Category: Book Reviews

Review: Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption
18 June 2025
Stephen King is an author I have never really engaged with since I was a young boy, yet have seen quite a few films based on his works. Having watched the motion picture of The Shawshank Redemption a handful of times in the last decade, to which I rank it highly amongst my favourites, I…
Review: North Korea (3rd Ed.) by Bradt Travel Guides
3 June 2025
When one thinks of holidays, or travel guides related to holiday planning, the so-called ‘Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’—best known as North Korea—is not a place that comes to mind. This is primarily because of the public awareness of its isolated, militarised, and authoritarian nature, alongside its paranoia regarding foreigners. Still, I must confess that,…
Review: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
20 May 2025
The Irish, perhaps due to a history of civil divide and holding onto staunch personal beliefs of what is right or wrong for the people of the Emerald Isle, are immensely good at producing guttural stories that are infused with a charming charisma and bitter edge. Today’s example is Small Things Like These, a rather…
Review: A Spotter’s Guide to Amazing Architecture by Lonely Planet
7 May 2025
I must confess that, for all my love of literature and reading, sometimes it is nice to sit down with a publication that is equal parts photographic and literary. On occasion, it can be nicer to look upon images of picturesque landscapes, scenes, and other sights, without forcing your brain to absorb too much written…
Review: No Easy Answers by Brooks Brown & Rob Merritt
2 April 2025
After taking a few months away from reading about the 1999 Columbine Massacre, I decided to indulge again by reading No Easy Answers. Brooks Brown, or the Brown family in general, had a strong link to the Klebolds and a somewhat unpleasant familiarity with the Harrises. For that reason, Brown’s book (co-authored by Rob Merritt,…
Review: Diary of an Oxygen Thief by Anonymous
11 March 2025
Sometimes it takes more than a good story and positive reviews to entice someone to read a book; sometimes it takes a unique quality or a certain catch. In the case of Diary of an Oxygen Thief, its unique qualities are an extremely self-aware narrator and an anonymous author, both of which are interesting cherries…
Review: A Village After Dark by Kazuo Ishiguro
2 March 2025
It has been quite some time since I last reviewed one of Ishiguro’s works here on The Steady Read, and I think A Village After Dark was a bad place to jump back in. This short story seems enigmatic. I cannot find a single scrap of definitive information on when it was published, where it…
Review: Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser
28 January 2025
Across the last few months, I took an interest in the rather significant event that was the April 1999 Columbine Massacre (see here, here, and here). After reading three different books on the topic, I had considered myself done with the whole matter for the meantime… until I discovered Todd Strasser’s Give a Boy a…
Review: Columbine: A True Crime Story by Jeff Kass
12 January 2025
Coming off the heels of my reading of the brief, but factual, The Columbine School Shootings by Jenny MacKay, I figured I may as well immerse myself in a more expansive and exploratory investigation of April 1999’s tragedy. Hence, I sat down and read through Jeff Kass’ 330-page chronology, investigation, and expose piece titled Columbine:…
Review: USA National Parks: Lands of Wonder by DK Eyewitness
29 December 2024
One of my many lofty dreams in life is to see all—or most—of the United States’ national parks. It is a dream that only seems to grow stronger in desire as I eke further into my twenties, and because of how reoccurring and ever-present it is as of late, I decided to read through all…