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Recent Posts
- On Randall K. Wilson’s “A Place Called Yellowstone”: Award-Winning History of Yellowstone National Park
- On Candice Millard’s “River of Doubt” and “River of the Gods”: Bugs, Snakes, and Disease Aplenty
- More Alone than “Alone”: On Adam Shoalts’s “Vanished Beyond the Map: The Mystery of Lost Explorer Hubert Darrell” (2025)
- Rachel McAdams film “Send Help” (2026) Makes Comic Gold Out of “Survivor” and “Alone” Audition Videos
- “The Wiggle Room”: A Short Story
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Author Archives: williamjcobb
On Reading Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code": Is It Really as Bad as They Say?
So in The Writer’s World (imagine an alternate universe of eggheads, wannabes, dreamers, drinkers, and too-often-self-obsessed thinkers) Dan Brown’s blockbuster novel The Da Vinci Code (2003) has a reputation about on par with Ed Wood movies or, for a more … Continue reading
Posted in books/film, writing
Tagged Book Reviewing, Fiction Writing, Good Fiction, The Da Vinci Code
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On What We Learn from Birds, as "The Bird Saviors" Appears in Paperback Next Month
So in yesterday’s New York Times there’s a good piece about what birds can tell us about climate, here. I’m definitely a birder, though I prefer the term “birdist,” and have my own style in BirdWorld: I don’t join herds … Continue reading
"The Bird Saviors" as an Example of "Cli-Fi": The Hot, New Literary Subgenre—Climate Fiction
So I’m amused to see this piece on NPR books, which defines a new literary subgenre called Cli-Fi, for Climate Fiction, via a good friend (Thanks, Elizabeth!), here. I’ve noticed a number of novels that have elements of Climate Change … Continue reading
Posted in Birding, books, Climate Change, Cormac McCarthy, Economics, The West, Weird Weather
Tagged Birding, Climate Change, Cormac McCarthy, Good Fiction, The Bird Saviors, The West, Water Crisis, Wildfires
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Sandra Cisneros in Person, Complete With Reboso, as in Her Novel "Caramelo"
So I’ve been swamped with end-of-the-semester work lately, with no time to stop and think or write, but this week at Penn State we’ve had Sandra Cisneros as a Writer-in-Residence, and she’s been fantastic—gracious, kind, and inspiring. On Monday night … Continue reading
Posted in books, The West
Tagged Book Reviewing, Fiction Writing, Good Fiction, Santa Fe, The West
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Brace Yourself for Weird Weather: On Reading "The Year Without Summer" in the Year Without a Spring
So one of the reasons books like William and Nicholas Klingaman’s The Year Without Summer: 1816 have much resonance at the moment is that scientists are warning we’re at the cusp of a period of chaotic and unpredictable weather, due … Continue reading
Posted in books, Climate Change, The West, Weird Weather
Tagged Book Reviewing, Climate Change, Drought, The West, Water Crisis
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"The Year Without Summer: 1816 and the Volcano That Darkened the World and Changed History" by William K. Klingaman and Nicholas P. Klingaman
So I’m reading William K. Klingaman and Nicholas P. Klingaman’s The Year Without Summer: 1816 and the Volcano That Darkened the World and Changed History (published just last month), which is billed as similar to Simon Winchester’s outstanding Krakatoa: The Day … Continue reading
Review of Jim Crace's "Harvest"
So my review of Jim Crace’s new novel, Harvest, appeared Sunday in the Dallas Morning News, here. I liked the book, mainly for its style more than its subject or story, which was taken to task in an interesting review … Continue reading
Posted in books, Uncategorized, writing
Tagged Book Reviewing, Fiction Writing, Good Fiction
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Review of "Oz: The Great and Powerful," Plus "The Paperboy" Meets "The Master"
So last night I stumbled into the new James Franco/Mila Kunis special effects love-a-thon Oz: the Great and Powerful, and could easily do one of those catty, snarky Hollywood send-ups that go, “It was like The Princess Bride meets The … Continue reading
Posted in books/film, Film, Nicole Kidman, Pete Dexter, Uncategorized
Tagged Film, Nicole Kidman, Oz: the Great and Powerful, The Master, The Paperboy
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Snow Drought in Colorado & the I-Told-You-So Problem With Climate Change
So this year’s snowpack is pathetic in Colorado and other points West, which is a harbinger of a further summer drought, as detailed in the New York Times, here. Count me as one of those West lovers who are in … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, The West, Uncategorized, Weird Weather
Tagged Climate Change, Drought, The West
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