I grabbed this one on a whim at the library last week, solely because if its title and fun font. A Hollywood take-down using a David Bowie song as a title? I am so there. I expected gossip and fun Hollywood snark. And now, having finished it, and still not quite sure about why the Bowie song was referenced, I’m actually kind of depressed about the book. Yes, there was plenty of gossip and snarky but also, there was a terribly dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship that […]
I would have liked a little more Knightley and a little less Sam.
There was a lot to like about Dear Mr. Knightley. This is the story, told only through letters to her benefactor, of journalism student Samantha. Sam lives in a group home, and to escape her tragic past, she spends all of her time with her head in a book. Over the course of a year, her life changes dramatically for the better, and we get to read her version of it as it unfolds. I really enjoyed the way that 99% of the story is […]
Adding Color To A Marble Saint
Kitman does an excellent and in-depth examination of Washington’s early life, military & election campaign, as well as the schemes and tricks apparently used to gain him the Prefidency, all without losing his respect for Washington or suggesting he was the wrong man for the biggest job in the world.
Spark of Hope in New YA Novel
This new YA novel has the makings of another multi-book blockbuster like Harry Potter or Hunger Games, but it’s not derivative or formulaic. Sabaa Tahir makes beautiful use of her cultural background (the child of Pakistani immigrants in the Mojave Desert, an outsider who did not feel particularly brave growing up) and vivid imagination to create a world that is dominated by dark spirits and a powerful militaristic elite. The Martials (who remind me of the Spartans) have ruled ruthlessly for 500 years; they’ve enslaved […]