Posts

Reviewer: Sally ‘Life Happens!!’ We’ve all seen the bumper stickers. Some use different words, but the meaning is the same. It’s the cynic’s answer to ‘Why?’ It’s also the optimist’s answer to the same question. I like to finish the statement this way: ‘Life Happens!! Get over it!!!’ ‘Why…is this happening to me?’ It is one of the age old questions. Many authors have offered their version of the answers. Viewpoints are varied, of course. We blame others, we blame God, and sometimes we even blame ourselves. One thing is for sure. There are no easy answers. ...

Alice Steinbach manages to do the things we all want to do: She travels to different places to learn new things. She goes to cooking school in France, tours Jane Austin’s England, and learns a bit about being a geisha in Japan. She does many other things as well. I loved reading this book; even when Alice learns something I have no interest in, she makes it interesting. The locations, the learning, and the lessons were wonderful to read about. ...

Reviewer: Bardsandsages Breaking the boundaries between literary and genre fiction, Gregory Bernard Banks’ Phoenix Tales: Stories of Death and Life is a stunning collection of short stories that confronts the meaning of life and death with beautiful bravery. Part science fiction, part philosophy, with a little horror thrown in, this collection should be on everyone’s reading list. Each tale is a wonder in and of itself, and combined into a collection, creates a dramatic and insightful tool with which to uncover our own thoughts and fears on the subject matter. ...

Amazon emailed me a couple of days ago to let me know I might like the new Laurell Hamilton book “Blood Noir”. I don’t have the message anymore, but I remember it going something like “You liked Anita Blake in the past, you might like this one. Why not pre-order?” In reality, it said something like “As someone who purchased from the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series…”. Yeah - I did like Anita Blake in the past. The first few books in the series were excellent. Then we went through the courting phase where each book had the worst imaginable, most horrific bad guy that only flittered around the edges of the story till the last few pages, when Anita would stroll in and end the story in some ridiculous fashion, like killing an Aztec god with a pen. Also, the formulaic descriptions start to get annoying. Every character is described over and over by eye color and what they are wearing. ...

Well - it’s time for some changes at ClubReading. The current site has served us well for a long time, but it is feeling it’s age. As you can see, the new site start page is a blog. This will give us a chance to share and dialog with the community, while still having a place for a conversation. The new books part of the site is written using the Zend Framework. I have to admit, the new books part of the site is not complete. There are still some very rough edges, but it will meet the basic needs: ...

What an amazing website! Shorpy is an archive, in very high detail of historical photo’s. Presented in blog format, just browsing through the archives is an amazing trip back in time. Check it out: http://www.shorpy.com/ Don’t miss the opportunity to view the images full size. The detail is amazing. I got a heads up about this great site from the This Week in Photography podcast episode #16.

Yeah, I know. This post is a bit down, but I wanted to share a photo in a post, so why not post about my recently deceased Dalmatian? Within affections distant touch, Life’s gentle breath slowing to pass away, Torn wailing grief; a cold wind Through emptiness and regret. Ideal of selfless gift, strength and beauty, Leaves the final lesson cold. In thought and apparent gentle reminder, Of life’s fluid nature, the final gift, ...

I am so behind on podcasts. At present…after a day of listening to podcasts, I have 8.2 days of content left to listen to. And it’s good stuff! I’m a huge fan of the TWIT network podcasts. I remember most of these guys from the old Tech TV days, and enjoyed Leo’s radio show in L.A. The ‘I Should Be Writing’ podcast is one of my favorite writers/authors podcast. Of course NPR’s Books cast is great, but there’s something very engaging about Mur’s casts. She also has some outstanding interviews. ...

Review written for ClubReading.com by Sally My personal favorite time to have lived would be during the settling of western America. I know the early settlers faced harsh weather, hostile natives. They were totally cut off from family and friends, from any type of medical assistance. They were virtually on their own. But think of the excitement of seeing new country, starting over, having a fresh start. They chose their own free land from the vast open spaces and build their new life and their family’s future with their own hands. ...

Review written for ClubReading.com by Bill In Dune: House Atreides, the events leading up to Frank Herbert’s Dune are played out. All the characters from Dune and the preceding histories are outlined in an entertaining and well written prequal. The Emperor Elrood is plotted against and eventually killed by his son Shaddam. The boy Leto Atreides spends time on the machine planet Ix, and becomes Duke after his father’s tragic accident. ...