We hear you, Chepito! This would be my message to the author of one of the most remarkable books published this fall on a topic that might divide the readers of this blog, just as it does this country and the world. Solito: A Memoir, written by accomplished poet Javier Zamora, is a captivating story … Read More
After recently writing a post on entitlement, I’d thought I’d blog about a topic that is quite the opposite – philanthropy. Also known as charity or giving back, this concept comes in many forms. Many people think of philanthropy in terms of giving money to a cause, but it can also designate donating items (such … Read More
Poodle Springs sounds like an intriguing title alone. The eighth novel in the famous Philip Marlowe series has two authors listed, Raymond Chandler, the original writer of the series, and Robert B. Parker. What’s going on here? With only four chapters written, Poodle Springs was left unfinished in 1959 when Chandler died. For his 100th … Read More
It’s my favorite time of year again. Crisp fall air and crunching leaves under your feet means it’s time to crack a spooky paperback. When I talk to non-horror fans, I tend to hear a few criticisms of the genre. One is that horror is formulaic. While tropes and devices are what define genres, for … Read More
As I’ve written about previously, short stories are quite different in breadth and depth than a novel. Like a snapshot in a photo album or a scene in a play, short stories provide a glimpse into something – a person, locale, event, etc. It’s up to the writer to decide how fully developed they want … Read More
Devon Fairweather is a princess. She lives in a manor house in the countryside with her family. She is brought up understanding how special she is, that she will marry several times, and how important her future marriages will be to securing the stability of her people. She lives on a steady diet of fairy … Read More
As human beings we are all entitled to certain basic rights: Freedom, liberty, security, equity, etc. The United Nations even issued a Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. This is wonderful in theory, but in reality, some humans are more “entitled” than others. This divide between the “haves” and “have-nots” has existed since humans … Read More
Planning to attend the Celebration of Scholarship at New Brunswick Libraries? To be held in Douglass Library on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 from 4 pm to 6 pm, this event highlights accomplishments of Rutgers authors with displays of books, book chapters, journal articles, recordings, and more published in 2020-2022. Register now! Pictured here is my … Read More
Certain disasters dwell in the public consciousness long after they take place. The sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912 took the lives of 1,500 people. In the 110 years since the sinking, numerous books and films, along with a voluminous amount of scholarship have ensured that the memory of the event lives … Read More
“Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us” is the theme of Banned Books Week 2022, observed from September 18 to 24 this year. Committed to intellectual freedom, Books We Read joins the American Library Association’s annual event, which has brought together the entire book community to support the freedom “to seek and to express ideas, even … Read More