On Maps and Legends
Michael Chabon is clearly as bright as he is talented. To fully reap the benefits of Maps and Legends, it helps if the reader is as well. This is not a light-hearted look at pop literature. It is, instead, a compendium of brilliant insights gleaned from seminal works in genres that have delighted and defined [...]
Sweetness and Apropos: A Peach of a Pair
The two novels are completely different. At the same time, they have enough similarities that it would be impossible not to take notice. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley is the story of a perky and prodigious 11-year old who, to save her father, insinuates herself into a murder investigation. [...]
It’s a Mystery
Everyone likes to cuddle up with a good mystery, right? Mysteries draw readers in by bringing suspense and intrigue to their already uncertain lives. Mysteries, like all genres, are formulaic. There is the creation of an ordered, sometimes very elaborate, universe to serve as the backdrop for the story. In a world of shifting time [...]
Reality Check: The Night and Neil Gaiman
In the past month, I’ve been on a Neil Gaiman kick. And quite the kick it has been. Neil Gaiman is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you are interested in visits to and from the graveyard or simply to and from your everyday alternate reality, then Gaiman’s intoxicating brews may well be for [...]
