Tag Archives: Good Fiction

On Reading Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code": Is It Really as Bad as They Say?

Posted on May 4, 2013 by williamjcobb

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 | Leave a comment

On What We Learn from Birds, as "The Bird Saviors" Appears in Paperback Next Month

Posted on April 21, 2013 by williamjcobb

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 →

Posted in Birding, books, Climate Change, The West, Uncategorized, Water Crisis | Tagged Birding, Book Reviewing, Climate Change, Cormac McCarthy, Good Fiction, The Bird Saviors, The West, Water Crisis, Wildfires | Leave a comment

"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 →

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 | Leave a comment

Sandra Cisneros in Person, Complete With Reboso, as in Her Novel "Caramelo"

Posted on April 18, 2013 by williamjcobb

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 | Leave a comment

Review of Jim Crace's "Harvest"

Posted on March 12, 2013 by williamjcobb

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 →

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On Reading T.R. Fehrenbach's "Comanches: The Destruction of a People" and Jared Diamond's "The World Until Yesterday": A World Without Laws

Posted on February 27, 2013 by williamjcobb

So while teaching Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian recently, I learned he’d been inspired by T.R. Fehrenbach’s Comanches: The Destruction of a People (1975), so I picked it up. Suffice to say it was a gripping read, as I had a … Continue reading →

Posted in books/film, Cormac McCarthy, The West, Uncategorized | Tagged Book Reviewing, Cormac McCarthy, Good Fiction, The Bird Saviors, The West | Leave a comment

Life Imitating Art, But Softly: Russian Meteor a Mini-Version of the Fireball That Ends Civilization in Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"

Posted on February 16, 2013 by williamjcobb

So I’ve been teaching Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian (1985) for the last two weeks, although the more I know about the novel, the more I’m struck that it needs an entire semester to cover thoroughly—though if I did that, I … Continue reading →

Posted in books/film, Climate Change, Cormac McCarthy, The West | Tagged Book Reviewing, Climate Change, Cormac McCarthy, Good Fiction, The West, Wildfires | Leave a comment

Review of "The Bird Saviors" in the High Country News, and a Literary Find in Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian"

Posted on February 8, 2013 by williamjcobb

So there’s a nice review of The Bird Saviors in the High Country News (not to be confused with High Times, which is a fuzzy horse of a different color), a great journal about the West, here. I’ve been too … Continue reading →

Posted in books/film, Cormac McCarthy, The West | Tagged Book Reviewing, Cormac McCarthy, Good Fiction, The Bird Saviors, The West | Leave a comment

Review of Kevin Grauke's "Shadows of Men," Plus a Northern Harrier To Boot

Posted on December 19, 2012 by williamjcobb

So last Sunday my review of Kevin Grauke’s debut collection of short stories, Shadows of Men, appeared in the Dallas Morning News, here. It’s an excellent book—at times funny, at times touching, and pretty much hits the nail on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Birding, books, Photography, The West, writing | Tagged Birding, Book Reviewing, Good Fiction, Photography, The West, Wildlife photos | Leave a comment

Phillip Roth Hangs Up His Pen, While Kent Haruf and George Saunders Have New Books in the Offing

Posted on November 29, 2012 by williamjcobb

So on the literary beat there’s an interesting tidbit in the news this week (delayed, as you’ll see, from our attention), in that the great American novelist—he did name one of his books that: The Great American Novel (1973)—Phillip Roth … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Uncategorized | Tagged Book Reviewing, Good Fiction | Leave a comment