Books

A Clash of Kings

Oh, to be sure, there is much we do not understand. The years pass in their hundreds and their thousands, and what does any man see of life but a few summers, a few winters? We look at mountains and call them eternal, and so they seem … but in … Continue reading →

A Game of Thrones

What can be said that has not already been said about A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin’s opening volume of his A Song of Fire and Ice epic? The books and the television series that it has spawned have permeated American pop culture. At least half the people I … Continue reading →

The Well of Ascension

My feelings about The Well of Ascension, the second book in Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy, were hard to pin down. The vast majority of the book is a solid 4-star read. But, the final few chapters are as good as it gets in fiction. During most of the novel, I … Continue reading →

The Five Day Novel

Want to plan, draft, and revise a novel in five days? That’s exactly what Scott King did. And, he outlined his journey in The Five Day Novel. Over the years, I’ve grown a small collection of writing books. Not many. Just enough to remind myself that I need to keep … Continue reading →

The Eye of the World

“You thinking about home already, lad, and you just set out in the world? The world will put a hook in your mouth. You’ll set off chasing the sunset, you wait and see…and if you ever go back, your village’ll no be big enough to hold you.” This is one … Continue reading →

Bird Box

It’s hard to avoid the Bird Box craze these days. Ever since Netflix dropped its new movie based on the book by Josh Malerman, memes of a blindfolded Sandra Bullock have taken over my social networking feeds. People (in the real world) are even taking a challenge by getting into … Continue reading →

The life-changing magic of sorting books

There’s been a lot of backlash against Marie Kondō and her KonMari method of tidying in the last week or so as the crowd of folks making their way through the program get to Lesson #2: Books. And, rightfully so. Many of us take our book collections seriously. I’m an … Continue reading →

Eragon

I remember when Eragon by Christopher Paolini blew up. I was in college. I remember friends and family telling me I must read this book. They told me it was written by a teenager. They said it was better fantasy than even seasoned authors were writing. They were wrong. At … Continue reading →

Artemis

Artemis, by Andy Weir, follows a foul-mouthed, 20-something Saudi woman named Jazz. The story takes place in the only city on the moon, from which the book is named. She grew up without a mother, spent her childhood around welders and other laborers, and lives in the dregs of the … Continue reading →

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

I knew one of my New Year goals was going to be to get rid of some of the clutter I’ve accumulated over the years. As fate would have it, a Kindle deal popped up a few days ago and shined light upon the path that I should take. I … Continue reading →