June 14, 2021
Colorado Road Trip
And this was the reason for the trip. Bill with his new Grandson Charlie.
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November 5, 2020
We Can’t Breathe
It’s day two after election day, and we still don’t know who will be president. In an effort to avoid obsessive magic wall election coverage, I’ve turned to Exhalation, a short story collection by a master of speculative fiction, Ted Chiang. I found there the first story I had read...
August 31, 2020
And the Books Go On
Today I actually went through the doors of a library for the first time since March. Our little Sheldon branch of the Eugene Public Library is now open. I’ve been picking up and dropping off books curbside for a few weeks, but today I picked my own books off the...
April 1, 2020
Hair Raising Wholesome: Orange World and Other Stories by Karen Russell
Karen Russell dishes up dark, disturbing stories. Not quite “an axe for the frozen sea within us,” as Kafka would recommend. More like a probe for reflections in our darkest recesses. A water witch for hidden pools of empathy. Russell’s great gift is for creating a fully developed world built...
February 19, 2020
Do Tell: Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Evaristo’s poetical narrative style isn’t hard to settle into. Breaks are more frequent than standard paragraphing. The story is plot-driven and the style supports a clear narrative account of the lives of its multi-generational cast of characters. “Show, Don’t Tell” is a writing cliche.we have lots of novels now where...
February 10, 2020
Relentless
Review of Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon JamesNew York: Riverhead, 2019. 620 pp. This wild African-flavored fantasy is the most original book I have read this year. Marlon James has created a complete world of unique magic. Comparisons to Tolkien aren’t going too far. Although author Marlon James wrote...
February 4, 2020
Waikiki Evening
Our trip to Honolulu was January 7-14, 2020. Hey, we weren’t expecting Paradise, just someplace warmer and hopefully drier than Eugene in the winter. An interesting American city with a unique cultural history and vibe. The first evening we checked into our condo and strolled out into the Waikiki evening,...
January 1, 2020
Season of Indulgence
It doesn’t get better than a coffee mug that keeps itself warm. Especially when it comes wrapped in a family story that includes Santa Clause and a good elf, a flaming microwave, delivery magic, and a postscript coincidence. Thanks, family, and happy holidays to all.
December 30, 2019
Holy Convergence
Review of There, There by Tommy OrangeNew York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2018 It is interesting, refreshing, and heart-gripping to hear the voices of contemporary urban Native Americans groping for threads of identity in the challenging environment of Oakland, California. Tommy Orange handles multiple first-person narrative voices beautifully. The characters have...