am a hypocrite.  I argue for speculative fiction to be taken seriously as an intelligent, literary genre and then look down on romance and chick lit as "lesser" genres.  So when my husband introduced me to this book, I made fun of him. I know what you are thinking.  Romance?  Don’t you review sf?  Yup.  But Outlander falls into the unclassifiable, including the Loch Ness Monster, time travel, and adventure.  What it doesn’t do is follow the usual structure of a romance novel where the story is over once the hero and the heroine get together.  Here they get married … Continue reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

e have a choice of two for May’s podcast.  John Schulian, who introduced the Bison edition of Paper Tiger: An Old Sportswriter’s Reminiscences of People, Newspapers, War and Work by Stanley Woodward, was kind enough to record an excerpted version of his introduction and a complete reading of his introduction.  Enjoy! Full Version, about 17 minutes: Download Schulian_Paper_Tiger_L_UNPress.mp3 Excerpted Version, about 9 minutes: Download 006_UNPress_2007_05_31_Schulian_Paper_Tiger_S.mp3 Continue reading John Schulian on Stanley Woodward

Silence Is Death: The Life and Work of Tahar Djaout by Julija Šukys “In Silence Is Death: The Life and Work of Tahar Djaout one gets a sense of the man, the artist, and Ms. Šukys herself. With a lyrical nomadism, she combines her study with detours into memoir and even fiction on themes of bones and memory.”—Nina C. Ayoub, The Chronicle of Higher Education “Sukys . . . has written a beautiful but unsentimental book about her search for Algerian poet Tahar Djaout, who was killed in 1993 at the height of Islamic terrorism against intellectuals. No work of … Continue reading Praise for Silence Is Death

Because a Fire Was in My Head by Lynn Stegner “Having been a writer’s writer for 20 years, Lynn Stegner is not exactly new. Yet her latest book, Because a Fire Was in My Head, will undoubtedly catapult her to literary fame. . . .  Stegner has rendered a truly tragic story, yet she writes it beautifully, demonstrating the stunning things that can be done with the English language when one is gifted.”—Deseret Morning News Read previous praise for Because a Fire Was in My Head Continue reading More Praise for Because a Fire Was in My Head

Scoring from Second: Writers on Baseball Edited and with an introduction by Philip F. Deaver; Foreword by Lee K. Abbott “[T]hese pieces by such noted writers as Christopher Buckley, Andre Dubus, and Chris Mazza address not just a sport but a sport’s place in the fabric of our lives. . . . The writing is polished, and the sentiments will touch a chord.”—Library Journal Xpress Read previous praise for Scoring from Second Continue reading More Praise for Scoring from Second

What Becomes You by Aaron Raz Link and Hilda Raz “There’s no shortage of light gay fare from mainstream publishing, but university presses are increasingly doing the heavy lifting. . . . What Becomes You [is] one of the hottest memoirs in the category this year.”—Publishers Weekly Click here to read previous praise for What Becomes You Continue reading More Praise for What Becomes You

The Big Empty: Contemporary Nebraska Nonfiction Writersedited by Randolph and Nina Shevchuk-Murry “The Big Empty isn’t about nothing. It’s about Nebraska, its writers and its potential.” —Rick Brown, Kearney Hub Read earlier praise for The Big Empty Continue reading More Praise for The Big Empty

Encyclopedia of the Great Plains Indiansedited by David J. Wishart “[T]his book is a triumph of information about Plains tribes that must be on the bookshelf of everyone at all interested in their history and future. The tribes and reservations are, after all, important as ‘islands of population increase in a sea of rural population decline,’ in the Great Plains.”—Francis Moul, Lincoln Journal Star “[W]ell written and informative. . . . This is a quality publication that scholars and aficionados of American Indian history and cultures and Great Plains and Oklahoma histories will want to read and own.”—The Chronicles of … Continue reading Praise for Encyclopedia of the Great Plains Indians

Buffalo Nation: American Indian Efforts to Restore the Bison by Ken Zontek “This is a complete book on Natives and their relationship to bison. It is an important historical record, yet is as up-to-date as today’s headlines in the continuing search for compromise and success in providing wildlife biodiversity once again in the Great Plains.”—Francis Moul, Lincoln Journal Star “Highly recommended. A very good book.”—CHOICE Continue reading Praise for Buffalo Nation