Book Review: White August by John Boland It is one of the hottest Julys on record in Worchestershire. In a time before air conditioning became common in Britain, the people are roasting in the summer heat. So they are more bemused than frightened when it suddenly begins snowing. English weather, isn’t it funny? Except that… Continue reading Book Review: White August
Book Review: Chasing Jenny
Book Review: Chasing Jenny by Jeff Stage Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the grounds that I would review it. The “inverted Jenny” is a real-life stamp; a misprint where a plane is flying upside-down. Only 100 of them got out to the public before the mistake was discovered, so they… Continue reading Book Review: Chasing Jenny
Manga Review: Skip-Beat! Volumes 1-2-3
Manga Review: Skip-Beat! Volumes 1-2-3 by Yoshiki Nakamura Kyouko Mogami and Shoutaro “Shou” Fuwa grew up together after Kyouko’s mother largely abandoned her. The Fuwa family runs a chain of traditional Japanese inns, but Shou didn’t want to go into that business, partially because it is the proprietress that is the face of the inn,… Continue reading Manga Review: Skip-Beat! Volumes 1-2-3
Book Review: From the Cross to the Church
Book Review: From the Cross to the Church by A.C. Graziano Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. The copy I received is the first edition, which has a number of typos I am told were fixed in the second edition. This book is a… Continue reading Book Review: From the Cross to the Church
Book Review: Tigerman
Book Review: Tigerman by Nick Harkaway Disclaimer: I received an uncorrected proof of this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. Mancreu is dying. This island in the Arabian Sea was once a quiet backwater, last colonized by the British Empire. But a combination of industrial waste and volcanic… Continue reading Book Review: Tigerman
Movie Review: Woochi the Demon Slayer
Movie Review: Woochi the Demon Slayer Jeon Woo-chi likes to call himself a Tao master, but he’s more like a Tao apprentice who’s got lots of tricks, but not much real mastery, still relying on props to perform his magic. Woo-chi doesn’t take his studies very seriously either, wandering around 1500s Korea pranking the… Continue reading Movie Review: Woochi the Demon Slayer
Book Review: A Curious Man
Book Review: A Curious Man by Neal Thompson Disclaimer: I received this volume free from the Blogging for Books program, on the premise that I would write a review. This is a biography of Robert Ripley (nee LeRoy Robert Ripley), the cartoonist who created the Believe It or Not! feature. I was fascinated by the paperback… Continue reading Book Review: A Curious Man
Comic Book Review: The Shadow Hero
Comic Book Review: The Shadow Hero Story by Gene Luen Yang, Art by Sonny Liew It is the 1930s, and Hank Chu lives in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Incendio. He wants a simple, quiet life, working with his father in the family grocery store. Hank’s mother, on the other hand, has bigger plans. She’s… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Shadow Hero
TV Review: Martin Kane, Private Eye
TV Review: Martin Kane, Private Eye Martin Kane was a fairly standard private eye appearing on radio and television 1949-1951. He was played by four actors on TV, William Gargan, Lloyd Nolan, Lee Tracy and Mark Stevens, each with their own characterization, from mellow cynicism to outright rudeness. The most notable thing about the program… Continue reading TV Review: Martin Kane, Private Eye
Book Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook
Book Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook edited by Howard Hopkins One of the fun things about fan fiction is the “crossover.” That’s where two separate fictional worlds are combined in the same story, which is generally impossible in the source material. Having the Enterprise crew battle the Daleks, Sailor Moon teaming up with the Brady… Continue reading Book Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook