As the title implies, Maria Takolander’s The End of the World makes no pretence at sweetness or ease. While there is certainly a tenderness in the poems of childbirth and domesticity that open the collection, but despite the maternal softness that draws the reader in from the start of many of these poems, the collection has an underlying ferocity which takes the reader below the superficial, into the heart of meaning as revealed by the intensity of each moment it encounters.
A review of Mosaic of Disarray by Nick de Grunwald
Nick de Grunwald, the British television producer and driving force behind Mosaic of Disarray, deserves to be a big name in music. The thirteen songs are a well-balanced mix of darkness, poignancy, cheerfulness and folksiness. The songs range from the funky bleakness of “Channel D” through ballads and rock songs to the nightmarish unearthliness of “The Other”.
A review of In the Chameleon’s Shadow by Mark Hummel
Conversations are convincing, dialogue is used to enhance and move the narrative forward. Characters are well fleshed. Settings are authentic. The reader is drawn into the narrative slowly at first, but completely, and is held fast in the grip right to the last paragraph. The tale is well plotted, the ending is not predictable or formulaic, but is satisfying as well as a bit bittersweet.
The Happiest Fellow of All: Pharrell Williams and his album Girl, featuring duets with Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys
The Virginia-born music and style icon Pharrell Williams, once a partner with his childhood friend Chad Hugo in the producing team The Neptunes, made the solo album In My Mind (2006) and now Girl: Girl has a light, contemporary dance sound. Its attitude is open, flirtatious, and confident. The singer-songwriter’s persona is that of a smart urbanite.
Dogs & Devotion by The Monks of New Skete
Some of the beliefs held by the community are shared in this small work with the readings provided in the form of meditations the Monks hope will lead the reader to a more abundant life.
Interview with Joan Heartwell
The author of Hamster Island talks about her upcoming memoir, the major difficulties she had to overcome to write Hamster Island, her experiences growing up, on memoir and catharsis, major themes, on living with handicapped siblings, her book’s structure, and lots more.
A review of Biblical by Christopher Galt
I would categorise Biblical as historical surrealistic science fiction—or better yet, philosophical science fiction. However, it crosses almost every genre. Galt (the pseudonym of a mysterious best-selling crime fiction author) is clearly a master storyteller. He hasn’t simply grabbed an idea and run with it. The amount of research that has gone into the book is mind-numbing—and it’s detailed: Viking history, the holocaust and the complexities of quantum physics just to name a few.
The Expanse of Emotions: Love is the Future by singer-songwriter John Legend
The pianist and singer John Legend’s album Love in the Future is a return to the kind of confident sentimentality that once was the province of most popular music stars, but for years now love has been replaced by sexual aggression and contempt and social violence as focus in a lot of mainstream culture. Legend’s song collection is emotional, lush, and contemporary: it is betting that there is still an audience that wants to hear a young, confident and successful African-American male make such romantic declarations.
A review of The Killer Is Dying by James Sallis
Without wishing it to sound anything like routine: another extraordinary novel from James Sallis.
This one, like many of his others, is hard to pin down exactly. Paranormal, science-fiction and metaphysical elements vie within a crime story a la Savage Night, about a hitman on his last job. Perhaps that catch-all label ‘slipstream’ will have to cover it.
An Interview with Deborah Doucette
The author of The Forgotten Roses talks about her plot, her themes, her characters, her approach to characterisation, how she began writing, her greatest challenges, her writing process, her research, her influences, what’s on her night stand, and lots more.