December 27, 2015

“The Searcher” by Simon Toyne – The Abyss of Redemption

The Searcher by Simon Toyne (Book Cover)
The search for oneself is perhaps the most gruelling and well-known quest there is for literary heroes. More often than not, following that path leads them to some treacherous twists and turns, ones that take them deep into the darkness of an abyss they can't help but look into.

And yet, they are pushed forward by an inexplicable sense of purpose, of duty, just like Solomon Creed in Simon Toyne's novel, The Searcher.

December 19, 2015

“Cross Justice” by James Patterson - Family Shackles

Cross Justice by James Patterson (Book cover)
Once a hero becomes established in literature there often comes to question as to who he was before we were introduced to him. What life events could mold remarkable people, making them into the protagonists we yearn to follow and always learn more about.

Most of the time we have to be content using our imaginations to fill in all the blanks, but there are times when we do get to ride the time machine and peer into the past we could only make up, as is the case with Cross Justice by James Patterson.

December 16, 2015

“The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August” by Claire North – Immortal Quandaries

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North (Book cover)
Hindsight may very well be one of the cruelest concepts of our world; how many times have you said to yourself “if only I had known”? Who hasn't dreamt of being able to travel far back in time and retain the accumulated knowledge gained through life?

Bill Murray gave us a small glimpse of the possibilities in “Groundhog Day”, and now Claire North (a pen name used by Catherine Webb) takes it to the next level in The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, spreading the power over a lifetime.

December 12, 2015

“The Promise” by Robert Crais – Mr. Rollins' Rule

The Promise by Robert Crais (Book cover)
The life of a fictional private detective is perhaps one of the most demanding ones out there. One can nary have a dame come into their office without being thrown into a five-layer conspiracy that leads to countless tragedies; the easier and more innocent-looking the case, the more it's certain to blow up into a terrifying nightmare.

That's precisely what Elvis Cole finds himself dealing with in The Promise by Robert Crais.

December 9, 2015

“Once Upon a Time in Russia” by Ben Mezrich – Riding the Perestroika Waves

Once Upon a Time in Russia by Ben Mezrich (Book cover)
When the era of communism dawned to a close in the Soviet Union, with the country becoming Russia in 1991, a very turbulent and violent period began during which the country faced a “Wild West”-type scenario, or at least as much as modern civilization permits such a thing to happen.

The perestroika led to countless revolts and a change of regime, but most importantly, it left a huge chunk of power hanging in the air for anyone to claim as their own.

December 6, 2015

“Pirate Hunters” by Robert Kurson – Sunken Legends

Pirate Hunters by Robert Kurson (Book cover)
Pirate stories have fascinated mankind, especially children, probably ever since all their murderous antics and unhygienic lifestyles were forgotten.

Though there may have certainly been much less glory and cleanliness to the stories of famous pirates than we were led to believe, it doesn't change a fact that some of them have managed to achieve downright legendary things, at least from a criminal's perspective.

December 2, 2015

“The Fold” by Peter Clines – Teleportation: Safest Form of Transit

The Fold by Peter Clines (Book cover)
The concept of teleportation is something that is still very much in the realm of science-fiction books and movies, but nevertheless it seems we cannot and never will stop yearning for it.

After all, who out there hasn't wished (perhaps during a bout of laziness) for the ability to instantly cross over great distances and be wherever they wanted?

November 30, 2015

“The Guilty” by David Baldacci – Old Choices; New Consequences

The Guilty by David Baldacci (Book cover)
In his many past outings David Baldacci's Will Robie has proven himself to be a one-of-a-kind assassin, ruthless, effective and infallible. One after the other his targets were biting the dust, and he made short work of all his foes even when things were at their most complicated.

However, in The Guilty Baldacci reminds us of how human he is, as Robie does the unthinkable: he fails a critical assignment, finding himself simply unable to pull the trigger. With his incompetence overshadowing the grandiose reputation he has built for himself, Robie is sent down on a path into his own past.

November 25, 2015

“Even Dogs in the Wild” by Ian Rankin – Scottish Standoff

Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin (Book cover)
The face of organized crime has changed rather drastically in Scotland since the old days. Whereas gangsters used to be universally feared and even revered by many, today the old sharks see many of their revenue streams either legalized or made non-viable through other social developments.

Nevertheless, they still very much exist and are dangerous in their domains of operation, still playing parts that make the news and attract the public's eye, or at least it is the case in Ian Rankin's latest detective Rebus novel, Even Dogs in the Wild.

November 22, 2015

“The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto” by Mitch Albom - Traversing the Landscape of Sound

The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom (Book cover)
Up until the 20th century it can be said that the evolution of music was relatively slow, with certain genres and composition styles staying popular for decades upon decades, if not centuries.

For instance, classical music has been evolving for hundreds of years while countless folk songs have gone unchanged since the dawn of time.

November 19, 2015

“Children of Monsters” by Jay Nordlinger – Successors of Evil

Children of Monsters by Jay Nordlinger (Book cover)
Dictators inhabit the pages of our history books quite comfortably and have done so for quite some time. Tyrannies are nothing new, and they have existed for so long that many have developed a certain fascination with them, seeking to understand their mechanics to the very core.

Perhaps because of sheer bad luck (or the Illuminati) the 21st century gave rise to a fair number of dictators who left their bloody marks on the world. But more than that, they also left their children, turning them into a chosen few who have been dealt a rather strange hand by life.

November 13, 2015

“The Lincoln Lawyer” by Michael Connelly – Beverly Hills Rot

The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (Book cover)
A lawyer's approach to justice dictates not only their level of success, but also the kinds of clients they will end up taking on. There are some who see it as their sacred duty to ensure a fair trial is given to all and that rules are followed to the letter so that the law may be applied to all equally and without discrimination.

However, there is also the other side of the spectrum... those who see justice as being something malleable that changes shape depending on perspective. Mickey Haller is one such defense attorney, and in The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly he ends up taking a path most interesting.

November 8, 2015

"Nemesis” by Catherine Coulter – No Rest for the Righteous

Nemesis by Catherine Coulter (Book cover)
These days new thrillers hit the shelves every day by the dozens, and while some of them are certainly great, it saturates the genre with re-hashed plots and devices.

There always comes a point where a genre needs some creativity, some new life to shake things up... and that's precisely what Catherine Coulter does in one of her latest novels, Nemesis, a thriller featuring both Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich, FBI agents.

November 6, 2015

The Jacob Whaler Interview – The “Stones” Series and Literature

Jacob Whaler

Jacob Whaler


Jacob Whaler is the author of the science-fiction series Stones and has taken to writing after spending much of his life gazing down financial documents.

A writer at heart, he moved away from the megalopolises he lived in for something quieter, living the author's dream.
Greetings to everyone, today we are taking a little detour from book reviews in favour of hearing the opinions straight out of an author: Jacob Whaler. In our email interview we asked him a few questions about his book series, Stones, as well as a few additional enquires as to his relation to literature in general. Without further ado, the interview:

Do you favor any one of the books over the others?
J.W. - I have to say that I love all of them. I spent the most time working on Stones #1, since it was my first novel ever to be published. All four of them just sort of poured out of me over a two year period.

How did you initially come up with the principal idea that gave birth to the series?
J.W. - The long answer to this is on my website and in my bio posted on Amazon. The short answer is that I found a piece of obsidian rock when I was 6 years old, and it became the idea for the books. I always felt something powerful when I held that rock in my hand, and I finally decided to write a story about it.

November 4, 2015

“Goebbels: A Biography” by Peter Longerich – The Face of a Monster

Goebbels: A Biography by Peter Longerich (Book cover)
Though the Third Reich may have only lasted a dozen years it remains to this day one of the most scrupulously studied regimes and time periods.

The National Socialist movement paved the way for a tyranny the likes of which we seldom see, of unrivalled cruelty, discrimination, brainwashing and organization... a tyranny that set an ethnic cleansing into motion.

October 31, 2015

“Rogue Lawyer” by John Grisham – Justice, a Human Right

Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham (Book cover)
Ever since humans have been living in society by some codes and standards we've tried to brush up on our sense of justice. Most agree that in a perfect world, justice is dispensed equally and without discrimination so that all may get what they deserve.

Needless to say, we'll probably never reach that Nirvana, but we can certainly try... and that's exactly what Sebastian Rudd dedicates his life to in John Grisham's latest legal thriller, Rogue Lawyer.

October 30, 2015

“Saturn Run” by John Sandford and Ctein – Trials of the Cosmos

Saturn Run by John Sandford and Ctein (Book cover)
Outer space is something that forever has and most likely will continue to hold our attention and fuel our imagination. After all, it is a grandiose world of unimaginable proportions and unthinkable processes that gives way to just about every scenario the human mind can come up with, and more.

There is nothing like going past the frontier and being the one to push space exploration to new horizons, to find another piece of the universal puzzle.

Though our technology still has ways to go until we can actually make the trip, very few things can contain the power of the mind: John Sandford and Ctein take us into deep space in Saturn Run.

October 26, 2015

“E-Cubed” by Pam Grout – Through the Eyes of Quantum Physics

E-Cubed by Pam Grout (Book cover)
Throughout our history, we humans have come face-to-face with incalculable amounts of unexplained phenomena, and more often than not our inability to make sense of things led us to create explanations we could somehow make sense of.

Thankfully though, the scientific minds amongst us have never stopped working in the right direction, and since the scientific oppression more or less ended we've been busy making discoveries and providing real answers to the questions that nagged us for years, if not decades or even centuries.

October 22, 2015

“The Nazis Next Door” by Eric Lichtblau – Welcoming the Enemy

The Nazis Next Door by Eric Lichtblau (Book cover)
As much as we would like for wars to end when the conquered surrender and peace treaties are signed, the truth is that the spirit of conflict floats over the people for months, if not for years after.

This was true for World War II as well; though the Nazi government may have been vanquished, it left a lot of living Nazis behind, people who had committed atrocities and seeking to start anew... a chance they got in America.

October 17, 2015

“Finders Keepers” by Stephen King – The Novel of Blood

Finders Keepers by Stephen King (Book cover)
We've gotten rather used to the concept of there being popular figures and their fans. Most people make whoever's work they truly enjoy a part of their life... but there are some who start basing their lives around it, and worse, around the artist him/herself.

The fear of crazy and dangerously-obsessed fans has no doubt plagued virtually everyone who had a brush with fame, and in his new novel Finders Keepers , Stephen King once again plays on it masterfully.

October 14, 2015

“The Guise of Another” by Allen Eskens – Identity Trail

The Guise of Another by Allen Eskens (Book cover)
It seems that for one reason or another war veterans don't fare all that well in the world of literature. More often than not they are traumatized by what they've experienced, are alcoholics, down-on-their-luck, with the whole wide world pressing down against them.

And yet they make for some of the best heroes, the unlikeliest of underdogs who go against the grain regardless of whether or not they will end up winning. In The Guise of Another by Allen Eskens we have the pleasure of following Alexander Rupert, that kind of war veteran, on a rather strange path to redemption.

October 9, 2015

“Operation Paperclip” by Annie Jacobsen – The Brilliant Minds of the Enemy

Operation Paperclip by Annie Jacobsen (Book cover)
No matter how much hatred one holds for the Nazis, there is no denying that they were at the peak of the mountain in terms of technological research. That is to say, they had some of the most brilliant scientific minds the world had ever seen working for the Third Reich.

After the Second World War came to an end the winning countries had to decide what to do with those people, and that's when the United States put in motion the operation that would secretly bring over those Nazi scientists, putting them to work on American soil, for American interests. Annie Jacobsen has written an entire book about the whole thing, titled Operation Paperclip.

October 8, 2015

“The Good Neighbor” by A. J. Banner – The Fires of Betrayal

The Good Neighbor by A. J. Banner (Book cover)
Small, peaceful and loving communities are about as disarming an environment as one could hope to find; after all, how could anyone have trouble in paradise?

Well, as it turns out, in the world of literature paradise is the perfect place for things to go sour, and that's precisely what happens in A. J. Banner's first novel, The Good Neighbor.

October 5, 2015

“Pines” by Blake Crouch – No Exits from Paradise

Pines by Blake Crouch (Book cover)
This past summer a ten-episode show graced our televisions, called Wayward Pines. It earned a whole lot of critical acclaim, being the most-watched show in its running time, and sent a lot of people investigating on its source.

Lo and behold, it was all based on a trilogy of books, called the Wayward Pines Series , written by Blake Crouch, with the first book which kicks off the strange adventure being appropriately-titled Pines.

October 3, 2015

“Killing Reagan” by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard – The bullet that Changed it All

Killing Reagan by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard (Book cover)
With the kind of security the President of the United States benefits from today, it would be hard to imagine someone succeeding in an assassination.

No resources are spared in ensuring the safety of arguably the country's most important person, whether it be intelligence investigations, armoured cars, or security agents.

September 30, 2015

“All That Followed” by Gabriel Urza – The Terror of the Unexpected

All That Followed by Gabriel Urza (Book cover)
The search for truth is an objective humanity has always been aiming for, and though there are certainly those who recognize ignorance as bliss, most people want to see reality in all of its beauty and horror... often not knowing what they are asking to see until it's too late.

Regardless, it seems we always have and will continue to strive for truth and justice, no matter what the cost, as do the people of Muriga, a quiet Spanish town, in Gabriel Urza's novel, All That Followed.

September 25, 2015

“The Pentagon's Brain” by Annie Jacobsen – The Story of DARPA

The Pentagon's Brain by Annie Jacobsen (Book cover)
The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, better-known by its acronym DARPA, is a rather well-guarded secret of the state, and as such draws a lot of suspicion by its very nature.

When such a huge and unknown mass of mystery hangs in the air, it always draws people who want to pierce it and expose its true nature.

September 23, 2015

“An Absent Mind” by Eric Rill – The Final Mile

An Absent Mind by Eric Rill (Book cover)
Though at first most people have very concrete goals and ideas as to what they want to accomplish before their time on this Earth is up, as we get older most of us shift our focus towards just trying to be happy and keeping it all together.

Some have the misfortune of being left to scramble and make up for many lost years in their final stretch of life, as is Saul in Eric Rill's An Absent Mind.

September 18, 2015

“The Rumor” by Elin Hilderbrand – The Ruin of Words

The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand (Author)
Ever since most of us were young we were taught not to stick our noses in other people's affairs, not to jump to conclusions, make assumptions based on appearances... basically, we were taught not to gossip.

 However, we knew way better than to let those lessons get to us... whether we do it for the mere pleasure of this type of voyeurism or to convince ourselves we have it pretty well, there is no denying: gossip is fun.

September 14, 2015

“The Good Girl” by Mary Kubica – Filling in the Blanks

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica (Book cover)
Family secrets aren't usually that big of a deal... most have them, and they generally revolve around hilariously embarrassing moments or medical issues.

It's not that often that you see a family keeping so many skeletons in its closet that it threatens to burst, but it's certainly that kind of story which gets our attention, and that's what we are treated to in Mary Kubica's The Good Girl.

September 10, 2015

“Trail of Broken Wings” by Sejal Badani –A Burden of Shameful Secrets

Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Badani (Book cover)
The concept of actions and consequences is one we're all privy to and have experienced in one form or another... as a matter of fact, you've made it far enough to be reading book review blogs in life, chances are you've experienced the phenomenon in some surprising ways.

Perhaps unfortunately, the consequences of some decisions can take years upon years to make themselves known, and even if we don't really see it, the accumulation of the decisions we make and the secrets we keep can have a very powerful effect further down the line.

This is precisely the kind of thing three sisters are exposed to in Trail of Broken Wings , the first book by Sejal Badani.

September 7, 2015

“The Girl from Krakow” by Alex Rosenberg – Outlasting Evil

The Girl from Krakow by Alex Rosenberg (Book cover)
World War II, still fresh in the annals of our history, was without a doubt the deadliest and most far-reaching conflict we know of... for now of course, as we have a tendency to constantly outdo ourselves.

In any case, the few years it spanned were some of the strangest and most tumultuous ones, at least in the 20th century, and so it is quite understandable why many authors choose it as the backdrop for their works of fiction, as did Alex Rosenberg in The Girl from Krakow.

September 3, 2015

“Modern Romance” by Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg – Chivalry Never Dies

Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg (Book cover)
The concept of dating (or “courting”, depending how fancy you are) is one that that seems to have undergone a tremendous amount of ages as societies have been developing over the course of thousands of years. We've constantly been inventing rules and traditions, and then reshaping them to fit whichever direction society tended to go.

Thankfully, it has come to a point today where people (in most developed countries at least) have a great amount of freedom in whom they choose to go out with and what they do together.

September 1, 2015

“Alert” by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge – A Technological Terror

Alert by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge (Book cover)
While technology certainly has enhanced our lives and opened countless new roads and possibilities for us to take, it is nevertheless a double-edged sword and deep down most of us know that someone, somewhere will find a way to use these advancements for a greater evil.

Many have already written about the pitfalls of our technological development and how it can be used for terror, and Alert by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge falls into that category.

August 31, 2015

“It IS About Islam” by Glenn Beck – Where the Extremists Came From

It IS About Islam by Glenn Beck (Book cover)
Extremism is far from being something new in this world, with virtually every religion having its fair share of adherents who are willing to take things as far as they possibly can, generally deciding to follow their teachings to the letter.

Today, most of the world has its eyes turned on Muslim extremists, terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda, ISIS, and the Muslim Brotherhood. Though relatively speaking these extremists are rather few in numbers, they have still managed to create a worldwide stigma against Islam that, in some places, is growing stronger and stronger as their actions grow more violent.

August 28, 2015

“Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates – Through the Lens of Race

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Book cover)
Though the law in the United States may very well dictate that everyone is to be considered equal, I believe we all know that in practice, many people simply don't see things that way.

Racial relations have come a tremendously long way in the past century, but nevertheless things continue to be more difficult for minorities from a socioeconomic standpoint.

August 27, 2015

“H is for Hawk” by Helen Macdonald – A Falconer's Grief

H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (Book cover)
Grief is something that touches us all in different ways, and there is no way of predicting how one will react to the loss of a loved one.

When it came to Helen Macdonald, probably few could predict what she decided to do in the wake of her father's sudden passing in the streets of London; she decided to raise one of the deadliest and most vicious predators, the goshawk.

Even though she was already an experienced falconer, she knew that this journey wouldn't prove to be a usual one and test her in many ways... and she wrote a memoir of it titled H is for Hawk.

August 23, 2015

How Editing Can Make or Break Your Book Explained by Bernice Fischer

Bernice Fischer (Author)

Bernice Fischer


Personal site

Bernice Fischer is an author hailing from South Africa who was virtually born into the world of literature and has recently published her first novel, Jeff Madison and the Shimmers of Drakemere , a work largely acclaimed as brilliant and promising.

When most aspiring authors think of writing their first book they are extremely focused on the writing itself. How should they get started, develop characters, create the setting, describe appearances... and so on and so forth. While learning about the process of writing is certainly important in the creation of a novel (after all, very few of us can make an enthralling story with instincts alone), there is much more to it. As a matter of fact, what comes after you've finished writing will take up a lot more time and effort than you imagined.

Though book editors aren't exactly heralded as heroes by most readers, they play a role equally important to the author's in shaping the final product. Frankly, I could go on and on all day about how important editing is, but I believe it can be far better explained by author Bernice Fischer, as she did in an e-mail exchange:

August 21, 2015

“Whitey” by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill – The American Al Capone

Whitey by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill (Book cover)
When it comes to powerful old-time gangsters, it's mostly Italian and Sicilian names that come to mind (and perhaps a few Jewish ones), such as Al Capone, “Lucky” Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Vito Genovese and Joseph Bonanno, just to name a few. As you would expect though, they are far from being the only people to have taken organized crime to the next level.

Amongst the many other deadly crime bosses that came and went during the 20th century is one that won't soon be forgotten, especially by the American law enforcement agencies: James J. “Whitey” Bulger.

August 18, 2015

“Three Moments of an Explosion” by China Mieville – A Celebration of the Enigmatic

Three Moments of an Explosion by China Mieville (Book cover)
I'm certain that at this point, no matter what your system of belief and morality is, you've come to the great conclusion that this world is a strange one, and it feels as if there will never be an end to the bizarre phenomenons we are incapable of explaining.

Most of us choose to press onwards and not pay too much attention to that, taking it one day at a time and trying to keep things as normal as possible, both inside and outside ourselves.

August 15, 2015

“Street Poison” by Justin Gifford – From Robert Beck to Iceberg Slim

Street Poison by Justin Gifford (Book cover)
Contemporary black culture certainly has many prominent figures who majorly contributed to its development in the latter half of the 20th century, but few of them arguably had the influence of Iceberg Slim, a real icon of his time. In his biography Street Poison, Justin Gifford takes it upon himself to examine in as much depth as possible this unique man's story.

The book touches on Iceberg Slim's (real name Robert Beck) life from the very beginning, with his birth in 1918 to parents who migrated to Chicago from Tennessee.

August 8, 2015

The Jacob Whaler Method of Writing

Jacob Whaler

Jacob Whaler


Jacob Whaler is the author of the science-fiction series Stones and has taken to writing after spending much of his life gazing down financial documents.

A writer at heart, he moved away from the megalopolises he lived in for something quieter, living the author's dream.
Greetings dear readers, a couple of days ago I got in touch with Jacob Whaler (jacobwhaler.com), author of the Stones series, in order to discuss writing.

More precisely, I asked him if he had any words of wisdom to share for aspiring writers who don't know where to start... and he gave me some of the best advice I've ever received on the topic. I decided it would be a crime to keep his insight away from the world, and so I am sharing it here today:

Jack Whaler says:

Thanks for reading my blog post and reminding me that I need to do more of them!

Yeah, for me it's all about getting my hands on the keyboard. Inspiration seems to strike when my fingers are moving. I rarely get good ideas for my books when I'm not at the keyboard. I have a feeling a lot of people "think" about writing a novel, but don't make any progress because they never actually sit down and start to write. Sitting in front of a blank page is a fearful and stressful thing. It's easier to just "think" about writing and spend a lot of time gathering ideas by watching movies, etc.

August 6, 2015

“Invisible City” by Julia Dahl – The Jewish Outsider

Invisible City by Julia Dahl (Book cover)
Secular religious communities have always been a sort of attraction for those outside of them, a mystery that dares to be solved, a secret upon which we only gain momentary glimpses.

As you may suspect, there isn't actually a whole lot of black magic, child sacrifices or supernatural happening behind those closed doors... rather, they just make for small societies that function differently from our own, with their proper internal functions. As a matter of fact, they are the perfect backdrop for murder mysteries, as is the case in Invisible City by Julia Dahl.

August 4, 2015

“Against All Enemies” by John Gilstrap – Fearing the People

Against All Enemies by John Gilstrap (Book cover)
Even though we can all agree that governments are necessary building pillars for modern society to hold on, there is no denying that some of them seem to cause more harm than good in the end, or at least only serve the personal interests of those in charge.

There must always exist a balance of respect and power between the government and the people, each one keeping the other in check as they co-exist. When that balance is upset forces tend to start shifting, metaphorical volcanoes come to a boil, and in the end, someone always fights back.

July 31, 2015

“Ghettoside” by Jill Leovy – Swept Under the Rug

Ghettoside by Jill Leovy (Book cover)
The South Central Los Angeles neighborhood has been depicted thoroughly in movies as well as literature... and yet, an overwhelming majority of us will never see the place with our own eyes or dive deep enough ourselves to gain an understanding of what's really happening there and why.

Thankfully, there are brave journalists who do these things for us, and Jill Leovy is one of them. Her many years spent observing South Central have led her to make some interesting conclusions and realize truths that she puts to the fore in her book Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America.

July 30, 2015

“An Ember in the Ashes” by Sabaa Tahir – Dethroning Tyranny

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (Book cover)
Family and freedom: if there were ever more righteous causes to raise arms and fight against some enemy, we certainly haven't heard of them.

The desire to protect those we love and having the freedom to choose as we desire are very important motivators, ones that worked when it came time for citizens to rebel against their tyrants and to fearlessly charge against fate and its overwhelming odds.

This is what we've been fighting for in both reality and fiction, as is precisely the case in Sabaa Tahir's first novel, An Ember in the Ashes.

July 28, 2015

“No Safe House” by Linwood Barclay – Unseen Horrors of Suburbia

No Safe House by Linwood Barclay (Book cover)
The green lawns, the white picket fences, calm and quiet afternoons... what is there not to feel safe about when living in the American suburbs, where decent, hard-working folk have found peace for generations?

After the horrors he and his family faced in the events of No Time for Goodbye, Terry Archer decided to go live in the quaint and safe haven of suburbia, albeit without his wife who decided to go on a self-imposed exile upon seeing that her demons have led her to harming Grace, their daughter.

July 27, 2015

“On the Move: A Life” by Oliver Sacks – The Master of All Trades

On the Move: A Life by Oliver Sacks (Book cover)
We grow up in this world and try to focus our efforts on some specific domain, hopefully mastering it as time comes along. There are some anomalies out there, outliers who seem to have been born with exceptional talents, with the potential to become masters at whatever they touch... and Oliver Sacks is one of those.

As a man who managed to give equal focus to his physical and cerebral passions, Sacks became known for both his daring lifestyle and contributions to modern medicine. Recently diagnosed with terminal-stage cancer, Sacks has decided to give yet another source of insight into his life through his autobiography On the Move: A Life.

July 25, 2015

“Barbarian Days” by William Finnegan – Around the World on a Surfing Board

Barbarian Days by William Finnegan (Author)
For the casual observer from the outside, surfing seems like a cool and somewhat simple sport, one that doesn't evolve into anything more than a hobby.

However, for people like William Finnegan, surfing represents a whole lot more than that: it is a way of life, one that can take a person around the entire world and can also be seen as a an international community with a high sense of camaraderie.