Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche by Ethan Watters I read a lot of books about psychology and mental illness, but this book took what I already knew to a new level. It discusses four different illnesses in four different cultures: anorexia in Hong Kong, schizophrenia in Zanzibar, PTSD in Sri Lanka, …
Category: Book Review
Jan 14
Review: Wishful Drinking
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher This book is basically the written version of a stand-up comedy/memoir of Carrie Fisher. She talks about being the daughter of famous parents (Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher) about having her parents’ marriage broken up by Liz Taylor (If you’re going to have a homewrecker destroy your marriage, why not …
Jan 12
Review: How I Became a Famous Novelist
How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely Good humor straddles that razor’s edge between what we all know and what we dare not speak of. This novel started out balancing on that fine line very well. The protagonist, Pete Tarslaw, decides to write a novel so he can become famous and show up …
Jan 07
Book Review: The Canterbury Tales, a Retelling by Peter Ackroyd
The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling by Peter Ackroyd I took a class in Middle English in college, and quickly realized that it was about as comprehensible as Dutch. Unlike Shakespeare, Middle English has to be translated. Too bad, because what I read of The Canterbury Tales seemed interesting. So when I saw this at the …
Jan 05
Book Review: Evolve, Vampire Stories of the New Undead
Evolve: Vampire Stories of the New Undead by Nancy Kilpatrick Do you like vampires? No, do you REALLY like vampires? This is a collection of 24 short stories, all dealing with vampires and how they have changed in modern fiction. Editor Nancy Kilpatrick is a little obsessed with vampires, and her prologue is worth reading. …