Steven M. Moore's Blog, page 90
January 4, 2018
Book review of Andy Weir’s Artemis…
(Andy Weir, Artemis, Crown-Penguin Random House, 2017, ISBN 978-0-553-44812-2)
Visitors to this website and readers of this blog should know that my book reviews originate in two ways. I “officially review” at Bookpleasures.com because I can choose from many books I’m not familiar with and provide authors new to me some name recognition. I also read many books for R&R and will sometimes review some of them if I have something positive to say. In either case, I won’t refrain from stating the n...
January 2, 2018
ABC Shorts: Caitlin O’Riley…
[A bit early for St. Patrick’s Day, but what the heck…there was plenty of Guinness and Jameson imbibed yesterday!]
Caitlin O’Riley
Copyright 2018, A. B. Carolan
The shuttle from the starship Brendan touched down in the forest clearing. Security personnel were first out; Dr. Carlos Obregon was the last to leave. He’d wangled a trip from the captain because he needed some fresh air and the new planet seemed mysteriously beckoning to his aging eyes.
“Looks like ancient Humans’ idea of paradise,”...
December 31, 2017
Happy New Year!
2017 was bad for many reason–politics, extreme weather, terrorism, ethnic cleansing…the list goes on. Let’s learn from our mistakes and refocus to make 2018, and our world, much better.
In libris libertas!
December 22, 2017
Holiday Greetings 2017-18!
Happy Holidays to everyone! Take this time to enjoy being with family and friends. Forget those New Year’s resolutions, but plan what you’d like to accomplish in the New Year and how you’d like to change in your life.
The last is segue to informing you about a change in this blog.
First, I’ll not be posting again until January. Second, I’m changing both the frequency and content of what I’ll post. Many of my posts are very time consuming and need a lot of investigative journalism; I’d like...
Movie Reviews # 57…
[A note from Steve: Added bonus this week due to the holiday greetings and important announcement that follows….]
The Shape of Water. Guillermo Del Toro, dir. What more can I say when I see a perfect story brought to life with beautiful imagery on the silver screen? This movie has a great plot, great characters, great settings and visuals. There’s not a moment wasted in this fantasy thriller that is magical realism in film format. To end the year in grand style, I hope this is the last movie...
December 21, 2017
The end game…
If you’re a reader, do you peruse what’s at the end of a book? Many authors only include a short bio, especially those reliable mares and stallions in the Big Five publishers’ stables, but as a reader, you might like a wee bit more, right? What can authors for you beyond that ubiquitous bio, especially authors of indie books and those writing for indie publishers (small presses)? Consider it a bit of dessert after that full meal corresponding to the book you have just read that tells you more...
December 20, 2017
News and Notices from the Writing Trenches # 153…
Don’t miss out. Books make excellent holiday gifts, so don’t miss the chance to give the avid readers on your list many hours of reading pleasure.
First, all ebooks in the “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series” (seven novels) are on sale right now at Smashwords. The two NYPD homicide detectives’ cases often start out local and blow up into national and international crises (at least the ones I report on).
Second, The Chaos Chronicles Trilogy Collection bundles together the sci-fi novels t...
December 19, 2017
A breeding ground for fascists?
Overthrows engineered by the military in Third World countries are ubiquitous, but is the U.S. now in danger of following this fascist paradigm? Military men Flynn, Kelly, Mattis, and McMaster are or were all members of Mr. Trump’s cabinet, and it’s clear that the Joint Chiefs have a lot of influence in this White House too. When one considers that the higher echelons in the military organizations are natural breeding grounds for fascists, the question arises whether civilian control of the m...
December 18, 2017
Monday words of wisdom…
There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.—John F. Kennedy.
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The entire “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series” is on sale now at Smashwords until December 24. The NYPD homicide detectives’ cases usually start out in New York City but expand to national and international crises as they fight all sorts of criminals—gun runners, sex traffickers, evil hedge fund owners, drug smugglers, terrorists, and more. The crime-fightin...
December 14, 2017
The hard work after writing a book manuscript…
I’m going to commit blasphemy by disagreeing with newly famous sci-fi writer Hugh Howey. I can’t remember the source of the article, but in it he stated: “The hardest part of getting a book published is the actual writing.” Maybe the creator of Wool is on such a pedestal now (he’s a self-publishing success story), no one should dare question any pronouncement he makes, but I will do so. Maybe how he published Wool (like episodes from a soap opera) was easy for him, but I don’t recommend seria...
