Category Archives: American Literature

The Daring Book For Girls

American Literature 4 Comments

Synopsis: A compendium of activities and fun facts for girls. Review: Jumprope rhymes, hand-clapping games, the rules of 4-square, and facts about famous female explorers are just a selection from the wonderfully random assortment of Things Girls Should Know. The Daring Book For Girls is a fun piece of nostalgia that I want to share with all the moms of girls I know. Reading through the book makes me sad that Superfast Baby has inherited a world so unlike the one I grew up in,…

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The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

American Literature 2 Comments

Synopsis: In a world characterized by politics and intrigue, a sorceror unites a legendary rogue, a dandyish fighter, and an outlaw woman in the fight to… oh, I’m not really sure what, honestly. Review: Seriously, what is The Blade Itself about? I was lost from really early on. The characters were interesting, but there didn’t seem to be much of a story, just a bunch of incidents loosely threaded together. I never got the connections or what the stakes were, or what anyone’s goals were.…

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Maggie Again by John D. Husband

American Literature

Synopsis: When an elderly woman’s childhood friends show up, miraculously unaged since she last saw them 60 years prior, she realizes she has a chance to correct the tragic mistakes made by her father those many years ago. Review: The brief on this book made it sound like a family adventure, and for the first half it read like a charming piece of Americana. Small town life, stowaways in a boxcar, the stock market crash of 1929. But the mood was shattered by a passage…

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The Fair Folk edited by Marvin Kaye

American Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: An anthology of short stories about elves. Review: The Fair Folk was put together in 2005 by the Science Fiction Book Club, and consists of stories written about elves and their kin from some luminaries in the field. I enjoyed each one immensely, differing as they do in style and tone. “UOUS” by Tanith Lee takes the familiar “three wishes” story and turns it on its head. An unhappy Cinderalla-esque young woman calls out three wishes, conjuring a fairy who is more than happy…

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Dreamsongs (Volume 1) by George RR Martin

American Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: The first of two anthologies featuring short stories by George RR Martin, ranging from fantasy to science fiction to horror to genre hybrids. Review: I am one of those readers who had never heard of George RR Martin before encountering A Game of Thrones, book one in his Song of Ice and Fire series. What I did not know is that Martin has had a prolific career as a short story writer, primarily in the genre of science fiction. Dreamsongs Volume 1 includes some…

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Come Along With Me by Shirley Jackson

American Literature 7 Comments

Synopsis: Short stories, essays, and an unfinished novel by Shirley Jackson, queen of American Gothic and author of “The Lottery.” Review: My love for Shirley Jackson has been well documented in this blog, so I was delighted when my husband got me Come Along With Me for my birthday. The collection opens with “Come Along With Me,” the novel that Jackson was working on when she died at the untimely age of 44. At about 33 pages, there isn’t much of a narrative, just a…

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Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

American Literature 6 Comments

Synopsis: After finally returning to her homeland, having been kidnapped as a child, Yelena must tame the magic she never knew she had even as she’s suspected of being a spy and embroiled in the hunt to catch a nefarious serial killer. Review: It’s been a little exciting up in here lately, with new baby being WAY more interesting than any book in the world. Strangely enough I was between books when she made her arrival, having just finished Red Seas Under Red Skies. I…

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Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

American Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: Master thief and con artist Locke Lamora is back with his steadfast sidekick Jean Tannen, both set to pull off the scheme of a lifetime when they are coerced into becoming–pirates? Review: Red Seas Under Red Skies is the follow up to Scott Lynch’s debut The Lies of Locke Lamora, a smash hit which placed a Sopranos-esque crime drama within a fresh, imaginatively realized fantasy world. The sequel throws swashbuckling in the mix, and the overall result of this melange is one of the…

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Now and Forever by Ray Bradbury

American Literature

Synopsis: Two novellas by Ray Bradbury. “Somewhere a Band is Playing” is a portrait of an unusually idyllic town, and “Leviathan ’99” is a retelling of Moby-Dick set in outer space. Review: Now and Forever contains two gorgeous gems in one slim volume. I have loved Ray Bradbury since childhood, with The Illustrated Man being my all-time favorite of his. I remember watching the old “Bradbury Tales” TV show in the 80s, which closed with a tag of Bradbury at his typewriter ripping off a…

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Knit With Beads: Beautiful Gifts by Scarlet Taylor

American Literature

Synopsis: 18 original designs that illustrate different techniques for knitting with beads. Review: Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. I am now dying to get my hands on some beads and work with Scarlet Taylor’s fabulous patterns in Knit With Beads. It’s the follow-up to a book I have not read, but these aren’t advanced techniques, as far as I can tell. Anyone proficient in intermediate knitting techniques like cabling and lace will be able to follow the lesson segments and pick up beading techniques quickly and easily.

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