The third book of the Oz series starts with a storm at sea, seemingly far away from Dorothy (who lives in Kansas) and from Oz (which is surrounded by deserts). But we soon learn that Dorothy is journeying on a ship with her uncle Henry, whose health has been broken down by the hardships of … Continue reading #Ozathon24: Bringing the Sun Underground
Ever since reading Hidden Valley Road (which I highly recommend), I've been wanting to read more about schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, to learn more about these mysterious and very challenging states of soul, from as many points of view as possible. I've put a number of titles on the TBR, to work through gradually. The … Continue reading Nonfiction Reader Challenge: The Collected Schizophrenias
A few pieces that I submitted some time ago have come out recently. I am happy to link them up here and incidentally to inform you about some fine online journals. "Weaving Lessons" was featured at bioStories, which posts an essay each week on Wednesdays. Check out their complete archives for a multitude of stories … Continue reading Recent publications
Literature The first book I finished in 2024 was, appropriately enough, a book about books -- more precisely the odd and idiosyncratic vocation of selling rare and collectible books, via a venerable London shop. I am not one for collecting physical books at the moment, but in recent years I have been enjoying reading through … Continue reading Month in Review: January 2024
With the third book of the Oz series, we have the return of Dorothy and her meeting with the newly discovered ruler of Oz, along with a plethora of new characters including a feisty chicken, a mechanical man, and the underground Nomes. With its blend of excitement, humor, and suspense, it's one of the best-constructed … Continue reading #Ozathon24: Ozma of Oz
For this month's Ozathon posts, be sure to visit The Book Stop, where Deb will be hosting the wrap-up. The Marvelous Land of Oz was L. Frank Baum's follow-up to his breakout success, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. As a child, I was always a bit puzzled by how different Book 2 was from Book … Continue reading #Ozathon24: A Land of Life
I've joined the Nonfiction Reader Challenge hosted by Book'd Out, and with my very first read I decided to take on the scariest topic: The Future! Brian McLaren pulls no punches with the title of his forthcoming book, Life After Doom. The topic may be alarming -- the coming environmental collapse, which could take a … Continue reading Nonfiction Reader Challenge: Life After Doom
I forgot to celebrate the occasion, but the 1st of January marked 10 years since I started my first book blog, The Emerald City Book Review. Though the Emerald City has morphed into the Enchanted Castle, I've been blogging for a whole decade now. I've gotten so much out of this hobby, and I am … Continue reading Celebrating 10 Years of Blogging
Even though I own the Library of America edition of the Hainish novels and stories by Ursula K. Le Guin, I'd not read most of the contents, or had extremely hazy recollections. So when Chris of Calmgrove organized a readalong, I was all for it. Over the course of 2023 I read several novellas and … Continue reading #LoveHain: A Human Universe
Literature I've already been reviewing my entire year's reading this week (see fiction; nonfiction, but here's what I read in December, 2023. I ended the year with quite a lot of good reading -- aided by being on vacation for the last 10 days. A dramatic shot of the Faroes -- when not raining it … Continue reading Month in Review: December 2023
