The Z-Axis

Book Review: “Ready, Player One” by Ernest Cline

By: Amira K. February 1, 2013July 10, 2013

Book Reviewbook review, Ernest Cline, fiction, Ready Player One, sci-fi, video games, young adult4 Comments

READY, PLAYER ONE is a vivid and compelling story: a fast-paced sci-fi novel that takes place largely in virtual reality, with a double helping of 1980s pop culture references and video game trivia. Centered around the quest to find an “egg” hidden inside this virtual world that contains the key to the largest private fortune…

A Discourse on the Origin of Cheese

By: Amira K. January 20, 2013January 20, 2013

MusingsCheese, history, leprechauns, mythology, rainbows, satire, unicornsLeave a Comment

Ladies and gentlemen, I come before you today with a question of the utmost importance: The origin and nature of that delicious and inimitable substance, CHEESE. Where did it come from? How was it discovered? In what way was it bestowed upon humanity to enjoy it forever more? I propose here two theories, of alternate…

Writing as Devotional Act

By: Amira K. December 4, 2012

Musingsdevotion, meditation, NYTimes, Silas House, writing2 Comments

I just read a wonderful op-ed piece about writing that was completely inspiring for me. I blog a lot about books, but not so often about the craft that goes into creating books, and I wanted to take a minute to appreciate the creativity and devotion that goes into writing. The article, published on Dec.…

Book Review: “Days of Blood and Starlight”

By: Amira K. November 26, 2012July 10, 2013

Book Reviewangels, books, demons, fantasy, fiction, laini taylor, literature, young adultLeave a Comment

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…

Book Review: “Never Hug A Nun” by Kevin Killeen

By: Amira K. November 18, 2012July 10, 2013

Book ReviewLeave a Comment

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…

An Open Letter to Barack Obama re: Term Two

By: Amira K. November 9, 2012February 19, 2013

Musings, Politicseconomy, environmentalism, health care, Obama, politics2 Comments

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…

Book Review: “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius”

By: Amira K. October 16, 2012July 10, 2013

Book ReviewDave Eggers, fiction, literature, memoir, satireLeave a Comment

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…

By: Amira K. October 5, 2012February 19, 2013

MusingsLeave a Comment

Book Review: “The Name Of The Wind”

By: Amira K. September 7, 2012July 10, 2013

Book Reviewfantasy, Kingkiller Chronicles, magic, mythology, novel, Patrick Rothfuss, The Name Of The WindLeave a Comment

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…

Book Review: “Insurgent” by Veronica Roth

By: Amira K. August 27, 2012July 10, 2013

Book Reviewbook review, dystopian, fiction, post-apocalyptic, young adult5 Comments

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…