I’ve just posted a review of 2007’s biggest book phenomenon, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, over at Catholicfiction.net. It’s a thorough (read: lengthy) account of my mixed reaction to the final volume of the epic fantasy series. If you want the short version, it’s this: Rowling’s handling of the Snape subplot sucked.

Tags: book reviews, Catholic fiction, Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, novels, Snape

The Guardian recently ran an essay on the works of Joseph Conrad to celebrate the 150th anniversary of his birth. The author, Giles Foden, embraces Conrad as one of the first and greatest modernists of the English language. Though that point is indisputable, Foden’s obsession with Conrad’s “moral relativism” as central to his enduring legacy [...]

Tags: book reviews, Catholic fiction, Joseph Conrad, novels

In our last episode, we concluded our sundry Snape theories. Now to another significant mystery in the Harry Potter books: the matter of Horcruxes.
We know that Horcruxes are objects (or perhaps creatures) in which an evil wizard has placed a piece of his soul in order to extend his life unnaturally. This evil magic apparently [...]

Tags: book reviews, books, Harry Potter

More Harry Potter theories anon, but I simply had to draw your attention to one of the most incisive book reviews I’ve ever read, by Eugene McCarraher, about Christopher Hitchens’ entry in the current anti-religion publishing fad.
Here’s an excerpt, after commenting on Hitchens’ reputation as a brilliant writer and fearless critic:
…as Mark Twain once mused, [...]

Tags: atheism, book reviews, books, Christopher Hitchens, God is not Great

The times, they are a changing, for better or worse, including in the world of books. Here’s an interesting NYT article on a subject we book-lovers have been hearing a lot about lately.

Tags: book reviews, Publishing