Steven E. Wedel's Blog, page 12
August 2, 2016
Review: To a God Unknown
To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I went into John Steinbeck’s novel a little skeptical. His debut, Cup of Gold, was, shall we say, less than impressive. He found himself, though, found his subject matter, found his voice, found his themes, and began laying the groundwork for The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, and so many others. To a God Unknown is an important novel for Steinbeck fans.
There was so much here that brought to mind other, better known works from Amer...
July 22, 2016
Review: A Head Full of Ghosts
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
It’s hard to believe this is the first horror novel I’ve read in a long, long time. Mostly I liked it, but it also reminded me why it’s been so long since I’ve read a horror novel, and why I quit the Horror Writers Association.
Imagine The Exorcist as a reality TV show with running commentary about the evils of a patriarchal society. That’s pretty much A Head Full of Ghosts. The story is told by a grown woman who was an eight-ye...
July 18, 2016
Review: Conversations with John Steinbeck
Conversations with John Steinbeck by Thomas Fensch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you want to know something about America’s greatest author but don’t the the time or attention span for a full-on biography, this is the book for you.
Steinbeck was a shy man and, despite his ongoing moonlighting as a journalist himself, he didn’t much care for the press. So it’s nice to have this collection of interviews with the author combined into one volume, showing the progression of his career from when he...
Review: The Lawless Land
The Lawless Land by Dusty Richards
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Dusty Richards is a heck of a nice guy. I’ve met him at a few writers’ conferences and have several of his books, but hadn’t found time to read one. Then I found myself at another convention and I’d forgotten the book I was reading, so I visited Walmart and picked up this one despite it’s horrible cover with a hipster cowboy holding a gun like he’s one of Charlie’s Angels.
I’ve got to say I was less than impressed with this novel. T...
July 17, 2016
Review: The Nations
The Nations by Ken Farmer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Eh. The story itself wasn’t so bad, but Ken Farmer’s reading of the book made me want to slam my head against the steering wheel of my car. He typically paused after about every third word, often with a rising inflection as if he was asking a question, and it almost sent me over the edge. As I said, the story itself wasn’t so bad, but I’d recommend reading it yourself. It did make me want to know more about Bass Reeves.
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July 7, 2016
Review: Cutthroat Trail
Cutthroat Trail by David R Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Urban Dictionary offers this definition for the term “book hangover”: “When you’ve finished a book and you suddenly return to the real world, but the real world feels incomplete or surreal because you’re still living in the world of the book.”
I didn’t intend to read all seven of David R. Lewis’s Trail series one right after the other, but I did it. And now they’re done. It’s time to read something else. But I don’t particularly w...
July 6, 2016
Too Bad Durant Didn’t Take the Thunder with Him
I have several former students who left me at the end of their senior years filled with determination and plans to inspire young minds the way some teacher(s) had done for them. Some of them are close to graduating from college now. One of them posted a link about yet another school cutting its budget on Facebook tonight, adding that she thinks she has wasted her time in college.
This comes the day after Kevin Durant announced he’s leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder and people all over the sta...
July 2, 2016
Review: Killdeer Trail
Killdeer Trail by David R. Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A crazy old woman’s poisoned a church well, killing 13 people because her son died in the church after the rattlesnake he was loving on bit him. The woman then flees across state lines to avoid capture, which puts Rube, Homer, and Marion on her trail.
Everything I’ve said about David. R. Lewis’s Trail series previously holds true for this book. It’s fast paced, full of action, loaded with humor that doesn’t detract from what the story...
June 26, 2016
Tips for Writing an Effective Book Review
Tips for Writing an Effective Book Review
Book reviews are more than just an ego boost for authors. Your review – whether it’s a full-on critique or simply a rating – helps future readers determine whether or not to give that author’s work a chance. Also, on sites like Amazon.com, the number of reviews helps to determine if the site will put that book in front of shoppers looking at similar items; the more reviews, the more likely the book will be suggested to more shoppers (it’s all about th...
June 22, 2016
Review: Ogallala Trail
Ogallala Trail by David R. Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The fifth book of David R. Lewis’s Trail series see Rubin, Marion, and Homer traveling much further northwest than just Ogallala as they track a band of renegade Indians and half-breeds who crippled one of Marion’s friends and stole a girl.
It’s another fun, action-packed adventure that Lewis’s fans will thoroughly enjoy.
