About Book Marks
Recent Reviews
Robin Sloan
Positive The Dallas Morning News On the crust, Sourdough is a buddy book; it's about the wacky adventures of Lois and the Clement Street Starter, from a backyard oven to a literally underground farmer's market filled with eccentric characters concocting new delicacies...But slice a little deeper, and you will discover, Sourdough is a novel about work. Sloan does a wonderful job of detailing several different workplaces, from a hyperactive, but depressing, San Francisco tech firm, to the kitchen of an upscale restaurant, to a farm that creates Slurry, a nutritive food replacement. Sloan's sense of place is palpable, and his prose is dusted with luxurious lines to be savored ... Not many of the characters in Sourdough are fully baked, including the members of the Lois Club, which was an unnecessary ingredient and the only sour (sorry) note in his entire story. But Sloan's two 'bosses' — a benevolent tech CEO who is 'a walking amphetamine' and the celebrity chef who runs her epicurean empire like a mafia don — deserve books of their own ... Sloan's charming storytelling, a mix of magical realism, and a dash of fabulism, make for a fun read. It's dessert. It's not a seven-course meal, but it's satisfying in its own way.
Elan Mastai
Positive The Dallas Morning News It's this kind of informal, self-referential writing that permeates the pages of All Our Wrong Todays, where our narrator constantly butts up against the line separating charming from annoying ... though Tom is sure he's a time traveler, Mastai does a wonderful job of playing with the idea that Tom's previous life was all just a dream or possibly a psychotic break ... All Our Wrong Todays isn't just a story about some schmuck screwing up the future. It's a study in mental health and a discourse on obsession and family dynamics. It's even a multiverse trans-timeline love story. And it's fun ... There are few surprises in Mastai's story, but it's not without tension, and readers shouldn't be scared of the science behind Tom's travels — Mastai does a wonderful job of keeping it simple.
T.C. Boyle
Positive The Dallas Morning News ...a less-than-riveting, yet psychologically interesting, read ... There is little to like about Boyle's three heroes, which is a calling card of his writing, as is the sharp prose and clever psychological insights ... The Terranauts is entertaining, just not captivating, which may be due to Boyle's choice of voice.
David Means
Pan The Dallas Morning News David Means is an outstanding short-story writer. His works have appeared in top-tier publications, and his four story collections have earned him near-universal praise, with some critics comparing him to Raymond Carver, Alice Munro and Eudora Welty, just to name a few. Hystopia marks his first novel-length publication, an attempt at a longer piece of fiction that falls far short of its promise...Means has earned the right to be experimental but that doesn’t excuse his publisher from producing a work that feels like a vanity project. Explore Means’ previous works — or wait for his next novel — to enjoy his talents.
Manuel Gonzalez
Mixed The Dallas Morning News The novel is divided into four books, and we read about Rose and Sarah in short bursts of action that alternate between the past and present. It’s an odd narrative structure, but nothing new for readers who enjoy shows such as Lost, Once Upon a Time or Arrow, which may be why this book feels more like a pitch for TV than a fully fleshed out novel; it is tailor-made for the small screen. And yet, it’s just so much fun to read. Gonzales, a former Austinite now living in Kentucky, is a gifted writer who effortlessly pushes and pulls the reader through shifting timelines, and his smooth writing style sparkles with wit.