My personal opinion on books, art, movies, toys, pop culture, and other subjects
For Labor Day weekend, we enjoyed a few days in Kyoto, Japan. We chose to stay at the Westin Miyako Kyoto hotel. In retrospect, we wish we had booked a traditional Japanese ryokan. While the rooms at the Westin were clean and comfortable and the location within walking distance to a train station and several things … More Travel Review: Westin Miyako Kyoto Hotel
I recently had the pleasure of staying four nights at the Hyatt Regency in Osaka, Japan. I was greeted upon check-in by manager Jen Lee, who quickly demonstrated for us the true definition of hospitality. She upgraded our room and provided us with ample information to get us started on planning our visit. She found … More Travel Review: Hyatt Regency Osaka
Four months ago, I bought five tickets on City Airways for a trip from Hong Kong to Phuket. Two nights before the flight, I received an email from a representative at City Air informing me that they didn’t have seats available for us on the flight that we booked and paid for. They told me … More Travel Review: City Airways is a Scam!
When I was sent Felix the Comet for review, I was in the middle of moving halfway around the world and had a neglected pile of review books already awaiting my attention. However, since it was written by Cathy Coley, a friend of mine whose writing I know I enjoy, I moved it to the top … More Book Review: Felix the Comet by Cathy Coley
The Alliance is the concluding novel in Shannon Stoker’s Registry trilogy. The dystopian future premise is based upon a world where much of the female population was wiped out in the U.S. Women became valuable, but they also became possessions sold to the highest bidder. Boys were undervalued, to the point of being disposable. They were only … More Book Review: The Alliance by Shannon Stoker
As the historically British term of the title itself implies, Rustication by Charles Palliser is a novel set in Victorian England and is narrated by the main character of 17-year-old Richard Shenstone who was recently asked to leave, or rusticated from, Cambridge for mysterious reasons. Upon moving in with his mother and sister in the run-down home where … More Book Review: Rustication by Charles Palliser
Dara Horn’s latest novel, A Guide for the Perplexed, intertwines the stories of several different characters, spanning multiple countries and timelines. While some characters’ lives take on a more suspenseful tension, others highlight the daily and often rocky evolution of family relationships, philosophy, and the importance of memories, both real and altered. As the title suggests, A … More Book Review: A Guide for the Perplexed by Dara Horn
