The Philosopher's Plant: An Intellectual Herbarium by Michael Marder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Philosopher's Plant is a lovely series of explorations of philosophy in the light of postmodern ecology, a turning of the mental eye from the world of the abstract back to the world of the physical--an attempt at organic food for thought, if you will. Roughly following the timeline of Western philosophy from Plato to Luce Irigaray, we can follow a path or wander, plow ahead or meander through this intellectual herbarium, touching, tasting, sniffing, and engaging the physical senses in addition to the mental ones. We can practice philosophy, forming a world view based upon observation, experience, and contemplation of the world around us, herein exemplified in vegetable life.

An excellent book for beginning philosophers and anyone interested in philosophy, botany, shamanic theory, or similar disciplines. A companion reading with David Abrams' Spell of the Sensuous would be very provocative. Very much a book for intellectuals; not recommended for those who do not enjoy doing their own thinking. Fun and umami for those who do.

I received a temporary EARC from the publisher for review.


View all my reviews

A Life of One's Own

Vanessa and Her Sister by Priya Parmar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved it. It’s hard to imagine a fresh take on Bloomsbury until reading this truly wonderful novel. With lush and lyrical prose Priya Parmar draws a portrait of love—many portraits, in fact. Presented as a journal/scrapbook—journal entries are interspersed with letters and telegrams from others to others—the story is told from Vanessa’s point of view, and covers the period whence the Bloomsbury circle formed until Leonard Woolf’s return to Britain from India. As is common with young, smart, artistic people, the focus is mainly on romantic love of the difficult kind: unrequited love, desperate love, stupid love, forbidden love, mad love, dangerous love—and damaging love. Of course this is what makes a story about rich, privileged people who take themselves (too) seriously a universal story, and by focusing on Vanessa, Parmar brings in familial love and the love of friends as well. At its core, the novel is the story of a woman’s (not a young girl’s) coming of age, a glimpse into what it is to love a person doomed to madness, and an exploration of what it takes to remain a stable personality amidst the whirl and wonder of the creative lifepath.  There are layers and depth here, and beautiful sentences to be savored.
(I received an E-galley of the novel for review from Ballantine and Netgalley)


View all my reviews

Learning made fun! For us wonks, anyway.

Favorite 2014 Women's Fiction, approved for gifting and book clubs

Big Finish Giveaway

The Big Finish: A Thorn Novel by James W. Hall

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Big Finish is a wild ride through Florida and North Carolina with crazed killers—and some of them are the good guys.

Thorn is an ex-Special Forces man who spends his time hunting and fishing and living a simple life off the grid in Florida. He recently met and bonded with his adult son, Flynn Moss, who then joined an environmental group and has been branded an eco-terrorist. Flynn sends him postcards from protest sites. One day, a postcard arrives that says, “Help me.” It’s shortly followed by a visit from an FBI agent, and Thorn sets off for North Carolina, to an area where Flynn was last seen, an area hard hit by hog farming—and more nefarious doings.  It’s an intricate, fast-moving plot whose twists and turns are worthy of both swamp and bayou.

The Big Finish is dark, violent, well-written—and not for the soft-hearted. There’s torture, twisted sex, cruelty—there’s honor, love, and beauty, too. If you like macho noir thrillers with lyrical prose, Hall is your man.  The closest comparison I could give would be James Lee Burke—in atmosphere, and both cynicism and hope.

I received an advance copy for review from St. Martins.

St. Martins has offered two Advance Reader copies for a giveaway! Enter by leaving a comment here or on Miss Em Recommends on Facebook. Winners will be announced on pub date, Dec. 2. I will ask for your address and St. Martin's will mail your copy directly to you.



View all my reviews