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Marlon James recommended Palomar in Books (curated)

 
Palomar
Palomar
Gilbert Hernandez | 2003 | Comics & Graphic Novels
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"I sometimes wonder if I’m the only person to realize that the collected Palomar stories, from one half of Los Bros Hernandez, adds up to the finest American novel of the past 30 years?"

Source
  
Anansi Boys
Anansi Boys
Neil Gaiman | 2006 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.0 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
Don't compare this book to American Gods. You will be disappointed; for good reason. Unlike American Gods, this is Anansi's book (or his son's book). This book is humorous, silly, and whimsical in its lightness. Not to suggest the West African trickster can't be dark and scary that is just not the point in this story. Some parts do get dark and scary.
It is a story of family among other things. For people who are not a mythology nut like me. There are stories about Anansi in the book (somewhat like the coming to America stories in American Gods) so you will have an idea who this slightly random god is.
  
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Paulo Coelho recommended Fictions in Books (curated)

 
Fictions
Fictions
Jorge Luis Borges, Andrew Hurley | 2000 | Fiction & Poetry
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"I read one of Borges’ short stories in a science-fiction magazine when I was 20, and I immediately fell in love with his style and his universe. Later on, I discovered that the short story, ‘The Babel Library,’ was part of this collection of short stories. Borges is the only South American writer all of whose books I have read and reread."

Source
  
Close Range
Close Range
Annie Proulx | 2000 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Author Annie Proulx became famous after her short story “Brokeback Mountain” was made into a movie in 2005 that won three Academy Awards and received five more Oscar nominations. (Plus, Proulx was just awarded the 2018 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction.) This short story was originally published in the collection “Close Range: Wyoming Stories.” You can read my review of this book in my latest blog post here.
https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2018/05/05/stories-with-spurs/
  
The Blood of Four Gods and Other Stories
The Blood of Four Gods and Other Stories
Jamie Lackey | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Blood of Four Gods and Other Stories by Jamie Lackey
The Blood of Four Gods and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by Jamie Lackey, with a strong Asian/Native American theme. None of the stories are guaranteed a HAE, and in fact, I would say at least half have their own particular ending. These stories are all very vivid when you read them, which is excellent - Jamie Lackey's descriptive voice is in full flow. However, some of them are not so 'nice' to read, and so the descriptions can make you swallow slightly as you read them. Some only seem like snippets, and I would love to know more about the characters and the worlds in which they live.

With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, I thoroughly enjoyed each of these stories. With smooth pacing, well rounded characters, and with individual stories for each and every one, this is a wonderful collection of stories, sure to delight. Absolutely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
The Blood of Four Gods and Other Stories
The Blood of Four Gods and Other Stories
Jamie Lackey | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Blood of Four Gods and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by Jamie Lackey, with a strong Asian/Native American theme. None of the stories are guaranteed a HAE, and in fact, I would say at least half have their own particular ending. These stories are all very vivid when you read them, which is excellent - Jamie Lackey's descriptive voice is in full flow. However, some of them are not so 'nice' to read, and so the descriptions can make you swallow slightly as you read them. Some only seem like snippets, and I would love to know more about the characters and the worlds in which they live.

With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, I thoroughly enjoyed each of these stories. With smooth pacing, well rounded characters, and with individual stories for each and every one, this is a wonderful collection of stories, sure to delight. Absolutely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
The Boys of Summer (Summer, #1)
The Boys of Summer (Summer, #1)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
3.5 stars

So I didn't realise this was set in Australia, it made a nice change from American stories, though the names for some items had me guessing for a short while

I enjoyed the storyline but it also kinda annoyed me in a way. I got a lot of where Tess was coming from with Toby but I don't think I agreed with the Sean bit. It was a change once more from the usual conflict in these sort of stories...But nope. Sorry.
  
American Sniper (2015)
American Sniper (2015)
2015 | Action, Drama, War
Excellent
This movie was very intense-emotionally speaking. The acting was spot on and the cinematography was great. If you're into military stories about what soldiers go through between home life and combat life you'll love this one. A great story about an American hero dealing with both. Sadly it ends in truly tragic way. REALLY worth a watch.
  
This American Life
This American Life
Society & Culture
10
7.9 (25 Ratings)
Podcast Rating
Storytelling (0 more)
Storytelling at its best!
From the variety of topics to the weight of some of the stories, there is something about the way that This American Life blends a narrative and touches on the lives of the people that the stories are about. I love the fact that even if I don't think that I am that into the topic that all of a sudden I am transported into the life and the situation. All of a sudden I am part of the story.

Again, storytelling at its best.
  
Contains spoilers, click to show
Ugh, it was a bit too long for my liking and I'm not too into history, so the old gods and spirits of native american culture didn't particularly interest me. Also the fact that he pretty much betrayed her at the end didn't help the rating any either. I like my stories to have a happy-ish ending and this one kinda doesn't.