This last sentence so changes the story, that this reader at least, went back and re-read it in its entirety, seeing everything in a different light. I enjoyed it the first time, but found much to reflect on the second – the hallmark of a good novel. Che is believable, both as the eight-year old boy struggling to find himself, and as the older, wiser narrator he becomes by the end of the book.
Category: Book Reviews
Book Reviews
A Review of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book by Patricia L Fry
The new version is still comprehensive, and still contains a superbly structured, compendium of knowledge about the world of “authorship”. The book is still infused with Fry’s 30+ years of experience in writing, publishing and teaching writing and publishing, and is still a well written, easy-to-read book that will help authors at all stages of their careers. But the new edition has been significantly updated.
A review of Milton Caniff’s Steve Canyon: 1947
As an artist, Caniff uses square or rectangular panels, nothing fancy, about three or four to a row. The panels show a continuous change of perspective, to involve the viewer in Canyon’s world and create the impression that you inhabit the same space. There are wordless fight sequences and car chases; gorgeous, high-kicking, high-cheek-boned femme fatales; the use of montage and other cinematic effects.
A review of Sixty Poems by Charles Simic
Charles Simic is a snug fit for the poet who uses the obvious to explore the mysterious and like any competent practitioner of the poet’s craft, he selects words exactly. To read these sixty poems, almost all of them short and ranging in date from 1986 to 2005, is to respond to the insights that govern a strange world disclosed by the familiar.
A review of George’s Secret Key to the Universe by Stephen and Lucy Hawking
Reviewed by Magdalena Ball George’s Secret Key to the Universe by Stephen and Lucy Hawking Random House ISBN 9780385612708, $27.95aud, ages 9-12 http://www.georgessecretkey.com/ Some of my earliest defining experiences involved the planetarium. I will never forget sitting in that big…
A review of The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz
All in all, like The Dangerous Book for Boys, The Daring Book for Girls is a good-looking, long lasting gift that girls will turn to for inspiration repeatedly. The balance between doing and learning is nicely managed, and the information is geared to be interesting and exciting for young girls.
A review of My Inflatable Friend by Gerald Everett Jones
My Inflatable Friend is a super easy read that won’t tax even the laziest reader. It is pitched to a male audience in the main, and makes no apologies for that – there’s plenty of wish fulfilment, skirt chasing, and a definite male perspective. But the book isn’t dumb either.
A review of Magic and Grace by Chad Hautmann
Unlike Billie’s Ghost, the magic in Magic and Grace is all metaphorical. There are visitations though. Chapman’s father materialises temporarily to give Chapman his blessing, there are the ghosts of the ancient Calusa buried below the city of Naples where the book is set (and the ghost of the city as it changes progressively), and of course the ghost of Keats from Chapman’s first novel.
A review of The Confessions of Owen Keane by Terence Faherty
The stories are indeed rather special and they develop the crime genre in a fascinating direction. Owen Keane fulfils many of the roles of a priest – he offers pastoral care to his “parishioners” and feels an imperative to save or rescue them. More often than not, it is he who decides when and how to offer help, responding to a need that is not apparent to others.
A review of A Pocketful of Noses: Stories of One Ganelon or Another by James Powell
All twelve are solid detective stories, the solutions often hingeing on a new understanding of the original situation, an inconspicuous fact being recognised as crucially significant. However, it is the entertaining historical background that Powell provides for San Sebastiano which raises these tales above the rest.