Archive for Items Categorized 'Fiction', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.

A Tale of Two Cities

by Charles Dickens

More than likely you had to read Dickens’ masterpiece in High School or at University. More than likely you have not reread it since. So if you are planning to binge watch, say, the 21st season of Law and Order, why not put that aside for another weekend and, instead, put your nose in a classic novel? If you don’t have a copy in your library, we recommend this Penguin edition.

Deadly Driver

by J.K. Kelly

As if being an F1 driver isn’t dangerous and difficult enough. How about being a CIA agent too, at the same time? The “endearingly flawed protagonist” of this novel goes places where even Bond, James Bond would be out of his element.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, A Novel

by Quentin Tarantino

You saw the movie! Now read the book! Filmmaker Quentin Taratino, of Pulp Fiction fame, scores another hit. Rated R for language, alcohol use, and sexual content!

Orbiting Ray Bradbury’s Mars

by Gloria MacMillan, editor

Bradbury is on the A-list of classic sci-fi literature. This book examines his work through various prisms—literary, sociological, scientific. It also deals with how Bradbury was adapted to film and television. It will satisfy both Bradbury fans and Bradbury scholars

The Rooster Bar

by John Grisham

A tale of law students growing disillusioned—about their chosen profession, their mediocre school, crushing student loan debt. The students hatch a plan, and as so many plans hatched over a drink or three, things go a bit off the rails.

Batman Black and White

by Gianni, Goodwin, Gaiman, McKeever, Miller et al

Not for fanfolk only! Every book lover with an especial interest in pen-and-ink, black-and-white, the art of drawing, should consider tracking this one down.

The Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer, American Animation Pioneer

by Ray Pointer

Betty Boop is over 80 years old but to her fans she’s as young and sexy as ever. See how she, and Popeye and KoKo and lots of other characters were created and how the pioneering animation studios worked.

A Banquet of Consequences

by Elizabeth George

She’s back. She’s great. Another Lynley Mystery from the master of the Detective genre, Elizabeth George.

The Rum Diary, The Long Lost Novel

by Hunter S. Thompson

Thompson is best known for his Gonzo-Journalism—fame for his Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas has not yet abated. But in his first novel, published decades after it was first written, we find something different, even a drop of tenderness. For those wary of his hyper-stylization but curious concerning the author, this would be a good introduction into Thompson’s worldview.

Catwoman, The Life and Times of a Feline Fatale

by Suzan Colón

A fun pictorial tribute. If this book were about The Batman, it’d be called sexist. Can good graphic design trump mediocre content? Don’t reject this book out of hand—but don’t break the kitty for it either.

Popeye In a Sock for Susan’s Sake

by Elzie Crisler Segar

Introduced in 1929, Popeye the Sailor Man became—and remains—a cartoon superstar. This classic Whitman Better Little Book is an unusual and quite pleasing venue for Popeye.

Bleeding Edge

by Thomas Pynchon

The internet, capitalism, 9/11 are the big themes in this reclusive American author’s latest detective novel. Beautiful language, rich imagery, many questions, few answers. All good.