I receive books to review on the regular—mostly of the “cultivation/cooking with” variety. Rarely do I receive any that can charitably be deemed “prohibitionist” literature for review consideration, as its producers must surely recognize the chance of success of converting me is on par with bringing Westboro Baptist signup sheets to a gay pride parade. […]
book review
Posted inCulture
Book Talk: A Children’s Guide to the Death of a Pet
“A Cat Named Clyde”
“A Cat Named Clyde” is a locally written and illustrated children’s book that does for grieving kids what “Inside Out” did for those with trouble expressing emotions. Honestly, a few pages into it, I got a bit misty myself, as Ellen Shelton’s rhyming couplets tell the whole story of Clyde as he decomposes and becomes […]
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Book Review
“Legendary Locals of Bend”
“Legendary Locals of Bend” is filled to the brim with some amazing history. Every page focuses on a different person that shaped the community of Bend in ways subtle or massive. Many of these stories come as a complete surprise. The book was compiled by Les Joslin, past president of the Board of Directors of […]
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A Girl and a Gun
Phillip Margolin’s latest thriller muses on a six-shooter
Portland author Phillip Margolin has made a name for himself in the world of noir fiction, with a particular emphasis on the legal aspects of the genre. His historical drama Worthy Brown’s Daughter is a heartbreaking story of slavery and murder set in 19th-century Oregon. “Writing Worthy Brown’s Daughter,” he explained, “was a huge challenge […]
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Smithy and the Hendersons
A wintertime review of “Fourth of July Creek”
In this stunning debut novel from Portland author Smith Henderson, “Fourth of July Creek” takes readers into the shadow of the Rockies, where social worker Pete Snow tries desperately to help a family who has lost itself in the wilds of rural Montana. The epigraph, a quote from Henry David Thoreau, reads, “If I knew […]
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A Top Ten Book About Oregon
But, probably not on Oregon Travel’s reading list
“The Sisters Brothers” is as much as a historical fiction as Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained is an examination of the slave trade—which is to say, the book is an unvarnished and macabre take on that space between civilized and uncivilized lives in a specific period of American upheaval. One that is as much about its […]
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The History of Snake Oil
What a long and strange trip alternative medicine has taken
In a land of rampant obesity and poor health, instant access to Dr. Google, and the awkward adolescence of Obamacare, charlatans abound. Late night infomercials promise to melt pounds away with newly patented technology. Or, think about the juicing demonstration in a big box store; exotic fruits and vegetables immediately rendered into an appetizing and […]