Category Archives: Weird Weather

Review of Francisco Cantu's Memoir "The Line Becomes a River" in the Dallas Morning News

Posted on February 4, 2018 by williamjcobb

So my review of Francisco Cantu’s The Line Becomes a River, a memoir about his experience working as a Border Patrol Agent, appears in the Dallas Morning News today, and can be found here. It’s a good book, thoughtful and … Continue reading →

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The West Is Burning: On Michael Kodas's "Megafire: The Race to Extinguish a Deadly Epidemic of Flame"

Posted on January 28, 2018 by williamjcobb

So after having owned a home in Custer County, Colorado (Go Wildcats!) for fifteen years and having been a frequent visitor to the Rockies since 1978—the year of my first trip to Yellowstone—I’m both fascinated by and have a fear … Continue reading →

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On Flying Rivers and Ghost Forests: A Visit to Mesa Verde

Posted on October 13, 2015 by williamjcobb

So I spent last weekend at Mesa Verde National Park—a bit west of Durango, Colorado, in the famous Four Corners region of the American Southwest—grokking with the spirits of our Native American ancestors, hiking through ancestral puebloan cliff dwellings, and … Continue reading →

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Review of Kent Wascom's "The Blood of Heaven," Plus a Mission Debrief

Posted on June 24, 2013 by williamjcobb

So my review of Kent Wascom’s impressive debut novel, The Blood of Heaven, appears today in the Dallas Morning News, here. It’s a rollicking book, and I have to say I keep thinking of that Hatfields & McCoys miniseries whenever … Continue reading →

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On "The Road," Choking on Smoke

Posted on June 20, 2013 by williamjcobb

So I’ve owned a house in southern Colorado for ten years, and during that time have seen our summer weather go up and down, some years wet and some years dry, only it always seems to be trending toward hotter … Continue reading →

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On Kent Haruf's "Benediction," Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" and the Colorado Fires, Again

Posted on June 14, 2013 by williamjcobb

So this post should be a candidate for some kind of parlor game like “Try to pinpoint the logical connection (though there may not be one)”: I finished Kent Haruf’s Benediction, which includes a scare at the end (I won’t … Continue reading →

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"The Bird Saviors" as an Example of "Cli-Fi": The Hot, New Literary Subgenre—Climate Fiction

Posted on April 20, 2013 by williamjcobb

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 →

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Brace Yourself for Weird Weather: On Reading "The Year Without Summer" in the Year Without a Spring

Posted on April 6, 2013 by williamjcobb

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 →

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Snow Drought in Colorado & the I-Told-You-So Problem With Climate Change

Posted on March 3, 2013 by williamjcobb

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 →

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"The Bird Saviors" on a List of Best Books of 2012, Plus Is It Getting Hot, or What?

Posted on January 9, 2013 by williamjcobb

So I was glad to learn today (belatedly, but better late than never) that my novel The Bird Saviors was listed as one of the Best Books of 2012 by the San Antonio Express-News, to which I say, “Wow, man. … Continue reading →

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