Zen In The Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury (1990) – A celebration of writing from a master of the 20th Century. Books on writing fell into two categories for me. The “This is How To Write” category, and books designed to inspire writers category. This slim book (just 158 pages in a small paperback) falls into... Continue Reading →

Hipster Death Rattle (2019) by Richie Narvaez - A series of attacks terrorizes a trendy neighborhood in New York City. Is it gangs or someone trying to “save” the neighborhood from changes brought on by the growing population of hipsters. There’s an old saying that springs to mind about this book- ”A half inch deep and... Continue Reading →

New Suns-Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color By Nisi Shawl (2019) Simon and Schuster I was excited when I saw this book was available for review. It’s the crossroads of two personal favorites—short stories and speculative fiction. If that second term is unfamiliar to you I first came across it in the late ‘60s, early ‘70s... Continue Reading →

(How's this for the perfect Valentine's Day topic?  LOL) What do you do when you read a book that everyone says is a classic, but you didn’t like it at all? People whose opinion you respect rave about the book, but you don’t see it. Here’s my advice for the situation. Go ahead and hate... Continue Reading →

Jimmy Buffett—A Good Life All the Way Ryan White (2017) Hippie. Millionaire. Beach Bum. Rock Star. Pirate. Folk Singer. Drunkard. Philosopher. Legend. Jimmy Buffett is a little of all those things but none of them describe him in full. That’s the challenge. His music spans genres – rock, country, with flavors from New Orleans and the Caribbean... Continue Reading →

Along the course of a lifetime of reading, some stories have a greater effect than others. These are the writings that changed me. 1: Cask of Amontillado Edgar Allen Poe – The story that made me fall in love with short stories. It began my journey to understand that storytelling was more than just telling... Continue Reading →

Trafalgar by Nicholas Best (2018) - One of the greatest sea battles in history is placed within its full historical context and introduces us to the actors in very human terms I will get my only quibble with this book out of the way first. The subtitle, “The Untold Story” borders on the absurd. I... Continue Reading →

Every year I try to keep my reading list varied. I get bored reading the same kinds of things over and over. So when I assemble a list of what to read I try to include older works I've never read, recent books, and Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) of books that are about to be... Continue Reading →

This post is part of a year-long series about short stories.  Read about my "Year of the Short Story" HERE. Best Short Stories of 2008 with guest editor Salmon Rushdie and Heidi Pitlor Most of the collections I've read this year have been works by single authors. This one collects some of the best writing... Continue Reading →