James Master's Blog, page 22

Banned Books Week 2020

Banned Books Week began in 1982 due to an increase in challenges to books in schools, libraries, and bookstores. The American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) creates a list of challenged books across the country.A challenge, as... Read More ›

Review of Piranesi

This book wasn’t one that I was expecting to love. In fact, I’ve never heard of the author, Susanna Clarke, nor was I aware of this novel’s existence. I encountered it because it was my first choice for Book of... Read More ›

Review of Midnight Sun

When I first heard that Stephenie Meyer was actually going to be publishing Midnight Sun, I was intrigued. For those unfamiliar with the sparkly vampire franchise The Twilight Saga, it’s a book series set in Forks, Washington and follows Isabella... Read More ›

Backup Plan by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Emily Goodwin is now live!

Bit of a precursor before we get to the big news. Just wanted to congratulate Emily Goodwin, a friend and a fellow Hoosier author, on her newest book release! Now on to the announcement and summary of Backup Plan by... Read More ›

Review of Malorie

Have you ever finished a book and felt that it concluded in such a fulfilling manner that it didn’t deem a sequel? That’s how I felt Josh Malerman’s debut novel Bird Box ended. However, six years after Bird Box was... Read More ›

#MediaLivesMatter

Fake news isn’t a new thing. In fact, it’s been a deeply rooted infection in journalism for hundreds of years. At least on this continent. There’s a pretty great article titled “Fake News: An Origin Story” that chronicles the origins... Read More ›

2020 Mid-Year Book Freak Out

I’ve been watching a lot of booktube, which is a nickname for YouTubers that focus on books, and I’ve seen a lot of those channels doing what’s called a Mid-Year Book Freak Out tag. I’ve set a goal of reading... Read More ›

Review of Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre

I’ve never been a fan of the myths of Bigfoot. Sure, I enjoyed those beef stick commercials where the hikers play pranks on the dumb sasquatch, but other than that I didn’t know that I would want to experience anything else featuring the mythical monster. That was, of course, until author Max Brooks brought us … Continue reading Review of Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre

My Reading Role Models

So, it’s Father’s Day Sunday. If you’re reading this on Sunday or sometime afterward, then it is and it was Father’s Day today or Sunday. There, I’ve covered all my temporal bases. First off, happy Father’s Day to all those dads, fathers, papas, grandfathers, granddads, grandpapas, and all of the other monikers one could attribute … Continue reading My Reading Role Models

Based on a True Story

You’ve heard it all before. Based on a true story. Ripped from the headlines. There are a lot of television shows/novels/films that claim that their stories are actual depictions of real life events. But are they? How much truth is in that historical book you’re reading? Do you bother to check? What about those Law … Continue reading Based on a True Story