Smart Chip from St.Petersburg and other tales of a bygone chess era is an immensely fascinating collection of Genna Sosonko’s chess journalism. Many of the pieces in this book, as in his earlier Russian Silhouettes (also reviewed at this site), will especially appeal…
A review of How to Beat Your Dad at Chess by Murray Chandler
This ambivalence regarding its readership is unfortunate, because How to Beat Your Dad at Chess (the title, alas, is uninformative about the book’s content) is an elementary introduction to tactics – and especially checkmating patterns – that would be very useful for…
A review of Pervalism by M.E Ellis
M.E’s skill is consummate. Her voice, consistent and eerie, will ensnare the most reticent reader. An English setting, the backdrop for Brookes’ heinous acts, provides a rich tapestry of British culture that weaves depth and a strong sense of place…
A review of Write, Publish and Sell Your Book by Patricia Fry
Throughout the book are anecdotes from Fry’s own experiences, sidebars, bits of humour, and re-useable templates for everything from queries to press releases. In some instances examples are taken straight from The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book so…
Blue Arabesque: A Search for the Sublime by Patricia Hampl
It is a short book but has a range and depth that is uncommon. The skill of the author is disarming and the orchestration of this personal essay is flawless. Some books we welcome, but this is a book to…
Imagination and International Perspective: Devendra Banhart’s Cripple Crow
In “Now That I Know,” Devendra Banhart sings, “You got to pay back every penny you owe,” and Banhart sings in a low, hushed but clear voice, and a guitar’s notes create a solemn mood as the song explores debt, secrecy, time passing, travel, elusive connections, and there are assertions of honesty and talk of glory.
A review of Get Used To It by The Brand New Heavies
“Let’s Do It Again,” a song with a dance beat, seems to celebrate the Brand New Heavies. The subjects of the album’s focus are music and love. The music on the album is actually quite vivid without being very original—and…
Speaking to His Generation: John Mayer’s Continuum
Mayer removes the awkwardness from sharp assertions, and fills what might seem blather with conviction: something that is more necessary in certain songs than others. In “Stop This Train,” Mayer begins “No I’m not colorblind, I know the world is black and white” and “Stop this train, I want to get off, and go home again” and “I’m only good at being young.”
Beauty, Joy, Tradition: Wynton Marsalis’s Live at the House of Tribes
The mastery of Wynton Marsalis seems unquestionable to me, someone to whom he first came to attention years ago as a young prodigy: like many I was impressed by his playing of both European classical music and African-American improvisational music. He has since become a principal figure in American culture.
Optimistic Blues: Keb Mo’s Suitcase
In the work of musicians such as Keb Mo and Cassandra Wilson I hear a blues music that has true relation to the tradition as I understand it and that also reflects some of the opportunities and perceptions of contemporary life. However, it is possible to respect the form of the music and lose the depth of the content—and that loss I also hear in some of the music being produced today.