Archive for March, 2009
Monday, March 30th, 2009
Chalice, by Robin McKinley
I always get excited when I hear there’s a new Robin McKinley book, even if I don’t have the means to acquire it right away. She’s a Newbery-Award-winning fantasist who has written a dozen or so novels (CK), ranging from semi-historical (The Outlaws of Sherwood Forest) to secondary-world fantasy (The Blue Sword) to alternate-reality-with-dragons (Dragonhaven). [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in book reviews, fantasy by Stephanie
Friday, March 27th, 2009
The Magician (Nicolas Flamel, book 2), by Michael Scott
Michael Scott is still an expert in Irish folktales and mythology, as far as I know. Last week I reviewed the first book in this series, which I believe was his first book for YAs. The third, The Sorceress, is due in May. His other books include collaborations with well-known authors (and actors) including Morgan [...]
3 Comments » - Posted in book reviews, children's lit, fantasy by Stephanie
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata
Cynthia Kadohata was born in 1956 in Chicago, Illinois, and is of Japanese-American heritage. Her grandparents married in Japan and then emigrated here, and her mother was born in southern California. Although Ms. Kadohata was born in the North, she spent a good deal of her childhood in Southern states, during an interesting time, racially [...]
No Comments » - Posted in book reviews, children's lit, historical fiction by Stephanie
Monday, March 23rd, 2009
Underlife, by Robert Finn
Snowbooks was once one of my Small Press Week (II) entrants; when I checked their website the other day, they had several free short stories and a novel, so I downloaded the novel and read it — obviously this one. It’s apparently a prequel to Mr. Finn’s other publications by Snowbooks, which I haven’t read [...]
No Comments » - Posted in book reviews, suspense/thriller by Stephanie
Friday, March 20th, 2009
This is Me, Jack Vance!, by Jack Vance
Mr. Vance is at least self-aware enough to put “Or more properly, This is I!” on the title page, so I feel better about the book and him as a person. Apparently he’s really well-known and has been publishing books and short stories for about sixty years; despite his prolific output, occasional convention appearances, and [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in bio/autobio, book reviews by Stephanie
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
The Mystery of Grace, by Charles de Lint
Charles de Lint is one of my favorite authors; he’s a resident of Ottawa in Canada, and has set several of his early works there. More recently, his works are set in a town called Newford, which isn’t explicitly anywhere. Mr. de Lint is an amateur musician and is very passionate about his music; each [...]
No Comments » - Posted in book reviews, fantasy by Stephanie
Monday, March 16th, 2009
Returning My Sister’s Face and Other Far Eastern Tales of Whimsy and Malice, by Eugie Foster
Eugie Foster is a Chinese-American writer; she was born in the Midwest (Urbana, IL) but escaped down south (Atlanta) and refuses to return. (After this winter, I can see why.) She writes columns on how to write for YAs, a pursuit I applaud, and is one of the directors of Dragon*Con. She’s also the managing [...]
No Comments » - Posted in book reviews, fantasy, historical fiction, horror by Stephanie
Friday, March 13th, 2009
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Sherman Alexie is of Spokane/Coeur d’Alene heritage; he was born on the Spokane reservation in Washington and had hydrocephalus when he was a kid. He attended the local white high school and played basketball before going to Gonzaga and Washington State University. A B.A. in American Studies later, he started writing poetry, and then novels, [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in book reviews, children's lit, contemporary by Stephanie
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
Nation, by Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett — I mean, Sir Terry Pratchett — is one of England’s finest humorists, ever. He’s written something like fifty volumes in his Discworld collection, all set on a strange world that actually is flat and contains some of the most humorous people in fiction. He’s sort of like the brain-child of Charles Dickens [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in alternate history, book reviews, children's lit, fantasy by Stephanie
Monday, March 9th, 2009
Crystal Rain, by Tobias Buckell
Tobias Buckell was born on Grenada; he is of mixed racial heritage. He moved to the U.S. right before he started college, and attended Bluffton College, located in middle-of-nowhere, Ohio. (I can say that because my father was born there.) He still lives in Bluffton, Ohio, and complains about its land-lockedness. (I’m pretty sure he [...]