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Recent Posts
- What’s New for the 16th of August: Deborah Grabien’s music criticism essays; new Americana and jazz, and some music for the Dog Days of Summer
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Midsomer Strangeness
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Contradances
- What’s New for the 26th of July: Witches in fiction, both books and film; an Americana reissue and some music on a smoky theme
- A Kinrowan Estate story: chicken pot pieces
- What’s New for the 19th of July: Charles de Lint’s Ottawa novels with a quote from Drink Down the Moon, Gary’s review of Nordic fiddle music, It’s Michele Walther and Irina Behrendt playing Aaron Copland’s ‘Hoe Down’ from his Rodeo album
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Midsomer Odd Things
- A Kinrowan Estate story: A Library and Its Librarian
- What’s New for the Fifth of July: Remembering Jane Yolen; some new Americana and jazz music; Fishing Blues
- A Kinrowan Estate Story: Recursive Loops
- What’s New for June 21: Jennifer Stevenson’s ‘Solstice’
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Turkish Coffee
- What’s New for the 7th of June: Foxes in literature, live Balkan music, comforting jazz, Americana jazz, and wonderfully weird fusion jazz; and John Fogerty live
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Bloodied Kings
- What’s New for the 24th of May: Gary’s Review of Elizabeth Bear’s White Space novels, iain’s review of the Lonely Signal Burns novellas by her, she reading her own story, ‘The Chains That You Refuse’, and I see Gary has some tasty music reviews fir us as well
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Our Greensward
- What’s New for the 10th of May: books reviewed by Jennifer Stevenson, music by Teddy Thompson, Americana music from all over, and some live music from John Fogerty
- A Kinrowan Estate story: A Walk
- What’s New for the 26th of April: the nature of Stories; some new and newish SF, plus new world, jazz, folk and Americana music
- A Kinrowan Estate story: A Spring Day
- What’s New for the 12th of April: Some new and recent SF; new Americana, Norwegian folk rock and jazz; and thoughts on War For The Oaks
- A Kinrowan Estate story: A Unified Theory of Libraries (A Letter to Anna)
- What’s New for the 29th of March: Beer and spirits, in song and text, some new Scandinavian fiddle music and jazz flute music, and more
- A Kinrowan Estate story: A Ghostly Librarian
- What’s New for the 15th of March: some DeLint stories for early spring; lots of polskas, Serbian folk rock, progressive jazz, and Nordic music from the archives
- A Kinrowan Estate story: Hedge Witches
- What’s New for the 1st of March: Emma Bull’s War for The Oaks, Rosanne Cash’s ‘Runaway Train’, Johnny Cash at San Quentin, plus new Americana and jazz music
- A Kinrorwan Estate story: Cranachanh
- What’s New for the 15th of February: Some Seanan McGuire fantasy, Alison Bechdel’s latest, Pamela Dean’s Tam Lin; Nordic sounds, old time, Americana and Tex-Mex music
- What’s New for the 1st of February: Kage Baker retrospective; new Americana, Buddhist chants and Finnish songs, new and reissued jazz, and more
Category Archives: Books
Charles de Lint’s Jack of Kinrowan novels: Jack the Giant-Killer and Drink Down the Moon
Charles de Lint is known as “the godfather of urban fantasy,” and indeed, it’s in that genre that he’s made his mark – he’s never been a writer of heroic fantasy: in a better than thirty year career, very few … Continue reading
Posted in Books
Tagged contemporary fantasy, fantasy
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Dave Hutchinson’s Europe In Winter
There is a very simple formula for determining whether a reader will like Dave Hutchinson’s Europe In Winter, the third book in his Europe cycle. Just ask the hypothetical reader if they like John LeCarre. If the answer is yes, … Continue reading
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Metheglin
She took a sip, bracing herself, but the liquid went down smooth as silk, with the full-body of a fine brandy. Not until it had settled in her stomach did she realize the kick it had. She gasped and her … Continue reading
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Susan Cheever’s Drinking in America
Not only has alcohol been intimately involved in the history of the United States of America, it has been closely associated with some of the key moments in that history, from the very beginning. That’s the argument that Susan Cheever … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Food and Drink
Tagged American history, food
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Lew Freedman’s Baseball’s Funnymen
When most people think of the history of baseball, they think of it in terms of a Ken Burns documentary – soaring music, sepia tones, and a certain reverence for the deeds of players engaged in noble competition. But there … Continue reading
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Charles de Lint’s The Hour Before Dawn and Two Other Stories from Newford
This volume was my first encounter with Charles de Lint’s Newford. Strangely enough, these works, particularly the title story, remind me very strongly of some of Jonathan Lethem’s stories, and I couldn’t begin to say why. De Lint’s stories are … Continue reading
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Tagged contemporary fantasy, fantasy, short fiction, urban fantasy
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Charles de Lint’s Dreams Underfoot
Charles de Lint’s Dreams Underfoot is another collection of Newford stories, rather different in feel than those in The Ivory and the Horn. While that collection leaned more toward the “ghost stories” category, this one is much more inclined toward … Continue reading
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Tagged contemporary fantasy, fantasy, mythic fiction, short fiction, urban fantasy
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Charles de Lint’s Dingo
Dingo represents a slight departure for Charles de Lint – or perhaps “expansion” is a better word. Leaving his signature blend of Celtic and North American folklore, he dips into the lore of Australia for this young adult story about … Continue reading
Charles de Lint’s Widdershins
I have been calling what Charles de Lint writes “urban fantasy.” He calls it “mythic fiction,” and I think he’s right. In fact, that may be a term that encompasses not only de Lint, but Neil Gaiman, John C. Wright, … Continue reading
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Tagged contemporary fantsy, fantasy, mythic fiction
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Alastair Reynolds’ Revelation Space audiobook
Looking for a really superb space opera complete with fascinating characters, a complex back story, and a truly great story? And I do mean George R.R. Martin long as there’s over twenty two hours of story here. Fortunately it’s a … Continue reading