A Cineaste’s Bookshelf
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REVIEW: THE HEAVENS ARE EMPTY by Avrom Bendavid-Val
My introduction to this mystical place was in the film Everything Is Illuminated (based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Safran Foer). While Foer’s story is a novel, it does base its setting of “Trochimbrad” on the real life Trochenbrod. But why this place? Of all the lives ended, towns burned, hopes crushed,… Read More »
REVIEW: IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS by Erik Larson
For more than a decade now Erik Larson has been digging up episodes lost to history and bringing them to the forefront. In Issac’s Storm, he revealed a fledgling National Weather Service and recounted a hurricane of horrifying magnitude in 1900. With The Devil In The White City, he pitted the very best and very… Read More »
Win this limited edition print, signed by the artist (Dan Stiles). All you have to do is go here an
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REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: THE SISTERS BROTHERS by Patrick DeWitt
Long live the Western. Author Patrick DeWitt brings fresh verve to a classic genre in his new novel. It is told from the first-person perspective of Eli Sisters, one half of a hired gun team. They’ve set out to find and kill Hermann Kermit Warm (ironically, the name of a famed art director in early… Read More »
ARMCHAIR BEA 11: Relationships
I kind of touched on this yesterday with my post about authors and publishers I’ve “hit it off” with — at least the cyber world. I start by recognizing a couple of things. The publishers/publicists who send us pitches or ARCs are doing their best to get a book in front of as many interested readers…Read More »
ARMCHAIR BEA 11: Author Interviews & Favorite Blogs
I was a bit late to the Armchair BEA train, so I was not assigned an interview to do. I can, however, direct you to two interviews I have done in the not-so-distant past. My interview with Sarah Rose, author of For All the Tea in China. It’s an amazing book on a long-lost history… Read More »
ARMCHAIR BEA 11: Best of 2011 (so far)
I read so much, and I enjoy many things for different reasons. It’s hard to call something the “best”. But in the name of Armchair BEA, here goes… THE DIVINER’S TALE by Bradford Morrow Very rarely do I become completely obsessed with reading a particular book. Reading in general, sure, but I simply had to… Read More »
ARMCHAIR BEA 11: From Virtual Booth #221b
It should be obvious from my imaginary booth number that I love Sherlock Holmes and his ilk. I should have been born English. On July 4th, I wish for Reunification Day as much as I celebrate Independence Day. All to say, I love the English language. I love how it sounds, when tailored well.… Read More »
REVIEW: THE MAN IN THE ROCKEFELLER SUIT by Mark Seal
It’s one of those things that happens to someone else. We know it’s real, but we all think we’re smarter than those criminals, those bank robbers that hand the teller their ID during a robbery. Criminals like that eventually fall victim to traps of their own making and can’t be much for society to worry… Read More »
REVIEW: HOW SHAKESPEARE CHANGED EVERYTHING by Stephen Marche
This is the perfect little handbook for the English major, or literary wit in your life. Simple and compact, it is a compilation of interesting facts surrounding the myth and mystery of William Shakespeare. Author Stephen Marche notes that when he embarked on his PhD dissertation, “I chose Shakespeare because I thought he would never… Read More »
REVIEW: THE WHITE DEVIL by Justin Evans
I can’t be sure how I became entirely sucked into this story. Perhaps it was the easy, seductive charm of the setting; or the way the era was not obvious at the outset; maybe how it took on the genres of ghost story, coming-of-age tale and historical fiction all at once. It is set in… Read More »
REVIEW: POX - AN AMERICAN HISTORY by Michael Willrich
I remember when I asked my mom about the round, dappled scar on her upper arm. She said it was from a vaccination as a child. I didn’t have one. All of my shots were just that – shots. No scars, no lasting pain. After a small sting, a bandaid and a sticker, it was… Read More »
Savannah Book Festival - 2011
This was the fourth of the annual literary event, all taking place on Telfair Square. It’s a superb setting with easy access to everything the festival has to offer. Speakers and presentations took place in the Jepson and the Telfair as well as the Trinity United Methodist Church and in a tent outside. There were… Read More »
GIVEAWAY: Unknown by Didier Van Cauwelaert
The movie UNKNOWN comes out today! It stars Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, January Jones, Diane Kruger, and Frank Langella. Which brings up that ongoing debate — is the book really better than the movie? With your very own copy of the book you can compare, make notes, wring your hands, or just enjoy. Read my… Read More »
REVIEW: THE ORACLE OF STAMBOUL by Michael David Lukas
I desperately wanted to love this book. As a self-proclaimed Orientalist, I sought to be swept away by the magic of the Black Sea and the secrets of the Bosporus. I was hoping to find a bit of myself in the young protagonist — an innocent, with a nagging sense of urgency about the disappearing culture… Read More »