In 1953, La Crosse, Wisconsin underwent a traumatic cultural upheaval as the disappearance of local teenager, Evelyn Hartley, led to grief, suspicion and social unrest, en masse. Former La Crosse resident and Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate Rick Harsh has turned that chaotic moment in small-town history into the speculative mystery novel Voices After Evelyn.
Local book reviews
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Reviews: Five titles from the Indie Star Book Festival
Craig Hart is becoming something of a force on the local literary scene. A resident of Iowa City, Hart is a writer of mysteries, thrillers and more. He’s also the host of The Games & Writers Show podcast, which launched in February and features extended interviews with authors and actors. On May 18, Hart, via his own Northern Lake Publishing, is hosting the Indie Star Book Festival.
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Gondra’s Treasure’ by Linda Sue Park, illus. by Jennifer Black Reinhardt
It’s an age-old tale to those of us who lived it, but there are still too few children’s books out there featuring mixed-race families. There’s a uniqueness to the experience of being multi-racial that transcends any of the individual heritages involved
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘The Pawn of Isis’ by Catherine Schaff-Stump
The Pawn of Isis Catherine Schaff-Stump — Independently published The year is 1842, and powerful families control the magical resources of the world. This is the setup for The Pawn of Isis, the second of five books in Iowan author Catherine Schaff-Stump’s historical fantasy series, Klaereon Scroll. The story encompasses treachery, betrayal, politics, love and […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Tallgrass Conversations: In Search of the Prairie Spirit’ by Cindy Crosby and Thomas Dean
“Prairie is among the most altered and threatened ecosystems in the world,” Thomas Dean of Iowa City wrote in a new book he co-authored with Cindy Crosby of Glen Ellyn, Illinois. “Care of the world is always essential, and care arises from conversation.”
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘(Intentionally Blank)’ by Thomas Mundt
(Intentionally Blank) Thomas Mundt — Tolsun Books Thomas Mundt’s (Intentionally Blank) opens with a line from a Betty Wright song: “Jumpin’ slick was my ruin.” Wright’s narrator, a free-spirited woman who loses a kind suitor to a more loving and attentive rival, would be right at home in the world of (Intentionally Blank). Mundt’s collection […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘You or a Loved One’ by Gabriel Houck
You or a Loved One is an arresting collection of short stories by New Orleans native Gabriel Houck. Houck, who earned an MFA from the University of Iowa’s Nonfiction Writing Program, is currently a lecturer in the English department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Spectacle’ by Susan Steinberg
Susan Steinberg’s ‘Spectacle’ collects 12 short stories bound within a slim, 135-page volume. Despite ‘Spectacle’’s brevity, due in no small part to Steinberg’s impressive economy of language, several of the stories are so emotionally weighty, readers may feel the need to rest before moving onto the next.
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘The Current’ by Tim Johnston
The Current Tim Johnston, Algonquin Books On the Road. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. Road trip stories lend themselves well to coming-of-age adventures. Kerouac writes the Great American Novel, Pee-wee finds his bike, Harold gets his kiss. For 19-year-olds Audrey Sutter and Caroline Price, a road trip turns into tragedy […]
Posted inOpinion
Book Review: ‘Marcher, Walker, Pilgrim’ by Ed Fallon
Marcher, Walker, Pilgrim: A Memoir From The Great March for Climate Action Ed Fallon, Business Publications Corporation Inc. (Des Moines, IA) Marcher, Walker, Pilgrim is a memoir by Bold Iowa’s “Agitator in Chief” Ed Fallon, detailing the eight-month saga of his 3,100-mile journey from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. known as “The Great March for […]
