Category Archives: Words
Watchmen by Alan Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Pretty much brilliant.
That was the first review I wrote of Watchmen when I read it a few years back. I still feel that way, for all it is not my favorite of Alan Moore‘s works. A postmodern view of the 1980s that still feels relevant, this graphic novel is truly a literary work. Based on the concept of washed up superheroes, the book builds a sense of dread and questions the very concept of life and its worth. The discovery of a megalomonomaniacal figure pulling the strings of the world leaves a fair amount of uncertainty as to whether he is a hero or a villain. Ultimately, the question of whether or not the ending is good or bad remains. I have my own opinion. What is yours?
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Leave a comment | tags: 4 stars, book review, comics & graphic novels, review | posted in Words
Watchmen by Alan Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Pretty much brilliant.
That was the first review I wrote of Watchmen when I read it a few years back. I still feel that way, for all it is not my favorite of Alan Moore‘s works. A postmodern view of the 1980s that still feels relevant, this graphic novel is truly a literary work. Based on the concept of washed up superheroes, the book builds a sense of dread and questions the very concept of life and its worth. The discovery of a megalomonomaniacal figure pulling the strings of the world leaves a fair amount of uncertainty as to whether he is a hero or a villain. Ultimately, the question of whether or not the ending is good or bad remains. I have my own opinion. What is yours?
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Leave a comment | tags: 5 stars, book review, poet laureate, poetry, review | posted in Words
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is more of the same delightful fun with which J.K. Rowling filled the first two books of the series, but with a darker bent and twice the pages. In it we again see Harry, Ron, and Hermione embarking on a new school year. The have yet another new Defense of the Dark Arts teacher. They learn why having Hagrid as a Care of Magical Creatures teacher is not an entirely good idea. Malfoy continues being a jerk. The main difference is the combined subtlety and darkness of the villains. The danger felt more real and the suspense was artfully built. I’m looking forward to the next one!
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Leave a comment | tags: 4 stars, book review, books, fantasy, Harry Potter, review, young adult | posted in Words
Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Recommended as “steamalicious.” A very accurate description. Surprisingly fun.
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Leave a comment | tags: 3 stars, book review, books, fantasy, review | posted in Words
We live in a society where fear and ideology are the basis for many of the decisions made regarding children and sexuality, from the ever present panic about sexual abuse to the prevalence of abstinence only education despite the predominance of evidence that it does not work. This is underlying message Judith Levine describes in Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children from Sex, a thought-provoking and intense work chronicling how we got to the place we are today and how these attitudes are dangerous and can damage our children. She discusses how both left-wing feminism and right-wing religious ideology created this environment and have helped it flourish. Thoroughly researched with extensive documentation, this is a work well worth reading attentively and carefully. Continue reading
Leave a comment | tags: 4 stars, abstinence, book review, books, children, review, sex, sex education, sexuality | posted in Words
Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children from Sex by Judith Levine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
We live in a society where fear and ideology are the basis for many of the decisions made regarding children and sexuality, from the ever present panic about sexual abuse to the prevalence of abstinence only education despite the predominance of evidence that it does not work. This is underlying message Judith Levine describes in Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children from Sex, a thought-provoking and intense work chronicling how we got to the place we are today and how these attitudes are dangerous and can damage our children. She discusses how both left-wing feminism and right-wing religious ideology created this environment and have helped it flourish. Thoroughly researched with extensive documentation, this is a work well worth reading attentively and carefully.
You can read a more comprehensive review on my blog.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4 stars, abstinence, book review, books, review, sex, sex education, sexuality | posted in Words
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
After enjoying Oryx and Crake so much, I had high expectations of The Handmaid’s Tale. They were largely fulfilled. Margaret Atwood weaves a horrifying image of a society in which religious fundamentalism and fear of Caucasian infertility are taken to their furthest extremities. The rights of women are a particular area of focus. While reading this book, I began to think about the similarities between it and The Children of Men. Both deal with the concept of infertility and a totalitarian, terrorizing state. Additionally, both are written by women and were released within a small time span. Based on this, I am planning to write a piece comparing and contrasting the two books. Obviously, this is truly a thought-provoking work.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4 stars, book review, books, dystopia, fundamentalism, infant inconveniences, infertility, religion, review, totalitarianism, womens' rights and affairs | posted in Words
Uncle Silas by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu does bone-chilling creepiness exceedingly well. This book made the hairs on my neck stand up at least twice; not the easiest thing to accomplish with fiction. The story contains several villains, with varying degrees of overt nastiness and subtlety. That being said, I found myself repeatedly grinding my teeth at or wanting to shake the heroine into using her brain at least once in a while. Admittedly, I am relatively unversed in the gothic horror sub-genre having only previously read the Bronte sisters, but I do not recall their heroines being quite so limp and hysterical. This definitely hurt my enjoyment of an otherwise excellent book. Uncle Silas is yet another book that makes me wish I had the option to give 3.5 stars. As it is, being unable to accurately give it 4, I have to downgrade it to 5.
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Leave a comment | tags: 3 stars, book review, books, fiction, gothic fiction, horror, review | posted in Words
The Skystone by Jack Whyte
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really did not care for the beginning section of the book. It was boring. Once it got past the initial stage, I really enjoyed it. The story is told as the memories of Publius Varrus, a former Roman soldier of noble blood who is also a blacksmith. Much of it concerns his relationship with Caius Brittanicus, an even higher noble who is his military commander for years and becomes a very close friend. The title comes from a rock which fell to earth thirty years prior from which Varrus’ grandfather made him a dagger of an unknown, extremely hard metal. Both Britannicus and Varrus become obsessed with the hunt for more of these stones. Their search takes place against the backdrop of a Britain preparing for the Fall of the Empire. Overall, an excellent story. I look forward to continuing the series.
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Leave a comment | tags: Arthurian legend, Britain, fantasy, fiction, Roman Empire | posted in Words
The Sins of Lady Dacey by Marion Chesney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have to say, this is a higher rating than I typically give Marion Chesney‘s romances, for all I greatly enjoy them, but this one managed to have a slight bit more depth than the others. Not in a “meaningful” way, but it a way that rounded out the story nicely. We see a very innocent, but willfil young Recency miss encounter a peer of dubious background in an unorthodox manner. They initially dislike each other. Confusion and hijinks ensue before the end up happily married and in bed. Exactly the sort of somewhat silly, fun read I needed after finishing Gravity’s Rainbow.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4 stars, book review, books, review, romance | posted in Words