The Stuff: This memoir was written by Egyptian-American Nonie Darwish who spent her childhood in Gaza. Her father, Colonel Mustafa Hafez, served as commander of the Egyptian Army Intelligence in Gaza, then under military control of Egypt. Hafez was assassinated by the Israeli Defense Forces. Darwish’s brother was wounded in the same attack. The survivingContinue reading “Review of “Now They Call me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad For America, Israel, and the War on Terror” by Nonie Darwish”
Author Archives: 9siduri
Review of “Ring of Terror” (1961)
This is our latest Saturday pizza and bad movie entry, a black-and-white foray into college days. Uh-huh. Plot:The main story is framed by a graveyard keeper, R.J. Dobson (Joseph Conway), looking for his cat, Puma. He finds the feline by the headstone of one Lewis B. Moffitt (George E. Mather), with dates 1933-1955 and theContinue reading “Review of “Ring of Terror” (1961)”
Review of “America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines” by Gail Collins
This Stuff:This is a survey of the history of women in America following European colonization until the end of the 1960s. It is broad, covering some four hundred years, and seeks foremost to cover the everyday life of women from all strata of society. What was childbirth like in colonial New England? How did oneContinue reading “Review of “America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines” by Gail Collins”
Review of “A Haunting in Venice” (2023)
For our traditional Saturday pizza and bad movie night, we watched a recent flick, an updated Agatha Christie murder mystery. Plot: Famous Belgian private detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), who emigrated to England, has lost his faith in God and retired to post-WWII Venice, no longer investigating, despite the long line of people seeking hisContinue reading “Review of “A Haunting in Venice” (2023)”
Review of “Empire of the Ants” (1977)
Now that I can eat pizza again and stay awake for a while, we resumed our Saturday night pizza and bad movie fiesta. This one was silly. Plot:Somewhere off the Florida coast, figures in red hazard suits dump barrels marked “Danger Radioactive Waste” and “Do Not Open” into the water. At least one barrel washesContinue reading “Review of “Empire of the Ants” (1977)”
Review of “The Little Grey Men” by B.B.
The Stuff: This is a children’s book written and illustrated by a British naturalist. It features four gnomes, reputed to be the last in Britain. They regard themselves as brothers and live under a tree root by Oak Pool. Cloudberry, the most adventurous of the four, has left to find the source of the FollyContinue reading “Review of “The Little Grey Men” by B.B.”
Adventures in Breathing
About a week ago, my husband woke me up and said, “You may as well get dressed. We’re going to the emergency room. You’re breathing like you do when you have pneumonia.” I don’t recall the time. Perhaps midnight or shortly thereafter. I was, indeed, having trouble catching my breath. I’ve had pneumonia maybe eightContinue reading “Adventures in Breathing”
Review of “A Fever in the Heartland” by Timothy Egan
The Stuff: This is a nonfiction book about the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s in the Midwest. Their traditional center of power was the South, the states of the former Confederacy. Most of the events it covers transpire from roughly 1921 to 1925, reflecting a rapid rise and a even moreContinue reading “Review of “A Fever in the Heartland” by Timothy Egan”
Review of “The Willows” by Algernon Blackwood
31) “The Willows” by Algernon Blackwood Plot: The narrator and his friend, known only as the Swede, take a canoe trip along the Danube. They plan to ride the river from its source in the Black Forest to the Black Sea. The narrator and the Swede have made similar trips in the past, but asContinue reading “Review of “The Willows” by Algernon Blackwood”
Review of “The White People” by Arthur Machen Halloween Countdown
30) “The White People” by Arthur Machen Plot: This novelette opens with a debate between two friends, Ambrose and Cotgrave, on the nature of sin. According to Ambrose, true Sin is rare and has more in common with the sanctified than the mundane. A murder is a terrible thing, but it is not true Sin.Continue reading “Review of “The White People” by Arthur Machen Halloween Countdown”
Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old 