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Author: Ben Gilles

Ben’s Book Review Philosophy

Posted on June 12, 2021 by Ben Gilles

Goodreads and 5-star Ratings First, let’s talk about the “Goodreads problem.” Goodreads is a troubled site that most of its active user base hates. The… Continue reading

Posted in More Words, ReviewsTagged Ben, Philosophy, Review

Shocking Scenes: How Far Is too Far?

Posted on May 23, 2021 by Ben Gilles

Editing your own podcast can be an introspective experience. We record Words About Books episodes much faster than we can edit them. Often, enough time… Continue reading

Posted in More WordsTagged Grady Hendrix, Southern Book Clubs Guide to Slaying Vampires, Trauma, Trigger Warnings

I Think Ready Player One Is Bad

Posted on February 18, 2021 by Ben Gilles

This is the first time that I have ever started writing a blog post about a book before we’ve recorded the episodes for said book.… Continue reading

Posted in More WordsTagged Art3mis, Ernest Cline, Halliday, Parzival, Ready Player One, RPO, Twilight, Wade

Cynical English Class With Professor Ben

Posted on February 14, 2021 by Ben Gilles

First things first: I’m not a professor. I’m not an educator of any kind. I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, and I’m not… Continue reading

Posted in More WordsTagged English, Reading, School, The Chocolate War, Words About Books

American Election Extravaganza, Media Literacy, and Political Burnout

Posted on November 18, 2020 by Ben Gilles

This is the third time I’ve sat down to try to write something about our election episode. After the first two attempts I abandoned the… Continue reading

Posted in More WordsTagged American Election Extravaganza, Donald Trump, John Bolton, Nonfiction, Politics

Short Story Review: Monkeys on the Beach by Ralph Robert Moore

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Ben Gilles

Monkeys on the Beach by Ralph Robert Moore is a story about a vacation from hell. An American family goes on vacation to some Carribean… Continue reading

Posted in Short Story ReviewsTagged Anthology, Ellen Datlow, Horror, Monkeys on the Beach, Ralph Robert Moore, The Best Horror of the Year

Short Story Reviews: Haunted House Tour: 1 per by Paul Tremblay

Posted on November 3, 2020 by Ben Gilles

Careful listeners may recognize Paul Tremblay as the author of one of the first books we ever covered on this podcast: Headful of Ghosts. The… Continue reading

Posted in Short Story ReviewsTagged Ellen Datlow, Haunted House Tour, Paul Tremblay, The Best Horror of the Year

Short Story Review: I Remember Nothing by Anne Billson

Posted on November 1, 2020 by Ben Gilles

I have more anthologies and collections of short fiction than is probably normal or healthy. To my great shame, many of them were purchased, placed… Continue reading

Posted in Reviews, Short Story ReviewsTagged Anne Billson, Horror, I remember nothing, Short Story

Why So Hard on Lovecraft?

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Ben Gilles

I’ve been a fan of the aesthetic of cosmic horror for much longer than I’ve been a fan of the work of H.P. Lovecraft. For… Continue reading

Posted in More WordsTagged Cosmic Horror, Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft, Lovecraft

At The Mountains Of Madness – Additional Show Notes

Posted on October 20, 2020 by Ben Gilles

“It is absolutely necessary, for the peace and safety of mankind, that some of earth’s dark, dead corners and unplumbed depths be let alone; lest… Continue reading

Posted in More WordsTagged At The Mountains Of Madness, Cosmic Horror, Cthulhu, Cthulhu Mythos, Elder Things, Lovecraft, Lovecraftian, Old Ones

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Ben's books

The President Is Missing
it was ok
The President Is Missing
by Bill Clinton
Where to start with this book? Should I talk about how I don't believe that either James Patterson or Bill Clinton actually did much of the writing? Should I talk about how Bill Clinton is spending his retirement creating Bill Clinton fa...
A Court of Mist and Fury
liked it
A Court of Mist and Fury
by Sarah J. Maas
I thought this was pretty ok. I'm team Night Court. I really enjoy that Feyre is getting to have a hipster phase with the cool kids in a fancy Bohemian city. I dont even mind that she has all the super powers, I thought that would bug me...
The Infernal City
it was ok
The Infernal City
by Greg Keyes
I don't often do this, but I'm going to engage in a controversial DNF review. I'm fairly confident that being forced to read every word of the rest of it would only lower my score. I made it about half way through Part 1 of the audio boo...
Beowulf: A New Translation for Oral Delivery (Hackett Classics) by Dick Ringler (1-Oct-2007) Paperback
it was amazing
Beowulf: A New Translation for Oral Delivery (Hackett Classics) by Dick Ringler (1-Oct-2007) Paperback
by Unknown Author
I've read a few translations of Beowulf, and the only thing that's really missing from this one is the original language text. Ringler does a pretty good job of the translation itself. He includes very solid explanation and context as well.
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
did not like it
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
by Rebecca Wells
I'm neither a mother nor a daughter so take this with a grain of salt, I guess. Siddalee is a famous stage director who stages a hit play. She's interviewed for a New York Times article. When asked about her childhood she accidentally pr...

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