Category Archives: book reviews

Review: Songs for a Machine Age

Posted on April 24, 2013 by

Songs for a Machine Age by Heather McDougal My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is a delightful journey through an unusual fantasy world where machines and magic co-exist. While I didn’t find the heroine initially engaging, her talent … Continue reading →

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Review: The Termite Queen: Volume One: The Speaking of the Dead

Posted on March 19, 2013 by

The Termite Queen: Volume One: The Speaking of the Dead by Lorinda J. Taylor My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book is full of marvelous science fiction elements, building not only a vision of a future academia on Earth, … Continue reading →

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Review: The Blood-Dimmed Tide

Posted on January 16, 2013 by

The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Rennie Airth My rating: 4 of 5 stars I so enjoyed the author’s first novel, The Dead of Winter, that I jotted his name on a paper and stuck it to my bulletin board to keep … Continue reading →

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Review: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption

Posted on October 24, 2012 by

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand My rating: 5 of 5 stars Anyone interested in survival of either body or spirit should read this book! This is the story of an Olympic … Continue reading →

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Review: Thieftaker

Posted on July 29, 2012 by

Thieftaker by D.B. Jackson My rating: 4 of 5 stars A tense, engaging read. There’s been recent interest in historical fantasies with American settings, and this was a nice addition to that elite group. Jackson creates an off-beat character with … Continue reading →

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The Insidious Creeper of Plot Inconsistency

Posted on May 18, 2012 by

It’s that time of year again–when the poison ivy starts to pop up in all kinds of places and I’m out there with a spray can of my own poison trying to take it down.  Every time, it reminds me … Continue reading →

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Review: The Man Who Loved China: Joseph Needham & the Making of a Masterpiece

Posted on February 22, 2012 by

The Man Who Loved China: Joseph Needham & the Making of a Masterpiece by Simon Winchester My rating: 5 of 5 stars A thoroughly entertaining background to the creation of one of the world’s great series on the history of … Continue reading →

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Review: Range of Ghosts

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book was a thrilling adventure from beginning to end! It’s like Lord of the Rings meets the Arabian Nights–a rich fantasy realm inspired by cultures of the … Continue reading →

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The Sekrit Truth about me and 5-star Reviews

Posted on January 4, 2012 by

As an author, it’s hard to know where to stand on reviewing the works of others.  I enjoy reading and never get to do enough of it (more about this later) and I tend to read a heck of a … Continue reading →

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Knights of the Round Table, in the Fourteenth Century

Posted on December 27, 2011 by

Over the weekend, I was startled to find an image in the Wall Street Journal of the Winchester Round Table, a vast wooden tabletop currently on display, as the name would suggest, at Winchester Castle, UK.  The image accompanied a … Continue reading →

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