2014 Statistics

From the Booking Desk: I am often asked how I decide what to review. This is far too complicated a process for me to distill into one blog post, but I did think it would be interesting to do an analysis of how I obtained the books I reviewed for 2014. Total Number of...

A Moment By The Sea –
A BOLO Books Short Story Review

From The Booking Desk: Since we are in the midst of two holiday weeks, I had planned to forgo publishing a review this week and next. However, when Ragnar Jónasson posted free access to an English-language holiday short story of his, I knew this was the perfect review...

Die Again – The BOLO Books Review

Tess Gerritsen’s series featuring Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles now numbers ten novels along with a successful television series. As with any series featuring recurring characters, there is always the chance of the chemistry starting to fail or for the plots to go...

BOLO Books interviewed by Helen Smith

From the Booking Desk: Today on her blog, UK author Helen Smith interviews me about the blog, my favorite moments in blogging, and my most anticipated books of 2015. Please stop by and see what I have to say and let Helen and I know what you think!  Follow the link to...

Dark Tides – The BOLO Books Review (UK Edition)

Sometimes a good story well told is the most rewarding experience. In the case of Chris Ewan’s Dark Tides, this is most definitely the case. Ewan tells his tale in what seems like a very simple manner; however, the reality is that the structure of the novel is just...

BOLO Books’ Top Reads of 2014

From the Booking Desk: It is that time of year again. Various review outlets and fans have been posting their listings of the best novels of last year. Since I have not read every book published, I prefer to call my list, Top Reads. This year was a particularly...

Serial – The Podcast Phenomenon

From The Booking Desk: The success of the “Serial” podcast can only be described as a phenomenon. One of those times when something in the ether gels and a piece of pop culture goes from relative obscurity to fanaticism (or more accurately in...

Horns –
A BOLO Books Movie Review

The new movie Horns is based on the novel of the same name by Joe Hill. Given that Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King, it is no surprise that Horns – both the book and the film – is a difficult to classify mixture of genre and tone. Horns effortlessly straddles the...

Some short story reviews by BOLO Books

From The Booking Desk: As the hectic holiday season descends upon us, it can sometimes be difficult to find the time to read a novel. It seems to me that this is the perfect time for short stories. Typically taking only one sitting to read, a short story can cure that...

Azar Nafisi @ The Ivy Bookshop

Last night, humanities dynamo Azar Nafisi spoke at The Ivy Bookshop in Mt. Washington, Maryland. Nafisi, the celebrated author of Reading Lolita in Tehran, is on a book tour for her latest non-fiction gem, The Republic of Imagination. Azar Nafisi’s remarks for the...