Book Review: In the Blood

Book Review: In the Blood by Delia Remington Most of what you know about Marie Antoinette is wrong. For starters, she was and is a vampire. The French Revolution wasn’t about taxes or food, it was about wiping out the vampires that had taken over the French nobility. The “Marie” that was beheaded was a mind-controlled double. The real Marie… Continue reading Book Review: In the Blood

Manga Review: Ran and the Gray World 1

Manga Review: Ran and the Gray World 1 by Aki Irie Ran Uruma misses her mother Shizuka. It’s not that she doesn’t love her calligrapher father Zen and her big brother Jin (though they often quarrel,) but Mom is so often away at her job in her home village. Shizuka’s visits are rare and much appreciated, even if they’re a hassle to explain… Continue reading Manga Review: Ran and the Gray World 1

Book Review: The New Adventures of Ellery Queen

Book Review: The New Adventures of Ellery Queen by Ellery Queen Ellery Queen was the shared pen name of Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee, as well as the main character of the mystery stories they wrote. Starting with The Roman Hat Mystery in 1929, they wrote many novels and short stories about a brainy mystery writer solving crimes (and then writing about them in the third… Continue reading Book Review: The New Adventures of Ellery Queen

Anime Review: Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san

Another busy day at the bookstore!

Anime Review: Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san What sort of person do you think makes a good bookstore employee? If you’re thinking, “a kind-hearted, busty young woman who is really good-looking when she takes off her glasses and lets her hair down,” this probably isn’t the show for you. Honda is a mild-mannered fellow who’s hard-working, knowledgeable about the selection, is… Continue reading Anime Review: Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san

Comic Book Review: Bone Sharps, Cowboys and Thunder Lizards

Comic Book Review: Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic It is the Gilded Age, a time of prosperity for some, and the advancement of knowledge.  Science is making great steps forward, but so is entrepreneurship, seeking any way to make a fast buck.  Professor O.C. Marsh, a paleontologist, and… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Bone Sharps, Cowboys and Thunder Lizards

Book Review: Under a Wild Sky: John James Audubon and the Making of THE BIRDS OF AMERICA

Book Review: Under a Wild Sky: John James Audubon and the Making of THE BIRDS OF AMERICA by William Souder When John James Audubon arrived in Philadelphia in 1824, he carried with him a portfolio of beautiful bird paintings he hoped to turn into a book, and a backstory of childhood in Louisiana, being the… Continue reading Book Review: Under a Wild Sky: John James Audubon and the Making of THE BIRDS OF AMERICA

Book Review: The World of HIstory

Book Review: The World of History edited by Courtlandt Canby & Nancy E. Gross History is a very wide and deep subject.  It extends from the beginning of the universe (though much before written records is speculative at best) to just this last minute, and from the movements of great nations to what precisely people… Continue reading Book Review: The World of HIstory

Manga Review: Bakuman. Volume 11

Manga Review: Bakuman. Volume 11 story by Tsugumi Ohba, art by Takeshi Obata Moritaka Mashiro’s uncle was a one-hit manga creator whose work appeared in Weekly Shounen Jump back in the day.  After the end of that series, he worked himself to death trying to come up with a new hit.   Warned by this example,… Continue reading Manga Review: Bakuman. Volume 11

Book Review: Mammoths of the Great Plains

Book Review: Mammoths of the Great Plains by Eleanor Arnason On an alternate Earth, the mammoth lived into historical times, abiding with the bison and the Native Americans.   But then Lewis and Clark saw their first mammoth, and reported on it to President Jefferson and the teeming masses of the East.   This is the story of… Continue reading Book Review: Mammoths of the Great Plains

Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales

Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz The definition of “thriller” is a little loose in this fun anthology, though most of the stories do have at least some suspense.  It feels more like the compiler picked a bunch of the public domain stories he liked, but didn’t have a strong… Continue reading Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales