Tag Archives: POC

Shooting Kabul, by NH Senzai

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Thistle

I have a difficult time reading children’s or middle-grade fiction because I recognize too many of the elements that go into writing them. Shooting Kabul was no different, and at first I struggled, but the story was so engaging that … Continue reading →

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Complete Stories, by William Somerset Maugham

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Thistle

I love Maugham and wanted to read his short stories as part of my short story project this year. I’ve since decided to give up the project and just finished reading the stories. There are quite a bit of them … Continue reading →

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The Lost City of Z, by David Grann (audio)

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Thistle

Before I begin this review, I have to admit something a little embarrassing. For a very long time, I thought this book was a zombie novel. I mean, “The Lost City of Z” just sounds like a zombie novel, right? … Continue reading →

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City of Veils, by Zoë Ferraris

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Thistle

When the body of a dead woman – beaten, burned, and bloated – turns up on the beach in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, an investigation begins into her death. I don’t normally read thrillers, but this one sounded interesting to me, … Continue reading →

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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederick Douglass

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Thistle

This slim book is Douglass’s memoir of his life as a slave and escape into freedom. It’s more than just a memoir, though. It’s a statement against slavery, which may seem obvious or normal now but was a difficult and … Continue reading →

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The Color Purple, by Alice Walker

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Thistle

Celie is fourteen the first time her father rapes her. She suffers through constant sexual abuse and two pregnancies. Not long after, she’s married off to an older widow because her father wants to start in with her younger sister, … Continue reading →

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One Amazing Thing, by Chitra Divakaruni

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Thistle

Nine people are in a basement Visa office when an earthquake strikes and traps them inside. They are unable to escape as the basement slowly floods, and are short on food, water, and good air. Several of them have injuries, … Continue reading →

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Complete Stories, by Zora Neale Hurston

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Thistle

This is the third short story collection I’ve read for my personal short story project this year, and by far the best. The other two (by Nabokov and Chopin) have both been sort of middle of the road sorts of … Continue reading →

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The Woman Who Fell from the Sky, by Jennifer Steil

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Thistle

In the mid-2000s, Jennifer Steil agreed to teach a three-week course on proper journalism in Yemen. At the end of her time there, she was offered a year-long contract managing the newspaper, and after a few weeks of reflection back … Continue reading →

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Radio Shangri-La, by Lisa Napoli

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Thistle

Lisa Napoli traveled to Bhutan, a small country sandwiched between India and China, after hearing it was “the happiest kingdom on earth.” She was given the opportunity to go without the daily $200 tourist tariff as long as she helped … Continue reading →

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