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By Sean Clark, on February 1st, 2012 We’ve been swamped lately, so January was a bit content-light. If you missed any of these reviews though, here’s their bite-sized samples.
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Drinking Closer to Home
sprawling family tale
Great Read kicks off the new year
warm humour abounds
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The Call
book about a vet
uncommon presentation
some great writing here
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Live Free or Die
not a brain-buster
sometimes gets too housewife-y
but a pleasant read
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Nocturnes
5blends King and Gaiman
ranging horror collection
stories spook, not scare
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Robopocalypse
shallow, no diving
does what it sets out to do
like the title? read
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The Big Sleep
hard-boiled sleuth book
seminal gumshoe novel
mystery fans: read
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We The Animals
more a novella
love your family, and hate them
library check out
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By Sean Clark, on December 30th, 2011 Happy New Year!
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got a cool cover
many stories are quite good
too bad they’re the same
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nonfiction Great Read
part psychology, part laughs
we are just machines
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book of flash fiction
lets you connect all the dots
look for Meg Pokrass
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off the beaten path
dark humor is at work here
these stories are good
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set in Israel
Jewish-American tale
lacks the needed spark
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pairs pictures with words
it is what it claims to be
small book, mini tales
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stories from Facebook
could have used a good edit
art is the best part
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Catholic killers
kind of a Seven rip-off
fun diversion still
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who saw this coming
Maile Meloy goes for YA
strength can be weakness
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By Sean Clark, on December 1st, 2011 2011 is almost over. Bring on the eggnog.
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Eco is A-list
newest book, up to standard
deep as you can get
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keeps you on your toes
sly, subversive poetry
potent themes at work
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fantasy thriller
concept better than result
fails to sync things up
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don’t see this often
taxi driver poetry
smart and funny verse
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something doesn’t click
though all the pieces are there
lack something special
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good ol’ family tale
multi-generational
very well crafted
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By Sean Clark, on November 7th, 2011 Start dreaming about gorging yourself with turkey before the Halloween candy digests. Hooray for fall. Here’s one last bucket of fun-sized treats.
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my dorkness on page
the history of a toy
insert toadstool joke
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cohesive linked themes
Woodrell a voice worth reading
strong set of stories
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such a hyped up book
but it’s just mediocre
starts strong then falls off
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God-freak fare? Maybe
still, a decent Dickens clone
might be worth your time
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Stephenson’s new tome
holy dense novel, Batman
worth the time it takes
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looks good indeedy
Holden Caufield parallels
love the cover art
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Stevens’s memoir
let’s learn about Supreme Courts!
insightful stuff here
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despite all the hype
literary horror that’s good
rarer than you’d think
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good, solid stories
non-traditional zombies
uniqueness is good
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robin hood, Luddites
turn of Industrial Age
dense novel Great Read
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Hall of Famer and
the NBA logo guy’s
depression memoir
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By Sean Clark, on October 7th, 2011 Welcome to autumn. Here’re some bite-sized reviews.
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big old dork opus
nerd stuff flows like Mountain Dew
but it’s not that great
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chimpanzee blow jobs!
this book is really insane
audiobook rocks
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grandma’s boring farm
more like Forgettable Hill
story good, write bad
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excellent poems
space and time seemingly cease
topical and smart
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prose: simple, direct
longer than most short stories
great complexity
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Bible aliens?
paunchy Indiana Jones?
pretend it’s fiction
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great gumshoe noir
tons of style, also booze
Asta is the dog
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Danish crime novel
features hapless detective
Laarson wannabe
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muted time travel
just the right splash of sci-fi
excellent thriller
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By Sean Clark, on September 7th, 2011 Just a week late, no big thang. Snuck in a secret haiku for you to make up for it all the same.
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“gloomy scum” in here
at least one character lives
Dave Duhr eats babies
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best line of the month:
“You play this: do-do do-do…”
book: not great, not bad.
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pretty weak sleuth fare
someone edit poor Nora
she does show promise
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the art is quite good
Dave doesn’t eat any kids
before was a lie
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who is this author?
excellent set of stories
postmodernism primer
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almost a mash-up
very Beemonic review
can that be a word?
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Fillory part 2
a sequel wasn’t needed
still, good adventure
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solid mystery
by John Banville’s alias
literary fare
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this book really sucks
so little makes enough sense
would make a fine flick
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Aliens, Language,
Mieville likes his ideas,
sacrifices plots
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here are great poems
it’s brimming with dark humor
dancing skeletons
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twenty-six authors
that’s a recipe for fail
but it came out win
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began as a blog?
best sci-fi book of the year?
hands down a Great Read
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a greatest hits plus
compiles new works with old
no excuse to skip
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based on young King’s yarn
not the lame NBC show
it’s fair; says a lot
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By Sean Clark, on August 3rd, 2011 Halfway through summer. Enjoy some haiku with your watermelon.
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cold case cop takes drugs
hacks and punches through the tale
memory cop, bam!
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mostly grade-A stuff
politicized space opera
’tis a tad shallow
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little girl kidnapped
an inside out Lolita
well-constructed book
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solve crimes through charades?
I’m glad Nico reviewed this
I’d have killed myself
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grandaddy of soul
anyone heard of this guy?
died young and in jail
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comics are cool now
Superman: man’s greatest feat?
nonfiction action
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very clever plot
Victorian time travel
steampunk robot fights
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a good page turner
solid audiobook too
rock-and-roll type book
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open is a slog
soon, plenty of gore and sin
old man’s debut book
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whoops, forgot the plot
House can’t support it’s own weight
Last Child it is not
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not being biased
superb self-published memoir
get it P.O.D.
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By Sean Clark, on June 30th, 2011 First haiku of summer:
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not original
swashbuckling space opera
still a good, fun read
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AL East doormat
Tampa went from worst to first
Keri tells us how
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a Bob Mould bio
trail of rage and melody
A. Block gives thumbs up
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so much promise lost
what’s with the Waterworld stuff?
such a boring book
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finely crafted tale
way back Pulitzer winner
what is life’s value?
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hands down a Great Read
narratively a wonder
so much cool art too
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flash-fic chapbook set
accomplishes much with less
jab you with moments
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not a mystery
but a competent thriller
more hits than misses
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take it to the beach
pulp fiction by comic guy
a very fun read
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Sambath knows her stuff
Cambodia: a blessed place
let’s help the poor Khmers
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odd couple road trip
great short story idea there
novel not so much
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slim, not too thorough
an atypical memoir
Convert sticks with you
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simple book, not good
a memory-loss thriller
hype unwarranted
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By Sean Clark, on June 1st, 2011 Hooray for Memorial Day, hooray for June, hooray for haiku.
hell of a Great Read
Nico almost gave all tens
check out this trailer
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Jon Krakauer’s work
exposes Greg Mortenson
PS- Byliner
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compelling stories
Finan has talent, craft lacks
watch for more from him
six years to cross pond?
veggie-sitting braindead wife
Mike hearts adjectives
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writing shows promise
magical flourishes were
too heavy-handed
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“criminally short”
Patton Oswalt is a troll:
funny one that writes
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the jury is in
all vampire novels suck
no exception here
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For Clemente fans
graphic novel’s a homerun
(Marcos bought a hat)
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swashbuckling steampunk
who wouldn’t love flying whales?
set-up for book three
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Nora’s first romance
confusing creepy uncle
otherwise, bland sex
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debut story set
Glaser experiments here
and finds great success
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well-written stories
a little too similar
lots of not talking
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long a Sean favorite
classic Redwall adventure
RIP, B. Jacques
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deWitt review 2
Nico was not disappoint
addiction Great Read
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By Sean Clark, on May 1st, 2011 Reviews for April books in snappy haiku. Happy May Day! (Don’t die.)
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Lippman’s got some charm
doesn’t really serve this book
no Edgar for you!
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a nice mix of tales
handles suspense expertly
Oates is prolific
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lives up to the hype
strong twenty under forty
all-around good book
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not just Babe’s bio
tells one year in Yankee lore
McGraw steals the show
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Nico did not like
but it stole the Edgar prize
suck it, Tana French
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street fighting, boo yah!
of course it much more than that
memoir touches depths
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evokes On The Road
Updike has a way with words
no brainer Great Read
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sound little novel
gritty and atmospheric
the twist’s a let down
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posthumous something
not a novel: artifact
bye D.F. Wallace
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here’s a new Great Read
narrative poetry, woot!
Klein’s voice stands out strong
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action scenes kick ass
not much else to talk about
no Edgar for you!
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baseball book Great Read
strong memoir beneath the fun
what is a Garfoose?
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