Concern, Bewilderment and Optimism
The hardest thing about writing [reviews] is being smart about books. Neil Peart, creator of Bubba's Book Club , on CBC's The Next Chapter (5/1/15 Encore) 'Ain't it the truth? Ain't it the truth?' said Bert Lahr's Cowardly Lion. My first section involves concern, but only thematically: Advance Reader Copy. Cover art by Sammy Yuen If this excellent book does not get adapted into a movie, I'll be very surprised. I do tend to talk up great books, and perhaps avoid negative reviews, mostly because I feel it is important to boost our writers and other artists in a time of government undersupport and book publishing changes. I was eagerly anticipating reviewing Mark Alpert’s novel, The Six , and did it ever über-deliver! There’re lots of YA fantasy novels being published these days, but this one stands out for several reasons. First, while sci-fi in genre, it accomplishes something currently rare: it's believable. As A...