Hominids
Robert J. Sawyer
Tor Books
ISBN: 9780765345004
** 2003 Hugo Award for Best Novel **
I’ve not been very good lately about reviewing the many books I’ve been reading. Of course, I never set out to review every volume that passes through my hands. Some of them are utterly forgettable. But then sometimes I come across a book like “Hominids,” and I just can’t praise it enough.
Given the size of the book, “Hominids” is a surprisingly quick read — and a very good one at that. Sawyer obviously did quite a bit of homework in preparation for writing this story, but [...]
Kindred
Octavia Butler
Beacon Press (MA)
ISBN13: 9780807083697
ISBN10: 0807083690
Every so often, I come across a book that disappoints me only in the fact that the story has to come to a close. As brutal as much of the action is, Octavia Butler’s Kindred is a masterful piece of storytelling about making peace with originating families and a past that we cannot change.
The copy that I was reading was from the 25th anniversary printing of this book, originally written in the 1970s. I deliberately avoided the “book club guide” — with its critical essays — at the end of the book, [...]
Today, I’m pleased to present this guest post from Kristi Bernard of Kristi’s Book Nook!
I have always been an avid reader. When I was a young girl I spent a lot of time in my local library reading Dr. Seuss, Aesop’s Fables and every folktale I could get my hands on. It was always the book covers that attracted my attention. My favorite cover was Where The Wild Things Are. I read because stories always seem to take me away. They still do. But, as a book reviewer, I have to dig a little deeper into a story. I [...]
(from my review on Goodreads . . . )
The Girl Who Chased the Moon
by Sarah Addison Allen
ISBN13: 9781444706642
ISBN10: 1444706640
Apparently, I was in the perfect mood for this book. It was a pleasure to race through the pages of this easy read.
I loved the evocative language Allen used in describing the small southern town of Mullaby, where this story is set, as it reminded me of my own hometown of Richmond, and my “second hometown” of Fredericksburg, VA, where my father grew up. I was delighted by the changeable wall-paper in Emily’s bedroom, the [...]
The Dark Fields
by Alan Glynn
Bloomsbury, 2001
ISBN: 1582342245
(also available as Limitless; Picador, 2011; ISBN: 9780312428877)
If you were offered a pill that would make you smarter, more focused and infinitely more productive, would you take it? Would you bother to ask about the side effects first?
Protagonist Eddie Spinola isn’t initially told what this tiny pill will do for — or to — him, but he knocks back the MDT-48 anyway, and his life immediately becomes a thrilling (and unmanageable) roller coaster.
I’ve not seen the movie, “Limitless,” based on this book by Alan Glynn. The film previews got me [...]
I’ve been on the website Goodreads for a month or two now — rating books I’ve read, getting recommendations from others, following authors I like — and have just started posting author blog entries there myself.
If you’re also on Goodreads or are thinking of joining this free service for readers, feel free to add me as a friend:
Jennifer Willis on Goodreads
I’ll friend you back, as long as you tell me a little about yourself first.
Cheers! And happy reading. 
(Creative Commons photo by mortsan / Morten Oddvik)
Doomsday Book
by Connie Willis
Spectra, 1993
ISBN13: 9780553562736
ISBN10: 0553562738
Twenty-first-century Kivrin has painstakingly prepared for her on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in history: the early 14th century. But a crisis in present-day 2054 leaves Kivrin stranded during one of humanity’s darkest hours, while her colleagues struggle with a modern-day epidemic as they attempt to rescue her.
Obviously, my initial attraction Connie Willis’ “Doomsday Book” was the author’s name, in addition to the science fiction genre. But I honestly had a difficult time putting this book down. Others were out [...]
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Now available!
Valhalla: A YA urban fantasy romp through the Pacific Northwest with Norse gods, hungry Berserkers, a teenaged witch, a mystical tree and even some Voodoo Doughnuts!
"Jennifer is a dream to work with. I've worked with her on myriad assignments and I've always been delighted with her writing. She's creative at coming up with her own ideas as well as excellent at taking direction and suggestions. Her work is crisp, clean and delivered on time and in the correct format and she responds quickly and professionally to any questions. I highly recommend her for any sort of writing project."
Audrey Van Buskirk
Former Editor, The Portland Tribune
Former Editor, The Portland Physician Scribe
Recent articles
- I was anti-gun, until I got stalked
Salon.com.
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- Voodoo Sisterhood
Skirt! Magazine. National.
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- Day camp teaches bike skills alongside eco-friendly field trips
The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon.
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- Shades of the Shoah
Aish Hatorah. Jerusalem, Israel / International.
[PDF] [HTML]
- Goodbye Green Guilt, Hello Change
Christian Science Monitor. National.
[PDF] [HTML]
- St. Lucia Day greets cyclists with treats
The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon.
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- Displaced by March Madness [PDF] [HTML]
Christian Science Monitor. National.
- Class Mixes Snow Caves, Sisterhood
Portland Tribune. Portland, Oregon.
[PDF] [HTML]
- Noses Know the Score
Portland Tribune. Portland, Oregon.
[PDF] [HTML]
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