Category: #amreading

I have not been shy about how much I love Craig Lancaster’s writing. His two novels, 600 Hours of Edward and The Summer Son, simply blew me away. And now, Quantum Physics and the Art of Departure, Craig’s first collection of short stories, goes right up there with his novels.

At first I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy the short stories, since the first one, “Somebody Has to Lose”, moved along slowly. Once I got past a certain point in that story, though, everything began to fly.

The stories in Quantum Physics are all about very human lives set mostly in Montana. I feel the book proved to the outside world how people in Montana are pretty much the same as anyone else. We all experience the same problems in life, no matter where we may live in this country, in this world.

I really enjoyed how unfiltered Craig was in his writing: if you want to read a flowery, family-friendly book,  look elsewhere. Every story includes an element we all wouldn’t openly admit in public : affairs, experimentation, sexual abuse, etc. These are touchy topics, but it is refreshing to have these written about in such a matter-of-fact way.

My favorite stories out of the collection: “This is Butte. You Have Ten Minutes.”, “Cruelty to Animals”, and “The Paper Weight”. All ten are wonderful to read though. Don’t miss it!

Check out Craig’s author page on Amazon for information about his books: Craig Lancaster

TODAY ONLY: Get Headhunters for your Kindle FREE!

There’s a monster at the end of the book, and Charlie Cole sure knows how to work that magic. This is my first time to read any works by Cole, but I already feel that he is an expert writer. I feel honored to write him a review since, in the short amount of time we have known each other (via Twitter), we are becoming quick colleagues.

As you can tell from my picture, Cast of Characters really rocked my boat.

It only took me two years to finally finish it….

Yeah, you wonder why it took so long. Well, a lot of things happened since I requested for this book in 2010…to the point where I had to stop reading for a period of time. Too many headaches, and not related to the book.

But I’m so glad I came back to the book, because it really resonates with me: society believes in Biblical characters being perfect, or that’s how the Bible has become known for.

So many of the characters are flawed, just how we are. Nobody is perfect. And Lucado sets out the many examples from the Bible to shine the light on this truth. Do we need a full book to tell us that we aren’t perfect? Well, the Bible has that all written out. And Lucado condensed it down into understandable, present-day situations.

I highly recommend this book for those who need a quick reminder of our imperfections through the showcase of major Biblical characters. You won’t regret it!