Find Me is set in a version of America not too different from our own, where memories—those we experience and those we create—have power over life and death. Joy, a former foster kid who has no one and nothing to lose, has a unique immunity to the memory-loss epidemic sweeping the nation. Her blood could … More Review of FIND ME by Laura van den Berg
And now for something completely different. I read a few craft books this semester as part of my reading list. Christopher Vogler, a former Hollywood screenwriter/script doctor turned humble-bragger, wrote The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Since the publication of its first edition, The Writer’s Journey has become a foundational text for writers of … More Mini Review: Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey
I’m back. This past semester I’ve been fairly busy with work at the hotel, reading for my third semester teaching pedagogy project, and actually teaching my writing workshop (in order of priority). My own fiction writing has taken a back seat, which depresses me because I’m nearing the end of my time at Stonecoast (graduation … More An update and Some Short Short Story Reviews
I hesitated to read another work by Holly Black after feeling disappointed with her novel Tithe. However, her short story collection, The Poison Eaters, is filled with interesting characters in strange and often morally confusing situations. I like how most of the heroes and heroines of Black’s stories don’t end up better off in the … More Holly Black’s The Poison Eaters
I decided to take a break from reading fairy tales last month to read some fiction that more closely aligns to my novel-in-progress in terms of the supernatural. Based on the recommendations from several writer friends, I picked up Sarah Rees Brennan’s The Demon Lexicon, the first novel in a young adult urban fantasy trilogy. … More Sarah Rees Brennan’s The Demon’s Lexicon
V. E. Schwab’s Vicious takes an introspective look at the nature of power and how it can corrupt. Schwab’s writing style has the dark humor of a Neil Gaiman novel set in an alternate universe that reminds the reader of an X-Men comic book. The novel begins with the origin story of the two main … More V.E. Schwab’s Vicious
War for the Oaks was published back in the 80s, but I’m just now getting around to reading it as it is “one of the pioneering works of urban fantasy” (according to Wikipedia). It certainly lives up to the praise and I read it with the zeal of a fantasy lover. Here’s my review:
Catherynne M. Valente’s The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden, is the first in a duology (two book series) about a strange girl with tattooed eyes who lives in a palace garden and spins stories for a bored prince. And that’s just the outermost frame story! I added the novel to my reading list this … More Catherynne M. Valente’s The Orphan’s Tales (Book 1)
Kelley Armstrong’s second novel in the Darkest Powers series gets off to a slow start, but then delivers on the shape-shifting and zombie raising action.
The Circle is the first in a supernatural trilogy by Swedish authors Sara B. Elfgren and Mats Strandsberg. The novel follows a group of teens who develop magical abilities following the death of a classmate. Elfgren and Strandsberg put a supernatural twist on the trope of strangers banding together to overcome insurmountable odds, in this … More Elfgren & Strandsberg’s The Circle
Life's Sentences 