Rated The Davros Mission 8/10
All of these Davros stories were really solid. Glad I gave them a listen.
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Rated System Collapse 10/10
<div>Best one yet.</div>
Rated This Inevitable Ruin 8/10
Edited 47d ago
Rated The Art Forger 8/10
I picked up this novel on a whim from the new books section at the library, and it was a lovely surprise. Using the real life art heist from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990, B.A. Shapiro has created a fictionalized story about a disgraced painter, Claire, who has been asked by a famous gallery owner to copy a Degás — the same Degás stolen from the museum. However, the more time Claire spends with this ill-begotten painting, the more she suspects that it may also be a forgery.<br><br>Because I’m a sucker for heist stories and because I’m quite interested in visual art, I enjoyed unraveling the mystery of what had really happened during the time of the theft and in the 19th century when the painting was originally created. There’s a whole side-plot about why Claire has a poor reputation in the art world that is also quite interesting, and though I could work out some of the twists on my own, the complete ending still held plenty of surprises.<br><br>(This review originally appeared in <a href="http://persephonemagazine.com/2013/08/22/5-book-recommendations-for-your-reading-pleasure/">Persephone Magazine</a>.)
Rated The Black House 8/10
Finally, a break from the constant murderin’. Oh sure, people still die, but The Black House features fewer sudden blows to the head. Most of the time, the characters act with good intentions, only to have their situation spin out of control. <br><br>Unlike some of her other short story collections, <i>The Black House</i> is likely the one that’s most appealing to a wider audience — entirely compelling and complex, in an easy bite-size form.<br><br>(Full review can be found at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2009/12/selected-stories-of-patricia-highsmith_30.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>)
Edited 47d ago
Rated The April Dead 8/10
<div>Ooh a cliffhanger. </div>
Finished reading The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien
Rated The Atheist's Guide to Christmas: Smart, Funny Essays on Atheism and Surviving the Holiday Season 8/10
Peppered with humor, it’s a quick, entertaining read. Probably what I enjoyed most about it was its reasoned, un-snarky approach to the subject matter. At no point does it devolve into petulant student arguments against religion, which are as bad as angry chuch-going judgements.<br><br>Its content is varied enough to provide some intellectual fodder for most everyone, save the super-religious who won’t hear otherwise. It’s not an attack, just another way of thinking. Though we may be past Christmas now, I think it’s still a worthwhile winter read.<br><br>(Full review can be found at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2010/12/atheists-guide-to-christmas-edited-by.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>)
Wants to read The Artist of Disappearance: Three Novelas
Rated The Detour 8/10
What an impressive, thought-provoking novel this is. Set in 1938 Germany and Italy, <i>The Detour</i> presents a man who must weigh his love against his duty, all while existing in the broader picture of pre-WWII. We know what is ahead, and this purgatorial state stirs up all sorts of questions about idealism, loss, connection, art, and the perils of authoritarian states. I hadn't heard of any Andromeda Romano-Lax's work before receiving this book, so this was a fantastic surprise.<br><br>My full review can be found on <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2012/01/detour-by-andromeda-romano-lax.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.
Rated The Burning House: What Would You Take? 6/10
Overall, this is interesting and thought-provoking, but perhaps a bit heavy on the Apple-fetishists and vintage camera wankery.<br><br>My full review appears on <a href="http://persephonemagazine.com/2012/10/11/book-review-the-burning-house-edited-by-foster-huntington/">Persephone Magazine</a>.
Rated The Call 8/10
While I'd hesitate to say that <i>The Call</i> would be a universal hit for everyone, it is certainly one that keeps your mind going in between reading sessions. It is a bit of a puzzle, but a good one, and one certainly worth giving a try.<br><br>(My full review can be found on <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2011/12/call-by-yannick-murphy.html">Glorified Love Letters.</a>)
Rated The Cat Who Saved Books 7/10
<div>Though this flavor of magical realism isn't my usual literary neck of the woods, this was an enjoyable fable on the importance of books and recognizing the people who care for you.</div>
Edited 47d ago
Rated The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis: 8 Book Box Set 8/10
My 10 yr old son and I read all of this together, and it had been since I was probably his age that I had read any of the Narnia books (and even then, I don't think I had read them all). They're great adventures, though I am not in it for the Christian subtext (and definitely not for the racism against the Calormenes). It's hard to pick a favorite story, but it's between The Horse and His Boy (the horses are quite funny) and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (for all the different places they go).<br><br>So, yes, worth a revisit as an adult.
Rated The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays 10/10
So glad to have finally read this. Though we don't share the same chronic illnesses, there was a lot here I found very familiar.