Book Reviews
Books by Northwest Authors Reviewed at Oregon Writers Colony
When Northwest authors’ books appear, Oregon Writers Colony members write reviews. Some of the books reviewed are about writing, others are novels, non-fiction, essays or poetry, graphic novels – whatever comes across our desk.
You can discover new books in the Colonygram and in the Oregon Writers Colony website. Return often for the latest offerings.
Want to be a reviewer? Send your proposal to orwriterscolony@gmail.com.
Want to be reviewed? Send your material to orwriterscolony@gmail.com.
Big Dogs of Tibet and the Himalayas, by Don Messerschmidt
Big Dogs of Tibet and the Himalayas: A Personal Journey, by Don Messerschmidt Paperback: 282 pages Publisher: Orchid Press September 16, 2011 ISBN 978-9745241305 Review by Carrie-Ann Tkaczyk Don Messerschmidt’s latest book, Big Dogs of Tibet and the Himalayas: A Personal Journey, published by Orchid Press, recently received the Dog Writers Association of America’s (DWAA) prestigious Maxwell Medallion for Excellence. This book is the history lover’s version of John Grogan’s memoir, Marley and Me. Part memoir, part...
read moreCounty Line, by Bill Cameron
Bill Cameron’s mystery, County Line, came out on June 1st. The wonderful people at Mystery by the Book held a launch party for it on June 2. My husband, Woody, was first in line at the launch party. He’d read Cameron’s Lost Dog, Chasing Smoke and Day One. He knew he was going to want to read County Line as soon as possible. The hitch in Woody’s plan was that I had dibs on the first read at our house, so that I could get a review into the Colonygram on deadline. So, though he hated to turn it over, the book became mine first.
read moreTea Pie, Love And Reality: A Collection of Memoir Essays
This little five by seven inch book is just the right size to hold in one hand while holding a cup of coffee or tea in the other. The attractive cover conjures up that idea with a picture of a man’s hands holding a coffee mug and a woman’s hand stirring a spoon in a tea cup.
read moreThe Productive Writer: Tips and Tools to Help You Write More, Stress Less & Create Success
Sage Cohen writes, “I am a poet and a business writer, left-handed and right footed.” Out of this dichotomy, she is able to speak to all of us about our art and about creating a business in support of our art. Her inspirational self tells us how she maintains communication between creative-poet Cohen and linear-rational-business Cohen, so that creative self can enjoy success. I’m finishing this review before deadline so I can read more and start to use her ideas in my own writing life.
read moreWhere the Crooked River Rises: A High Desert Home
Surviving thirty years as a rancher in “Oregon’s Outback,” Ms. Waterston’s essays celebrate her accomplishments, name her as a “part of the actual and metaphorical biota of the high desert,” and allow readers to share her transformation from Eastern girl, to young woman on “The Old Hackleman Place,” to worshiper in “The Church of the High Desert.”
read moreStory Engineering—Mastering the Six Core Competencies of Successful Writing
Story Engineering—Mastering the Six Core Competencies of Successful Writing spent three weeks as a #1 Bestseller on Amazon’s fiction craft books list. Published reviews by professional writers acclaim this work as containing the instructions they need to improve their careers. The subject matter represents a summation of 20 years of teaching to thousands of students. Larry wrote this book to be an expanded life-long reference for graduates of his classes.
read moreDeception Cove
From Cape Cod, where Deception Cove opens, to the Oregon Coast where the story and action expand, Denna Lindstedt does more than plot a good mystery, she places her readers into the heart of the scene with vivid descriptions of both coasts. Her sense of place is one of the best things about this first novel.
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