Monthly Archives: March 2019

current reading: Cinda Williams Chima

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Rick Robinson

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima, fantasy, Hyperion Books, 2009 hardcover, 519 pages 16-year-old Han Alister encounters three underage wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Alister is unaware that this will lead to a series of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reading, current reading, Fantasy | 13 Comments

Friday book: The Smoke at Dawn by Jeff Shaara

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Rick Robinson

The Smoke at Dawn by Jeff Shaara, Ballentine Books 2014 historical novel, Civil War It is Summer, 1863. The Federal triumph at Vicksburg has secured complete control of the Mississippi River from the Confederacy, cementing the reputation of Ulysses S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reading, current reading, Friday Forgotten Books | 8 Comments

current reading: Eight Million Ways to Die by Lawrence Block

Posted on March 24, 2019 by Rick Robinson

Eight Million Ways to Die by Lawrence Block, graphic novel version, adapted and illustrated by John K. Snyder III, IDW Publishing (July 17, 2018), 144 pages There were several mentions of this in the latest issue of Mystery Scene magazine. Several reviewers … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reading, current reading, Mystery | 12 Comments

A Chain of Thunder by Jeff Shaara

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Rick Robinson

A Chain of Thunder by Jeff Shaara, Ballantine Books 2013, volume 2 of The Civil War Western Theater, historical novel (fictionalized) Continuing with Shaara’s Civil War books, which I read in ebook format. Last week I reviewed A Blaze of Glory, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reading, Friday Forgotten Books | 8 Comments

current reading: Child of the Daystar by Bruce O’Conner

Posted on March 17, 2019 by Rick Robinson

Child of the Daystar by Bruce O’Conner, ebook, Lulu Publishing, 11-16-2015, 280 pages, fantasy, Wings of War series, book 1 of 4. In the mood for fantasy, which you may recall I said in this blog in January that I planned … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reading, current reading, Fantasy | 12 Comments

A Blaze of Glory by Jeff Shaara

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Rick Robinson

A Blaze of Glory by Jeff Shaara, Ballantine Books 2012, the Civil War in the West (Book 1), Paperback, 480 pages I’ve had a passing interest in the American Civil War. I learned what was taught in school – the west … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reading, Friday Forgotten Books | 11 Comments

current reading: The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney

Posted on March 10, 2019 by Rick Robinson

The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney, William Morrow trade paperback, February 10, 2015, 464 pages, mystery, P.I. I read strong reviews – extremely positive in every way – on this, and several people had recommended this one, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reading, current reading | 14 Comments

Daylight Savings: Bah!

Posted on March 10, 2019 by Rick Robinson

No, thanks. Don’t need it, want it, like it. It’s ridiculous. I want regular time, all the time. It’s idiotic, unneeded. Bill Crider didn’t like it and neither do I.

Posted in Books & Reading | 6 Comments

Friday Book: The Case of the Substitute Face by Erle Stanley Gardner

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Rick Robinson

  The Case of the Substitute Face by Erle Stanley Gardner © date 1938, this edition: Ballantine Books 1987 mass market paperback – mystery – Perry Mason 12th (by publication date) in series When Perry Mason meets Mrs. Carl Newberry on a vacation … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reading, Friday Forgotten Books, Mystery | 12 Comments

Current Reading: The Man Who Read Mysteries

Posted on March 3, 2019 by Rick Robinson

The Man Who Read Mysteries, The Short Fiction of William Brittian by William Brittian, Crippen & Landru 2018 short story collection This light, easy, set of short stories by Brittan, which appeared in Ellery Queen’s Magazine over a span of decades … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reading, current reading | 11 Comments