Butler – Parable of the Sower

The title refers to Matthew-13 of the Christian Bible, a parable in which a sower scatters seeds indiscriminately. Some grow, some don’t, depending on where they fall. A  preacher (e.g., Jesus) is analogous to the sower; sometimes his words fall … Continue reading

My Twelve Hour Literary Career

I just returned from a writer’s conference in San Francisco (https://sfwriters.org/),  which was a decent conference with fairly high-level sessions, not Bonehead 101 as so many of them are. I had four days in the Mark Hopkins hotel at the … Continue reading

Wolff – Fire and Fury

Like many people, I have a morbid fascination with Donald Trump and I watch his bizarre machinations like a gawker at a highway wreck. Wolff’s book promised an inside scoop and was widely reviewed in the media so I gave … Continue reading

Towles – Rules of Civility

Rules of Civility is perfection in world-building, the art of constructing a believable and engrossing fictional world for the characters to inhabit.  Nineteen-thirties Manhattan is long gone but Towles brings it back to glittering life and that is the main … Continue reading

Smile – Roddy Doyle

You must be a fan of fine writing to persevere with Smile, Roddy Doyle’s latest, because no genuine drama is apparent, except for the closing scene, which is deus ex machina hogwash.  Actually, not even that. At least that classic ending … Continue reading