To Rise Again at a Decent Hour is a story of contradictions, which perhaps explains why I’ve been having trouble getting started on this review. I liked this novel, but I’m sort of at a loss to explain what I liked about it. Maybe it’s the darkly comic tone of the novel, or the interplay of characters. But mostly I think it’s because it raises a bunch of philosophical questions that it doesn’t really ever answer, and I’m a sucker for that. (Note, if that […]
A new Lehane drama that I would call “Mystic River Lite”
A bleak story filled with flawed individuals trying to survive in a flawed society, expertly written in the dark and violent tone of Mystic River but somehow lacking the heart and soul and depth of that brilliant novel. Lehane created The Drop from a screenplay, which in turn was forged from a short story Lehane had written but shelved a decade ago. The story centers around Bob Saginowski, an emotionally-damaged guy who tends bar in his cousin’s crime-linked pub, devoutly attends church services on Sundays, […]
An Inspirational Message that Just Wasn’t for Me
Okay, this is a tough one for me. Quite simply, I know the author and I’m not sure I can give this book a rave review. Despite this, the book is intriguing and evoked strong emotions in me. I’m just not sure they’re the emotions the author was hoping to elicit. Smile is the autobiography of Jenny Matula, who was raised in the Philippines. Because English is not her first language, the book is rife with grammatical errors. For me, it was endearing, because it […]
Scientology: somehow worse than I thought
Whoa nelly. Before this read I had what I would describe as a cursory understanding of Scientology. I knew about L. Ron Hubbard and the foundation of this “religion” (note the purposeful quotation marks), its science fiction roots, its adoption by many celebrities, and the weight of the church that fell upon members who chose to leave. What I didn’t know could fill a book, this book apparently. Jenna Miscavige Hill is the niece of David Miscavige, the current head of the Church of […]