World”
Friday Five: Last Call
Today I’m answering five questions for the Friday Five. These are all about something that was last. Who was the last person you called? The last person I called on the phone would be my mother. I planned to send her flowers for her birthday, but something in a group text made me think sheContinue reading “Friday Five: Last Call”
Book Review: Kindred
Why Does a Harry Potter Group Read Kindred? I recently led a book discussion of Octavia Butler’s time-travel novel, Kindred. This was not my regular book club or the Anti-Racist Book Club, though the novel could fit well into the reading list of either group. It was my Harry Potter group. When I sat downContinue reading “Book Review: Kindred”
Thursday 13: Thirteen Books
I just noticed a Facebook Memory from 2010. It was a “Thursday 13,” a meme that asks participants to make a list of thirteen things on Thursdays. I chose that day, eleven years ago today, to compile a list of the last thirteen books I’d read. (I specified then that I was not including booksContinue reading “Thursday 13: Thirteen Books”
Best Books of 2020: Old Favorites
Happy New Year! I mentioned a few days ago that I completed my 2020 Reading Challenge on the Goodreads website. I’d set my goal at 130 books read during the year, and I reached that goal, with just a few days left in the year. I may still finish another book today, so the numberContinue reading “Best Books of 2020: Old Favorites”
Frankly My Dear… A Response to GWTW
A friend recently read Gone With the Wind for the first time and was shocked by the racism. While I totally agree with everything she said about GWTW, I admit that I’ve always liked the book despite the fact that it’s racist propaganda. Of course it is. But I think of it as an interestingContinue reading “Frankly My Dear… A Response to GWTW”
Book Review: Outlander
When I first read this book, years ago, I loved it. It’s filled with interesting, complex characters and raw, sometimes gut-wrenching emotion. OK, it may be a bit “trashy” at times, but it’s a fun read. The 18th-century Scottish (and French) setting is fascinating and feels authentic. Many of the plot twists turn normal genreContinue reading “Book Review: Outlander”
The Library Book
Tonight my book club is discussing The Library Book, by Susan Orlean. It’s a fascinating account of a fire that devastated the central branch of the Los Angeles Public Library in 1986, destroying a million or so books. The describes the fire in breathtaking prose, and then recounts the author’s investigation into its causes. TheContinue reading “The Library Book”
The Petrini Page 