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  My review of T.R. Pearson’s Seaworthy: Adrift with William Willis in the Golden Age of Rafting appeared on PopMatters yesterday. Click here to read the review in its entirety because this is an astounding book that details the true story of a single man who sailed a raft from South America to Australia when he was well-past [...]

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Be sure to pick up the August issue of Paste on newsstands now. Besides being an all around kick-ass magazine, this particular issue features my review of Altaf Tyrewala’s No God In Sight. This is a fascinating book about modern life in India. It won’t be released until August 22, but it’s definitely one to add to [...]

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Anthony Bozza’s work covers the gamut of writing styles and content. From humor to heavy-duty criticism, his books elevate the music writing genre. A big fan of fiction writers ranging from Charles Dickens, James Joyce, and Vladimir Nabokov to Chuck Palahniuk, Katherine Dunn, and Amy Hempel, Bozza’s work has a literary quality to it that a [...]

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I’ve mentioned this book before, but my full-length review of Gavin Newsham’s Once in a Lifetime: The Incredible Story of the New York Cosmos was posted on PopMatters today. The documentary film based on the book opens today in New York and hits theaters nationwide next week. Check out the book review here.

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My review of Ace Atkins’ new novel, White Shadow, was posted on PopMatters yesterday. This seductive, atmospheric work is a dramatic departure from Atkins’ previous novels. Be sure to check out the review in its entirety here.

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  My review of Mark Ames’ Going Postal: Rage, Murder, and Rebellion From Reagan’s Workplaces to Clinton’s Columbine and Beyond is available on PopMatters today. Ames examines workplace and school massacres by looking at the environments that spawned the tragedies. This is a grueling book to read. For example, there is a section on CEO greed that will [...]

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When I face lengthy airplane rides, I try to bring a variety of books. In addition to mindless entertainment reads, I bring at least one serious piece of literature along with one substantial nonfiction text. I find that a massive nonfiction tome with footnotes, endnotes, appendices, forewards, and afterwords gives me something to really dive into [...]

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  My review of Michael Flocker’s The Fame Game: How to Make the Most of Your 15 Minutes appeared on PopMatters yesterday. This interesting little book is a how-to manual on building a little fame in your life. Whether you want the paparazzi chasing you down the street or just a little more attention in the [...]

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  I really wanted to like Utterly Monkey: A Novel by Nick Laird. I’m a sucker for anything with a British accent of any sort and this book got some rave reviews. However, it also got some pretty negative comments as well. Unfortunately, I turned out to be on the more negative side of the [...]

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My review of Jay McInerney’s The Good Life posted at PopMatters. Yall know of my affinity for this novel so I won’t go on and on about it. Just check out the review here.

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  My review of Craig Clevenger’s fantastic Dermaphoria was finally posted yesterday at PopMatters. It’s a great book, with unique imagery, that is amazingly, bewilderingly, hauntingly, wonderful. Check out the full book review here.

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Joe Queenan is one of my favorite writers and his New York Times book review of Generation Rx: How Prescription Drugs are Altering American Lives, Minds, and Bodies by Greg Crister makes me realize how nice it must be to have free rein from editors. As aspiring authors, we often aren’t given room to run, [...]

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