Tag Archives: Book Reviewing

“Nuclear War: A Scenario”: TV Series “Silo” Not Far-Fetched

Nuclear War: A Scenario may be the scariest book I’ve ever read. Continue reading →

Posted in "Silo" Apple TV Series, A.I. Apocalypse, Annie Jacobsen's "Nuclear War: A Scenario", Annihilation, Armageddon, Disaster movies, Horror Films, Nuclear War, Weird Science | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Mysteries of the National Parks”: A Geographical Hoot

I have to hand it to Mike Bezemek, whoever he is. (Full disclosure: I know nothing about the guy.) It’s not so much about the mysteries of national parks as more of a humorous glimpse into one man’s odd obsessions that somehow, often tangentially at best, relate to national parks. Continue reading →

Posted in Kooky books, Mike Bezemek's "Mysteries of the National Parks", The West, Wildlife, writing, Yasunari Kawabata's "The Lake", Yellowstone National Park backcountry trips, Yellowstone wildlife | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Death of Realism & Richard Yates’ Genius

A master of Realism, Richard Yates is like a J.D. Salinger who has grown a pair. Or the flip side of John Cheever. Continue reading →

Posted in J.D. Salinger, John Cheever, Revolutionary Road (film), Revolutionary Road (novel), Richard Yates fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Disastrous French Surrender in 1940 Explained: On William Shirer’s “Collapse of the Third Republic”

Shirer describes the tumultuous 1930s, including the riots of 1934 that weakened the French government (The Third Republic), from an eyewitness standpoint. He was there in Paris when many of the riots occurred. Continue reading →

Posted in Nazi Germany, Vichy France, William Shirer, World War II histories | Tagged , | Leave a comment

“White River Crossing”: Ian McGuire’s Terrific New Novel

I usually wince when a book comes out that is compared to any of Cormac McCarthy’s novels: It’s a literary Kiss of Death. He’s just too hard of an act to follow. But with The North Water, and now White River Crossing, Ian McGuire pulls it off. Continue reading →

Posted in Cormac McCarthy novels, Historical Fiction, Ian McGuire novels, Old West History, Tolstoy's War and Peace | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Novel That Predicted Trump’s ‘Fascism for Dummies’: On Sinclair Lewis’s 1935 Bestseller “It Can’t Happen Here”

Imagine 1984 narrated by Andy Griffith.  Continue reading →

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Review of Paul Andrew Hutton’s “The Apache Wars”: Historical Origins of Cormac McCarthy’s “Blood Meridian” (1986)

Hutton’s The Apache Wars, a nonfiction work, provides great context and understanding to this era, and reinforces the visions of Cormac McCarthy.  Continue reading →

Posted in Cormac McCarthy novels, History of the Southwest, Native American History, The West | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Review of Jonathan Kennedy’s “Pathogenesis”: Mystery of the Neanderthal Extinction Solved!

A popular theory has been the humans basically pushed Neanderthals out of their territory some 50-40,000 years ago and prevailed because they were smarter. Not so, according to Kennedy. Continue reading →

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On Pekka Hamalainen’s “Indigenous Continent”: Finnish Historian’s View of Native American History

“Hamalainen’s Indigenous Continent is an impressive book, long and detailed.” Continue reading →

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On George Saunders’ New Novel “Vigil”: Jumping the Shark Across the Heavens

So George Saunders’ new novel Vigil is out and about and it seems everywhere you look George is staring back, from an interview in the New York Times that labels him a “secular saint” and “guru of goodness” to a new film … Continue reading →

Posted in Artistic writing, Literary Fiction, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment