Category Archives: Culture

Reading Well: Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

Lucifer’s Hammer, first published in 1977, is a result of the fruitful collaboration between Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. This is a page-turner of a sci fi/disaster novel, focusing on the impact of a sizable comet colliding with the Earth. … Continue reading

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Reading Well: 4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster

This is the second book by Paul Auster to appear here, after In the Country of Last Things. 4 3 2 1 is a much more literary, serious work, and one that explores a concept dear to most writers’ imaginations: … Continue reading

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Reading Graphically: Five Graphic Novels

{After a really nice run of novels, I took a break to dig through a pile of unread graphic novels. More and more, I like having a record of what I read in the entirety, so here are some quick … Continue reading

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Reading Well: Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi‘s Kintu (2014) has received a lot of positive buzz, even being hailed as the first great Ugandan novel, whatever that means (I don’t mean to dismiss the praise, rather to problematize the terms first, great, and Ugandan). It’s an ambitious novel: … Continue reading

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Reading Well: Tricia Rose on Hip Hop

You may have noticed a lot of content on hip hop here lately … As part of that, I re-read Tricia Rose‘s 1994 book Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America and read for the first time … Continue reading

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Reading Well: Brown Girl In The Ring by Nalo Hopkinson

Nalo Hopkinson‘s Brown Girl in the Ring (1998) has been in my “to be read” pile for a while. I can say I’m really glad I got to it, as it’s a very solid, enjoyable, and well-executed bit of YA … Continue reading

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Reading Well: Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

Mohsin Hamid‘s debut novel, Exit West (2017) is a most rare creature: a gentle dystopian work. Exit West begins in an unnamed city in the Middle East (the geography can easily be inferred, but nothing terribly specific is confirmed), and … Continue reading

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Hip Hop History: Part VII

Hip Hop History Part 7: 2001 to Kendrick Part 1 can be found here. Part 2 can be found here. Part 3 can be found here. Part 4 can be found here. Part 5 can be found here. Part 6 … Continue reading

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Hip Hop History: Part VI

Hip Hop History Part 6: 1997 to 2000 Part 1 can be found here. Part 2 can be found here. Part 3 can be found here. Part 4 can be found here. Part 5 can be found here.  Ah, the … Continue reading

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Hip Hop History: Part V

Hip Hop History Part 5: 1994 to 1996 Part 1 can be found here. Part 2 can be found here. Part 3 can be found here. Part 4 can be found here.  For many, this is the “Golden Age” of … Continue reading

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