In June of this year, I read and reviewed the first book in Laini Taylor’s bestselling series, “Daughter of Smoke and Bone”. I called it–and I was not alone in this–“young adult fiction”, for its fantasy elements, its playful and inspired prose, and its plot-driven, fast-paced machinery. This second book, however, defies that categorization. Maybe…
Read MoreAll articles filed in Amira K.
Writer, explorer, and keeper of Alder the dog.
Book Review: “Never Hug A Nun” by Kevin Killeen
When was the last time you spat spitballs, ducked under an arc of streaming pee, or got locked in “Jail” at the elementary school carnival? When was the last time you robbed a thrift store? Jumped in front of a train? Jumped ON a train? Lobbed rocks at fresh-off-the-assembly-line cars? Well, guess what, kiddos. Patrick…
Read MoreAn Open Letter to Barack Obama re: Term Two
Dear Mr. President, I, like 50.4% of the voting population of America, cast my vote in favor of returning you to office for a second term. I congratulate you, and I cheered when you clinched the 270 electoral college votes required to return you to the Oval Office. I, like millions of other Americans, have…
Read MoreBook Review: “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius”
A critic’s darling, a national bestseller, winner of a plethora of book awards (I’m sure, though my politico fact checkers have yet to comment on this unverified claim), a not-quite heartbreaking work of perhaps some form of genius—and yet at the heart of it all I get the sense that Dave Eggers is mocking both…
Read MoreBook Review: “The Name Of The Wind”
Dearest readers, On a recommendation, I decided to delve into a genre I haven’t read much of since before I went into college: fantasy. The recommended book was THE NAME OF THE WIND, Book 1 in a trilogy with the decidedly-badass name “The Kingkiller Chronicles”. The recommendation came with the claim that “Patrick Rothfuss [the…
Read MoreBook Review: “Insurgent” by Veronica Roth
We’re back this week with a review of INSURGENT, the second book in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. I reviewed DIVERGENT, the first one in the series, last week, with an ish-ish review explaining that I wasn’t terribly fond of that one, but it was worth it to read the second. In INSURGENT, we…
Read MoreBook Review: “Divergent” by Veronica Roth
Hello to all my … loyal … readers! Wow, it’s been a long time since I blogged. I went from doing a post a week, to a post every two weeks, to … a post a month … well, at least I’m writing one now, right? That makes up for it, doesn’t it? Well, anyway.…
Read MoreBook Review: “The Enormous Room”
For some time now I have promised, and not yet delivered, a book review of one of the two following books: THE ENORMOUS ROOM, by E.E. Cummings, or THE GARGOYLE, by Andrew Davidson. Voters weighed in and ultimately the scales tipped in favor of Cummings’ classic, rather than the nouveau contemporary. I’m a little surprised…
Read MoreSeven Phrases the French Love To Use (And A Brief Update On Life)
Hey! Yep, it’s been a little while. Despite increased internet access and the time and wherewithal to write blog posts, I just haven’t really felt up to it. Book reviews seem to require too much thought, tourism posts seem to require too many touristy photo shoots, and general musings are being sorted out in my…
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The Z-Axis 