Book #187 of 2018: Arcadia by Iain Pears This novel takes a little while to get going and clearly establish its plot, but it ends up as a mind-trip of the highest caliber. There are essentially three layers of reality that author Iain Pears is playing with here: 1) the twenty-third century, where a brilliant …
Author Archives: Joe Kessler
Book Review: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Book #186 of 2018: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng Having really enjoyed Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, I knew I needed to seek out this debut novel of hers as well — and I’m quite glad I did, because I think I like it even better. This is a beautifully-written Asian American …
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Book Review: The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
Book #185 of 2018: The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson An outstanding and meticulously-researched oral history of the Great Migration, in which millions of African Americans moved from the south to the north and west over the decades from World War I to around 1970. This …
TV Review: The Middleman, season 1
TV #43 of 2018: The Middleman, season 1 My latest rewatch of this action-comedy cult classic, which lasted only 12 episodes on ABC Family in 2008 before getting tragically canceled. I guess I’m not surprised that the show struggled to find an audience, but it really is so much fun, with witty dialogue, clever pop …
Book Review: Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey
Book #184 of 2018: Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (The Expanse #1) I like the setting and plot of this sci-fi thriller, which blends the creepy deep-space body horror of Event Horizon with a less-fantastical version of Red Rising‘s interplanetary political tensions. Author “James S. A. Corey” (actually a collaboration between Daniel Abraham …
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Book Review: A Higher Loyalty by James Comey
Book #183 of 2018: A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey I read this book earlier in the year, but I wanted to refresh my memory before my book club discusses it on Monday. My original review, reposted below, still stands: — Former FBI Director Jim Comey is a polarizing public figure, …
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Book Review: Nation by Terry Pratchett
Book #182 of 2018: Nation by Terry Pratchett This novel about the aftermath of a natural disaster in the Pacific Islands is fine, but it doesn’t quite spark the joy and humor in me that I expect from Terry Pratchett at his Discworld / Good Omens best. I think I would have better enjoyed reading …
Book Review: The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
Book #181 of 2018: The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton Too many unanswered questions in this story of a newly-married seventeenth-century Dutch woman receiving mysterious figurines from a reclusive artisan. Largest is the issue of the title character, whose unexplained gifts are fantastically intricate and insightful (if not outright prophetic), but I also have a hard …
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Book Review: Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
Book #180 of 2018: Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch (Gentleman Bastard #2) Plotwise, this sequel is an unfortunate step down from author Scott Lynch’s brilliant debut, The Lies of Locke Lamora. Whereas that earlier fantasy crime novel effortlessly weaves its various strands into one compelling whole, this follow-up spends a third of …
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Book Review: Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward
Book #179 of 2018: Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward There are no real bombshell revelations in this inside account of the early Donald Trump presidency, which reads like a less tawdry Fire and Fury but is overall in line with other coverage of the administration. Still, original Watergate reporter Bob Woodward …
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The Lesser Joke: book reviews and more 