First things first: I got a free advance copy of the re-release of this novel thanks to the good folks over at Hard Case Crime! I collect HCC books as a hobby and am on their mailing list. I won a contest for a free copy of this one. They are awesome and know how to reward loyal customers. Much love to Charles Ardai and all the good folks over there. Donald Westlake is the kind of writer I would love to be, someone who’s […]
Come for the Misogyny, Stay for the Anti-Semitism
So…I didn’t like this book, at all. I stuck with it because it is the center square of Cannonball Read Bingo. But Craig Ferguson’s Between the Bridge and the River isn’t good. Two times the author refers to the two main characters with the statement “He had become interesting.” That is not correct. Neither of the two main characters is interesting, ever. One character, Fraser, is a preacher on a late night religious program whose career ends in disgrace when he is accused of sexually […]
“Our purpose is to present the most humane, most spiritual, most moral, most communal model of life for a world in chaos around us.”
If you like the quote in the title of this review, you’ll like this book. The words spoken by Sister Joan Chittister contain the kind of wisdom you’ll find throughout this short and mind-blowing book. While How to Live draws much of its wisdom from The Rule of St. Benedict and the monks and nuns who follow his Rule, the book is useful for anyone looking to lead a balanced life of service, rest, gratitude, and community. My only complaint about this book is that I […]
Sadly, This Was Not the Book That Made Me Redefine My Wheelhouse
Bingo Square: Not My Wheelhouse Originally, I was going to use this for my Listicle square but the more I read it, the more I realized how much this book was just not my style! I saw it on Bill Gates’ summer reading list, and I really need to learn my lesson that when people use the word faith they usually mean religious faith specifically rather than some general faith in the universe. So you know, my bad! The author is a religion professor at […]