Knocking on Heaven’s Door, by Lisa Randall. Vintage Books. Paperback. © 2012. $20. The idea behind my book reviews is to focus on the geographical themes present in the books I review. This book experienced quite a journey before I was able to even begin reading. I ordered the book used from one of the Amazon…
Winter Study, by Nevada Barr. Penguin Books. Paperback. 2008. $10. I’m easily impressed by authors who integrate real, local geography into their novels. The idea of being able to “go there” and walk in the footsteps of the protagonist is a romantic notion of mine, I suppose. James Lee Burke fuses southern Louisiana geography into…
Bare Bones. Kathy Reichs. Pocket Star Books. Paperback. 2003. I don’t like writing bad reviews. Anyone who knows me knows I have no particular issue being critical. Writing a bad review means I’ve spent time reading a disappointing book, time I could have spent reading a better book. Kathy has written a few books which…
The Story of Earth, by Robert M. Hazen. Viking Press. Hardback. $28 I’m writing this review early. I think it is important I do so. I learned something almost immediately, within the Introduction, in fact. Not even did I reach the first chapter before I realized how ignorant I have allowed myself to become. And,…
Drood. Dan Simmons. 2009. Hatchette Book Group. Hardback. $9 I’ve been wanting to read a Dan Simmons tome – and I do mean tome – for years. Originally, I had anticipated reading his Hyperion Cantos series first. This collection of four novels has become a science fiction classic around which science fiction enthusiasts have developed…
Purple Cane Road, by James Lee Burke. 2000. Dell Fiction. Paperback. $8 Some people, when they write, take you there. You know what I mean; poets, authors, songwriters whose ink magically transmutes thoughts and imagery from their minds into ours. Lyrical words spellbind us, capturing our attention like the scent of a woman, like driving…
The Redbreast, by Jo Nesbø, translation from Norwegian by Don Bartlett. Harper. Crime/Suspense. Paperback. 2000. $8. I’ve been reading a number of crime/suspense fiction over the last few years. Science fiction and fantasy novels still outnumber crime/suspense novels, but the latter is growing by leaps and bounds. The scope of authors I have read is narrow.…
Governing the World, by Mark Mazower. Non-Fiction/History. Penguin Press. Hardcover. 475pgs. $30. Governing the World is a non-linear examination of the events, people, countries, and circumstances leading to the creation and organization of today’s United Nations. I did not select the book knowing this, though. I had an option to read and review a new…
Feast Day of Fools, by James Lee Burke. Pocket Books. Crime Fiction. 2011. Paperback $10. I broke from tradition; I began reading another series by JLB. Feast Day of Fools is the second novel featuring the South Texas sheriff, Hackberry Holland. The first novel, Rain Gods, I have yet to read. The local book slinger had only this…
Civilization. Niall Ferguson. Penguin. Softcover. 402pgs. $18. Civilization is a book which should be read by anyone needing a refresher course in World History, American History, or World Civilizations. The last sentence of the book explains why: “the biggest threat to Western civilization is posed not by other civilizations, but by our own pusillanimity –…
Constant Geography 
You must be logged in to post a comment.