Book Review: Riot Most Uncouth

Book Review: Riot Most Uncouth by Daniel Friedman Disclaimer:  I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway for the purpose of this review.  No other compensation was offered or requested. When George Gordon, Lord Byron, was a lad, his father Mad Jack often told him tales of the vrykolakas, immortal beings who fed on the blood… Continue reading Book Review: Riot Most Uncouth

Book Review: The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut’s Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt

Book Review: The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut’s Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt by Kara Cooney Hatshepsut lived about 1500 B.C.E. to circa 1458 B.C.E.  The daughter of Thutmose I, she was married to Thutmose II, her half-brother, when he ascended the throne of Egypt.  As the God’s Wife of Amen-Re (king of all… Continue reading Book Review: The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut’s Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt

Book Review: The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories

Book Review: The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories edited by Otto Penzler I have a fondness for Sherlock Holmes, as I am sure the majority of my readers do.  Unsurprisingly, there has been a ton of Holmes fanfiction over the years.  Pastiches that try to capture the feel of Arthur Conan Doyle’s prose, parodies… Continue reading Book Review: The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories

Manga Review: Rin-Ne Volume 18

Manga Review: Rin-Ne Volume 18 by Rumiko Takahashi Recap:  Rinne Rokudo is a shinigami (“death spirit”) a psychopomp who helps ghosts and spirits move on to the afterlife.  Because he’s part human, his powers are relatively weak, and he must rely on often expensive gadgets to do his job.  That, and debts his deadbeat dad Sabato… Continue reading Manga Review: Rin-Ne Volume 18

Movie Review: Bender’s Game

Movie Review: Bender’s Game Futurama was a science-fiction cartoon created by Matt Groening (The Simpsons) for the Fox Broadcasting Company.   It starred Philip J. Fry, a New York City pizza delivery worker who is “accidentally” cryogenically frozen for a thousand years.  In the bizarre future world, Fry has trouble fitting in at first, but… Continue reading Movie Review: Bender’s Game

Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Seven

Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Seven by Makoto Yukimura Quick recap and spoilers for the previous volume:  It is the age of Vikings.  Canute, King of Denmark and (by conquest) England, needs cash to fund his occupation army.  Therefore, he has engineered an incident to force the wealthy Ketil family into outlawry and seize their… Continue reading Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Seven

Magazine Review: The Avenger #8: House of Death | The Hate Master

Book Review: The Avenger #8: House of Death | The Hate Master by Kenneth Robeson Quick recap:  The Avenger, Richard Henry Benson, is a wealthy adventurer who took early retirement to spend time with his wife and daughter.  They were murdered by criminals, and he has sworn vengeance on crimedom, gathering a team of highly skilled… Continue reading Magazine Review: The Avenger #8: House of Death | The Hate Master

Book Review: The Princess and the Pony

Book Review: The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton Princess Pinecone lives in a warrior kingdom, and wants to be a warrior herself.  But instead of getting swords or plate armor for her birthdays, she always gets comfy sweaters instead.  This year, Pinecone has made it very clear that she wants a warhorse, a… Continue reading Book Review: The Princess and the Pony

Book Review: China Dolls

Book Review: China Dolls by Lisa See It is 1938, the tail end of the Great Depression, and San Francisco is trying to shake off its blues with a World’s Fair on Treasure Island.  They’re going to need a lot of employees for that, and the prospect of a job draws Grace Lee all the… Continue reading Book Review: China Dolls

Open Thread: Top Ten Lists 2015

Like many bloggers, I keep a close eye on the stats of which posts get traffic, and it’s time to reveal the winners for this year.  You all like list posts, right?  So here are the reviews you the readers felt were important in 2015. Top Ten Posts of 2015 Anime Review: Urusei Yatsura Book… Continue reading Open Thread: Top Ten Lists 2015