his is a strange book.  I bought it about the same time I got Like a Hole in the Head by Jen Banbury and The Beach by Alex Garland in the late nineties.  I read the other two, but in between moving to and from South America and then to Nebraska and finally getting married, the end of the century was a little busy for me and I forgot it.  Until the recent move when I collected all my stuff, at least the books, from my mother. It is a short book, only 212 pages of spacious print.  Still a … Continue reading As She Climbed Across the Table by Jonathan Lethem

Actress and professor Dinah Lenney’s memoir Bigger than Life: A Murder, a Memoir made the LA Times‘ Top Ten list this week!  Congratulations, Dinah! Continue reading Lenney Makes the LA Times Top Ten

Authors Michael Forsberg (On Ancient Wings) and Paul A. Johnsgard (eight titles with UNP, including Crane Music) are featured in the documentary Crane Song. From Forsberg’s webpage on the documentary: "Crane Song weaves together striking visuals and majestic sounds of the birds’ journey with the stories and insights of the individuals who observe these creatures, as well as landowners endeavoring to ensure a habitat that is welcoming to the cranes." Crane Song aired on PBS Nebraska station NET on March 18, March 19, March 24, and March 25.  If you missed it, you can purchase the DVD on NET’s website.  … Continue reading Crane Song Documentary

The April 9 issue of The Nation includes a piece by Richard Wolin discussing the Muslim population in Europe, titled "Veiled Intolerance."   Ethnicity and Equality: France in the Balance by Azouz Begag is among the five titles discussed in this essay. "The political and ideological challenges of reconciling republicanism with the demands of diversity are well illustrated by Azouz Begag’s fine study, Ethnicity and Equality: France in the Balance. " Continue reading Begag Reviewed in The Nation

‘m a sucker for space stories.  I grew up on Star Wars, Alien and NASA reports in the 80s, so it makes sense that nothing makes me happier than a tale of a bunch of people in a ship going through space. Variable Star is just that sort of story.  It was written by Spider Robinson off of some detailed notes Heinlein had made on a novel, but never written.  In 2003 Heinlein’s estate asked Robinson to write it.  A collaboration 50 years in the making. When the novel starts, Joel Johnston has a problem.  He is broke and wants … Continue reading Variable Star by Robinson and Heinlein

The Floor of the Sky by Pamela Carter Joern was selected as one of ten Young Adult Library Services Association’s Alex Award winners of 2007!  Created in 2002, the Alex Awards acknowledges adult books that appeal to teenagers.  Please visit the American Library Association 2007 Alex Awards for more on Pamela’s award and more information regarding this years’ winners and the history of the Alex Awards. Hear an interview with Pamela and read a post written by Pamela on this blog. Visit Pamela Joern’s homepage. Continue reading The Floor of the Sky wins Alex Award

t is the idea of Frankenstein that people love, and that idea overshadows everything else.  It’s almost too bad she wrote it, because this is her best work.

The Last Man is the story of orphaned Lionel Verney, who grew up wild, stealing and shepherding to barely provide for himself and his younger sister, Perdita.  He meets the son of the king who lifts them out of their poverty and what we have for the first third of the book is the story of a group of close friends.  There is Lionel and Perdita.  Prince Adrian and his sister Princess Idris, who quickly lose their titles as England moves from a monarchy to a more democratic government.  And finally there is Raymond, an ambitious youth who stands against Adrian’s abdication of the throne and wishes to be king himself, but is actually a good fellow and friends with them all.

Perdita marries Raymond.  Lionel marries Idris.  Adrian never marries.  Raymond becomes Protectorate of England under the new government.  He betrays Perdita and runs away, where he is reported dead.  End Part I.  This is the section where, if you were driven to madness by Victor Frankenstein and his continual collapses into weeping, you will be again.  The death and horrors haven’t even occurred yet and already one or the other of them is in excess of emotion.  Don’t fear.  The tears dry rapidly when the bodies start piling up.  Lionel is a stronger character than Victor and more likable.

Continue reading “Mary Shelley’s Last Man”

Published by Gordian Knot BooksDistributed by the University of Nebraska Press— Hope Springs Maternal: Homeless Mothers Talk about Making Sense of Adversity by Jill Gerson “[Gerson’s] book allows readers to experience the living reality of homeless mothers, mainly through their own voices. The life histories of these young single mothers of color are poignant and profound, heartrending and instructive. . . . A timely, important contribution to the study of homeless mothers. Highly recommended.”—CHOICE Continue reading Praise for Hope Springs Maternal

Bigger than Life: A Murder, a Memoir by Dinah Lenney “In one sense, [Lenney’s] book can be seen as therapy, a way of purging a decade’s worth of inner turmoil. But the story also explores a broader issue, the way the death of one man can affect the lives of many people. . . . Not a typical ‘survivor’s autobiography,’ but a deeply affecting one.”—Booklist Read More priase for Bigger than Life: A Murder, a Memoir Continue reading More Praise for Bigger than Life