Who will be the next Ralph Ellison? A writer wakes up each morning, or at the end of the day, and begins crafting narratives. This is what writer’s do. Traditionally, a writer would complete a manucript and purchase Writer’s Market, or some other publication and begin looking for agents. I did this before and...
Dan Brown has crafted several novels that resulted in a massive number of sales and in all honesty created an industry in tourism. His novels Angels and Demons and The Davinci Code sparked tours and ignited a fascination with symbols, myths, conspiracies and controversy. The Lost Symbol, released in 2009 has not generated the...
I have finally reached the fifth installment in the Dexter Series. Last week my wife showed my a gif on Tumblr. In this rotating gif a man was dragging himself from his living room sofa with his legs laying behind him like a wounded seal. The man’s face was a twisted canvas of satisfaction...
In the fourth book in the Dexter series, Jeff Lindsay continues the struggle of the forensic blood spatter analyst/serial killer Dexter Morgan. After reading the previous books, I expected to get back to fireworks, or better bloodworks in the fourth book. In Dexter In The Dark, the author decided to utilize the creation story...
The third book in Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter series, Dexter in the Dark, takes a detour from the first and second novels. Upon being introduced to the dark hero Dexter, I found myself drawn to the simplistic nature of his horrible, handsome, hidden desire to murder. This created a paradox and an unsettling feeling for me....
I had a friend who recently said he wanted to read Stages, but he couldn’t find the first chapter easily. I am remedying that problem by setting up this post. Here you can click on each chapter and read the book from beginning to end. If you decide to buy the e-book or the...
After reading the Millenium Trilogy (Girl Who Played With Fire, etc.) I needed a book to read. I read the first Dexter: Darkly Dreaming Dexter a few months back and enjoyed the first book which was so unlike the show that I actually forgot what the show was about. So I went back and began rewatching...
After teaching and working in schools for 16 years, I had an epiphany yesterday. Everything that is wrong with Memphis (insert your school system here) City Schools can be found in Bambara’s highly anthologized short story, The Lesson. I’ve assigned and discussed this work of fiction a number of times over my last six years...
Stieg Larsson writes with an attention to detail of an investigative journalist seeking to create a narrative that educates and entertains. The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest is an excellent work of fiction that has the mimesis and verisimilitude that college professors speak of when addressing works in a literature course. Hornet’s Nest...
A couple of days ago, I did a grand disservice to Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I sandwiched a review of the book into the middle of a social commentary on whether Blacks read White books. Honestly, who gives a damn? I know what I do give a damn about though,...