The 47 Ronin by A.B. Mitford This is an abridged and dolled-up reprint of A.B. Mitford’s Tales of Old Japan with lots of color illustrations. Tales was originally published in 1871, as Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford, a member of the British legation in Tokyo, witnessed the rapid modernization of Japan. He decided to set down some traditional stories… Continue reading Book Review: The 47 Ronin
Category: Book
Book Review: Deadly Defiance
Book Review: Deadly Defiance by William Manchee Disclosure: I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway on the premise that I would review it. This is the tenth volume in a series about Stan Turner, a Dallas based attorney for the firm of Turner and Waters. It’s 1995, and the law firm is going through… Continue reading Book Review: Deadly Defiance
Book Review: The Boy Knight
Book Review: The Boy Knight by G. A. Henty G.A. Henty (1852-1902) was a writer of children’s historical fiction, who began his career as an author after a friend heard him telling bedtime stories to his kids. Like many Victorian authors, he’s out of favor these days, but my parents found this book at an… Continue reading Book Review: The Boy Knight
Book Review: America In So Many Words
Book Review: America In So Many Words by Allen Metcalf & David K. Barnhart American English is its own animal, with a vocabulary that marks it out from British English. This volume traces American history through the words that have been important to or invented by Americans. It’s set in roughly chronological order, from “canoe”… Continue reading Book Review: America In So Many Words
Book Review: Shanghai 1937
Book Review: Shanghai 1937 by Peter Harmsen Disclaimer: I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. This is my 25th win! This is the first English-language book specifically about the battle for Shanghai in 1937, which is considered by some to be the start of the Asian… Continue reading Book Review: Shanghai 1937
Book Review: They Talked to a Stranger
Book Review: They Talked to a Stranger by Len O’Connor This book is centered around ten interviews with juvenile delinquents by then-radio reporter Len O’Connor in 1950s Chicago. Each of the boys is identified with a nickname, some their actual nickname, others chosen to protect their identities. They’re asked how they got into a… Continue reading Book Review: They Talked to a Stranger
Book Review: The Weird Ones
Book Review: The Weird Ones by Frederik Pohl, Poul Anderson, Milton Lesser, Eando Binder, Mack Reynolds, Sam Sackett & L. Sprague de Camp This is an anthology of 1950s science fiction published in 1962. In the Fifties, SF became more “thinky” than in the pulp era, with an emphasis on the soft sciences like psychology… Continue reading Book Review: The Weird Ones
Book Review: The Cat Sitter’s Cradle
Book Review: The Cat Sitter’s Cradle by Blaize & John Clement Disclosure: I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. This is an Advance Reading Copy, so minor changes may be made in the final product. The cover is adorable, a kitten bottle-feeding in a… Continue reading Book Review: The Cat Sitter’s Cradle
Book Review: Koko
Book Review: Koko by Peter Straub Four Vietnam veterans, among the very few remaining from their old unit, meet at the Vietnam War Memorial’s dedication. One of them has noticed a series of murders that indicate another member of their unit is alive and a serial killer. He convinces the others to go searching for… Continue reading Book Review: Koko
Book Review: Journeyman Wizard
Book Review: Journeyman Wizard by Mary Francis Zambreno Jermyn Graves is a spellmaker, a rare kind of wizard that can reshape old spells for new purposes, and even create new spells for other wizards to use. Or rather, he will be once he finishes his journeyman training with the only master spellmaker in the land.… Continue reading Book Review: Journeyman Wizard