This book was on many Best lists in the year it was published. Published two years after Room, it would be tough not to say Donoghue’s utterly excellent novel didn’t influence McCleen, as here we are with another narrator who also happens to be a damaged child with no concept of the real world she happens to live in. There though, all comparisons end. Judith’s mother died shortly after giving birth to her and she has been raised by her father alone. As devout Jehovah’s Witnesses, Judith […]
Some More Feng Shui Reading — Done
My quest continues, to improve my health, my life, my surroundings. I have recently been making some changes around the house, utilizing the age-old practice of feng shui to improve our surroundings. Feng shui must be big in the British Isles, because three out of five of these books on this list were written by Brits. I’m not sure if that means anything, but it is interesting that most of the books that I am picking up to research the subject turn out to be […]
Poppin’ Up in Westeros
While there has been a lot of internet speculation (and outrage) over the latest Game of Thrones episode, “Breaker of Chains,” I have been preoccupied with a new acquisition, the Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide to Westeros. Designed by renowned paper engineer Matthew Reinhart and illustrator Michael Komarck, the book is a blast, with not just the cool buildings that populate the fantasy series, but lots of fun pop-up surprises and pull-out guides to all of the warring houses from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels and […]
Redrum, mmm Rum
So it is pretty hard for me to give an objective review of a Stephen King book as I am what you would call a King junkie or as he calls it a Constant Reader. But the thing is really it is not like you are reading this review thinking, “Who is this Stephen King I keep hearing about? I wonder if he is any good?” You likely are already a fan, a disgruntled fan or a detractor. I fall into the straight up fan […]



