Mark Stevens's Blog, page 30
January 10, 2018
Christine Carbo, “The Weight of Night”
Come for the scenery, stay for the characters. Christine Carbo’s setting for her three books to date—The Wild Inside, Mortal Fall, and the new one, The Weight of the Night—is Montana’s Glacier National Park. Against the rocky-snowy backdrop, she has … Continue reading →
December 31, 2017
2017: Top Books
Highlights from reading in 2017. Rank means nothing here, just my favorites from titles I read last year, though not necessarily published in 2017. Fiction. One. Crow Fair by Thomas McGuane For “Motherlode” alone. Two. Montana Noir – Edited by … Continue reading →
December 23, 2017
Jennifer Egan, “Manhattan Beach”
I cued up Manhattan Beach with high hopes—a strong female character making her way up in the male-dominated ranks of divers who repair ships underwater during World War II? Sign me up. And to up the anticipation, the writer is … Continue reading →
December 8, 2017
Elizabeth Kolbert, “The Sixth Extinction”
The cataclysm, writes Elizabeth Kolbert, is us. As with Kolbert’s earlier Field Notes to a Catastrophe, I would make this required reading in every school in the land. Say, high school. Freshmen would read Field Notes. Sophomores would read The … Continue reading →
November 12, 2017
Chasing Spiders With A Pen: Gary Reilly’s War
A piece about the late Gary Reilly and his private war, which lasted long after he spent time as an MP in Vietnam. On the Quivering Pen. Here. Thanks to David Abrams for the opportunity. Advertisements Filed under: Books Tagged: … Continue reading →
November 9, 2017
“Jack Up The Moderation”
A few thoughts (okay, rules!) for those who choose to moderate panels at book conferences, posted on the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers blog here. Advertisements Filed under: Books
November 6, 2017
Elizabeth Kolbert, “Field Notes From A Catastrophe”
Elizabeth Kolbert’s Field Notes From a Catastrophe—Man, Nature and Climate Change is more than ten years old, but don’t let that dissuade you from reading this brisk, concise overview about the complexities of global warming and all the reasons we should … Continue reading →
November 1, 2017
Q & A #59 – Sal Maida, “Four Strings, Phony Proof, and 300 45’s”
If you stalk the band Cracker (not that I would ever do such a thing), you’re going to get to know the guys in the band. (Well, most of them. Crumbs – Cracker fans – know what I mean.) In … Continue reading →
October 13, 2017
Thomas McGuane, “Crow Fair”
Montana Noir (Akashic Books) turned me on to Thomas McGuane’s compelling “Motherlode” and that sent me to his latest short-story collection, Crow Fair, which also includes that short story. Yes, I read it again. Four times? Five? It keeps on … Continue reading →
October 4, 2017
Montana: Big Book Country
A recap of my trip to the Montana Book Festival on the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Blog is here. Advertisements Filed under: Books
