"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter." —Mark Twain
I’ve never liked entrapment. Not when the police do it, not when civilians do it. Not when the right does it, not when the left does it. I particularly don’t like it when people are tricked into voicing their personal, non-job-related opinions on things, then lose their jobs as a result. But you know what […]
“Are you old?” “No. I’m only twelve. But I’ve been that for a long time.” — John Ajvide Lindqvist, Let the Right One In Djibouti, by Elmore Leonard I’ve always loved Elmore Leonard’s novels, not just for the pitch perfect dialogue, but also for the inevitable presence of memorably cool characters: Chili Palmer, Ray Givens, […]
“Human decency is not derived from religion. It precedes it.” — Christopher Hitchens, God Is Not Great The Power of the Dog, by Don Winslow This is a big novel, epic in scope, The Grapes of Wrath of the Mexican drug empire and America’s halfhearted fight against it. The Power of the Dog is a […]
These are the books that rocked me in 2010. Click any cover to read my review.
“People never explain to you exactly what they think and feel and how their thoughts and feelings work, do they? They don’t have time. Or the right words. But that’s what books do. It’s as though your daily life is a film in the cinema. It can be fun, looking at those pictures. But if […]
“When this is all over I’m going to found an association called ‘The Knights of the Idiotic Table’ and its purpose will be to arrange an annual dinner where we tell stories about Lisbeth Salander. You’re all members.” – Stieg Larsson The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, by Stieg Larsson The third and final […]
In honor of the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week 2010, which starts today, here is a special roundup of banned book news, and a comment on Wilbur Smith’s The Dark of the Sun. Wondering which ten books drew the most fire over the past year? Here’s your answer. Corrected entry (see comment below post): […]
“The ghost was her father’s parting gift, presented by a black-clad secretary in a departure lounge at Narita.” – William Gibson, Mona Lisa Overdrive Mona Lisa Overdrive, by William Gibson When I started reading William Gibson’s novels and short stories, I did not realize that they were component parts of larger stories. When I read […]