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Thoughts on Paul Kriwaczek’s In Search of Zarathustra: Across Iran and Central Asia to Find the World’s First Prophet
I read this book because the protagonist of one of the many novels I want to write was born into Zoroastrian family. I am well aware that the previous sentence way well be the most interesting sentence in this review, … Continue reading
Yes, Isabel Allende wrote a mystery novel. No, it’s not terrible. Thoughts on Ripper. (by Jill)
When Ripper came out back in 2014 quick on the heels of Maya’s Notebook I asked myself if Isabel Allende had lost her damn mind. And then I remembered that Maya’s Notebook took quite literally forever to get published … Continue reading
Thoughts on Reza Aslan’s Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
When I teach and tutor students in history, I often start each unit by advising students to “follow the money.” I didn’t coin that phrase, I know, but it’s a surprisingly simple and effective way to get one’s bearings in … Continue reading
Early Thoughts on Kia Corthron’s The Castle Cross the Magnet Carter
The meaning of the title of this long, engrossing novel starts to come clear around page 138 – well ahead of the 200-page mark at which I planned to start complaining – so of course I wanted to share it … Continue reading
A Review of Jen Lancaster’s Twisted Sisters (by Jill)
I almost hate to write this review because I’ve never read a book by Jen Lancaster that I haven’t found anything redeeming about. I’ll admit the quality has fallen off a bit since her first few memoirs, but I’ve … Continue reading
A Review of Erskine Caldwell’s God’s Little Acre
I’ve owned this book for years, and now that I’ve finally read it I feel a little creeped out having lived so long in the presence of such a strange, alarming little book. It’s a good book – a very … Continue reading
A Review of Lesley Hazleton’s After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam
I’ve been interested in the ancient and medieval Middle East for a long time – since I was a teenager, really, but this current flurry of reading on the subject dates back to my reading of The House of Wisdom … Continue reading
A Review of Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars
Two of my tutoring clients were assigned this book for summer reading, so of course it ended up on my reading list as well. If you’ve been reading this blog for some time, you may have noticed that I have … Continue reading
A Review of Larry Watson’s Justice
I loved this book – probably more than any other book I’ve read this year. This is one of those collections of linked stories that masquerade as a novel. I actually like it better when I think of its chapters as … Continue reading
Postcards From Purgatory 