Book Review: Calico Joe

Calico Joe: A Novel by John Grisham (New York: Doubleday, 2012. 194 pp) John Grisham (b. 1955) is a well-known author, recognized for his law novels. He attended Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi School of Law. His best seller is The Firm, which sold more than seven million copies and was adapted into a movie. Though Grisham became a lawyer and novelist, his childhood dream was to become a baseball player. Grisham lives with his wife, Renee, and their two children, Ty and Shea, on a farm in Mississippi. America’s Pastime In my hometown of Seattle, we try to be baseball fans. Unfortunately, as of late especially, the game has not been boding well. The excitement of meaningful… Read More →

Book Review: Blueprints of the Afterlife

Blueprints of the Afterlife: A Novel by Ryan Boudinot (New York: Black Cat, 2012. 430pp). Ryan Boudinot is the author of the novel Misconception, as well as The Littlest Hitler, the latter which won the book of the year from Publisher’s Weekly. He is on the faculty of Goddard College’s MFA program in Port Townsend, and blogs about film at therumpus.net. A native of Washington state, he currently lives in the city of Seattle. New York Alki Setting off in mild trepidation down my newfound odyssey of contemporary literature, I have found some amazing novels. Despite my fear, Blueprints of the Afterlife takes home the proverbial first prize. In this weird, somewhat dystopian, mainly dysfunctional, post-apocalyptic world, Ryan Boudinot carefully… Read More →