Books, Commentary, Ephemera, & More
Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, & technology book reviews. Also social, political, & economic commentary. Plus more.
Back in October, 2020, I mentioned Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey’s memoir that celebrates his 50 years on Planet Earth, his quests for Hollywood success, his family, and the life lessons he has learned along the way. I wondered then if I would be able to get a review copy and write about it here … Continue reading Review Update: ‘Greenlights’ by Matthew McConaughey
Rod Davis’s New Addition to his ‘Jack Prine’ Private Investigator Series Offers Plenty of Action, Gunplay, and Southern Geography Labels can be attached to this new novel, the second book in Rod Davis’s “Jack Prine” private investigator series. For example, you might call it “Southern noir” or perhaps “grit lit.” Whatever. I call it “good … Continue reading East of Texas, West of Hell
The Texas Railroad The Scandalous and Violent History of the International and Great Northern Railroad, 1866-1925 Wayne Cline (For book information, click here.) The Texas Railroad tells the fascinating story of a railroad enterprise that originally intended to create the world’s longest rail line, from Houston, Texas, to the Canadian border. But it couldn’t get … Continue reading The History of a ‘Scandalous and Violent’ Texas Railroad
Steaming: A Sea Story Mark David Albertson Lulu Texas writer Mark David Albertson’s new novel, Steaming: A Sea Story, is an entertaining tale of naval service in the Western Pacific (Westpac) and South China Sea and naval action near the coasts of Vietnam and Cambodia in the last days of the Vietnam War. This book … Continue reading ‘Steaming’: A Vietnam-Era Navy Novel
Matthew McConaughey’s autobiography Greenlights is due to be released Oct. 20, 2020, by Crown Publishing. I doubt I’ll be receiving a copy to review in this backwater book blog. But the Sunday (Oct. 18, 2020) New York Times has published an enticing spread in its Culture section focusing on McConaughey and his new book. Greenlights … Continue reading Matthew McConaughey’s New ‘Greenlights’ Autobiography
Design and implement production-grade Node.js applications using proven patterns and techniques, 3rd Edition Mario Casciaro and Luciano Mammino Packt Publishing Node.js often is thought of simply as a small but helpful tool for working with JavaScript code while developing applications. The two writers of (paid link) Node.js Design Patterns, 3rd Edition, however, show that Node.js … Continue reading Node.js Design Patterns
Yes, when it comes to Bob Woodward’s Rage, (paid link) there are matters to be mad about, such as why didn’t Woodward let us know what he knew regarding Trump downplaying COVID-19’s dangers when he first knew it? And there are basic questions to be asked, such as: why has Woodward’s book been timed for … Continue reading Enraged about Bob Woodward’s ‘Rage’?
Guess which book, as yet unreleased, is pre-selling at #1 in Amazon’s “Corruption & Misconduct in Politics” category? P.S., I possibly may earn a few helpful cents as an Amazon affiliate bookseller if you follow this link to the book. But only if you actually buy it or something else. Otherwise, bupkis. No soup for … Continue reading Just One of the Ways Political Crime Pays?
Sales totals continue to explode for Mary L. Trump’s book, Too Much and Never Enough. (paid link) CNN has reported: “A tell-all memoir by President Donald Trump’s niece — who claims he has world-endangering emotional problems stemming from childhood trauma inflicted by his parents — has sold 1.35 million copies in its first week, according … Continue reading A Blockbuster’s Blockbuster?
Recently, I’ve reviewed several new books for Lone Star Literary Life and for this book review blog. And I keep looking guiltily at the other books I’ve gathered over the months and years before the pandemic hit. I want to be reading them, too. Yet, even when much of life is shut down and “house … Continue reading Book Reflections: 07/2020