Book #218 of 2019: The Deep by Rivers Solomon with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes There’s a lot going on with this novella, and although I think its ambition surpasses its short length, it contains a worthwhile consideration of generational trauma as a source of both suffering and strength. Author Rivers Solomon has …
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Book Review: A Treason of Thorns by Laura E. Weymouth
Book #217 of 2019: A Treason of Thorns by Laura E. Weymouth I love the magic in this standalone regency fantasy novel, which concerns a temperamental living house that grows flowering vines to caress its caretaker, yet floods her veins with deadly mortar when she channels its power to protect the local countryside. It’s simultaneously …
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Movie Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
Movie #12 of 2019: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) Thanks to Disney+, I’m finally diving into this branch of the Star Wars franchise that spans the gap between the prequel films Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I’ve heard the ensuing TV series gets better, but this …
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Book Review: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia
Book #216 of 2019: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia (Tristan Strong #1) Middle-grade fiction is very hit-or-miss for me, but I loved this series debut right from the start. #OwnVoices stories rooted in the perspective of their authors’ cultural heritage have become increasingly popular, and this latest novel from …
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Book Review: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
Book #215 of 2019: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware Despite my hopes, Ruth Ware’s mystery thrillers keep not quite working for me. This one takes its obvious inspiration from The Turn of the Screw, adding to that classic framework of a governess beset by her unsettling charges and the possibility of ghosts …
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Book Review: The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children by Wendy Mogel
Book #214 of 2019: The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children by Wendy Mogel This volume is part crash-course on traditional wisdom from Judaism and part demonstration of how it can inform modern child-raising. As with most parenting books — or self-help guides more generally — the advice can …
Book Review: The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
Book #213 of 2019: The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King Given a recent string of underwhelming titles, I decided to revisit this old favorite of mine. It was the first Stephen King book that I ever read, and it got me hooked on the author at a stage when I didn’t feel brave …
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Book Review: Permanent Record by Edward Snowden
Book #212 of 2019: Permanent Record by Edward Snowden This volume by infamous CIA/NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden reminds me somewhat of James Comey’s A Higher Loyalty, and not just because I read both of them for my local book club. Each is also half memoir and half political tract, finding a controversial public figure recounting …
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Book Review: Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
Book #211 of 2019: Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb (The Rain Wild Chronicles #4) This final volume in The Rain Wild Chronicles embodies all of the problems of that fantasy quartet. It’s long and uneventful and curiously detached from its characters, none of whom seem to have much of an arc or any particular …
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Book Review: Renia’s Diary: A Holocaust Journal by Renia Spiegel with her sister Elizabeth Bellak
Book #210 of 2019: Renia’s Diary: A Holocaust Journal by Renia Spiegel with her sister Elizabeth Bellak I have mixed feelings about this diary of a Polish Jew who was killed by the Nazis at age 18. The obvious comparison point is fellow Holocaust victim Anne Frank, but Frank was a consummate observer who hoped …
The Lesser Joke: book reviews and more 