Steven E. Wedel's Blog, page 26
July 26, 2013
Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oh my gosh. This book was amazing. I came at it with some trepidation, expecting one of those heavy-handed anti-man, anti-white books that liberal professors like to assign to promote white guilt. Don’t get me wrong, this is very much about one woman’s search for meaning, and there are racial elements in the theme, but maybe not what you’ll expect going in.
Hurston’s writing is just incredible. Her use of metaphor and...
July 25, 2013
Free Read: Sample Chapter of Amara’s Prayer
Last week I posted the Prologue to my new novel,Amara’s Prayer, which will be released in August by Bad Moon Books. It will be available in trade paperback and e-book formats, plus a limited edition signed hardcover that will be available IF there are enough pre-orders for it. Time is running out very fast on the limited edition.
You can pre-order yours by clicking this link to Bad Moon Books.
In an effort to further pique your interest, I’m posting a sample chapter this week. It took me a bit...
July 18, 2013
Amara’s Prayer Prologue
My new novel,Amara’s Prayer, will be out next month in trade paperback and e-book. There is also a limited edition signed hardcover that will be available IF there are enough pre-orders for it.
You can pre-order yours by clicking this link to Bad Moon Books.
In an effort to pique your interest, I’m posting the prologue of the novel here. Come back next week and I’ll post one more preview chapter in hopes of enticing you out of some of your money.
Prologue
Tina Ford sat cross-legged on the hard gr...
July 11, 2013
Review: The Road
The Road by Jack London
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a great book. When I found the free e-book I didn’t realize it was an autobiography until I was a few pages in, then did some research on it. That just made it better. Jack London has to be one of the most fascinating figures in American literature.
This slim book is a series of vignettes about the time he spent as a train-jumping hobo in his youth. It is a fantastic look into a long-past time and a unique culture. Many of the stories a...
July 8, 2013
Reading
I haven’t done a personal blog for a while. You know, one that isn’t pimping some book, or some new version, or whatever. So today I think I’ll blather on for a while about what I’ve been reading in 2013.
First you must know I always have at least two books going. There’s whatever I’m reading at night before going to sleep, and an audio book I’m listening to while doing other things. Then I have whatever we’re reading for school, which is typically a re-read for me. So far, 2013 has been kind...
July 5, 2013
Review: Into the Wild
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed the film based on this book, so I had high hopes the book would be even better. Eh. It wasn’t better. Krakauer’s research seemed exhaustive enough, but the format always kept McCandless at a distance. The reader learns where he went, who he met and some of what he did, but I never felt like I really was in Christopher’s skin, if you know what I mean. The movie did a better job of that, though I know the conversations...
June 25, 2013
Pre-order Amara’s Prayer now
I have waited a long, long time for this one.
My novel Amara’s Prayer is currently up for pre-order at the Bad Moon Books’ site. Pre-orders are currently being taken for a very exclusive signed hardcover edition.The print run of this hardcover will be determined by the number of pre-orders taken. There will also be a regular release in trade paperback.
The book features fabulous artwork by my favorite cover artist, Kirk Alberts. Really, I was so lucky to be reunited with Kirk for this novel. Lo...
June 8, 2013
Review: A Feast for Crows
A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I recommend skipping to the segment of this book called “Meanwhile, back on the Wall” right before all the pages about the various houses. Fortunately I did (I usually never look ahead) and learned that this book only follows the adventures of a few of the characters from the previous three novels, and introduces a few others, most of whom don’t seem very important yet.
Perhaps it was the absence of Jon, Tyrion and Daenerys that...
May 26, 2013
Nadia’s Children finally released!
When the first edition of Ulrik was published in the summer of 2008 I never would have guessed it would be a five-year wait until the next volume of The Werewolf Saga was released. After all,Ulrik ended on something of a cliffhanger and I began writing the next volume almost immediately. Alas, the trouble with that publisher continued to worsen and the book was delayed.
But no more!
Readers of The Werewolf Saga can finally learn whether Josef Ulrik lives or dies.Nadia’s Children is available to...
May 6, 2013
Review: Othello: Shakespeare Appreciated
Othello: Shakespeare Appreciated by William Shakespeare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the tragedy and the recording that finally made me a fan of The Bard. The narrative commentary is beyond amazing and the voices of the actors is perfect. This is my favorite Shakespeare and I look forward to using this audio when teaching my AP English Literature class every year.
