Marion's 25 Volume II: Marion's 25

By Marion Hill

Discovering new books is always an adventure. Like with any adventure, there's always a dilemma. What road should I take? Which book should I read?

Popular book reviewer Marion Hill rides to the rescue again with the second volume of his popular book review series. With more than 200 reviews under his belt, Marion has his fingers on the pulse of readers everywhere.

As a prolific author himself, Marion is a voracious reader. Between publishing parts of his Kammbia fantasy novel series, Marion shared his reading list with his newsletter subscribers with thought-provoking book reviews. These reviews became so popular that he decided to publish them in book form for everyone to share.

Just in time to make out your summer reading list, Marion has responded to growing demands from his grateful readers to publish yet another collection of his insightful, on-point reviews. In this collection, you'll find a diverse selection of books that will earn a treasured spot on your bookshelf.

In the second volume of Marion's 25, you'll discover dystopian science fiction works, like Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, classic novels, like Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck's The Pearl, as well as works by popular contemporary authors, like The Cuckoo's Calling, by Robert Galbraith (the alter ego of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling) and Stephen King's shivery horror novel, Bag of Bones. This collection of reviews even includes non-fiction titles, like Cal Newport's Deep Work, as well as many more gems well worth checking out.

With an entire summer's reading list (and maybe well into fall) in a single collection, you'll be able to choose the ones you want to read, order them at your local library, bookstore, or online. Curled up with a good book, you can travel through worlds of adventure without leaving your home.

The right book can transform your easy chair into a time machine, a spaceship, or a portal into an alternate universe. What better way to spend your spare hours than in your own private quest for adventure?

As a former bookstore assistant during his younger days, Marion is an expert guide to the many worlds that books can open. Let him guide you through your reading adventures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Red Mango Publishing
• Release date: Oct 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393035121

Marion Hill

Marion Hill is the author of The Diondray’s Chronicles (Diondray’s Discovery, Diondray’s Journey, and Diondray’s Roundabout), the first three books set in the world of Kammbia and his latest novel, Ciscoe’s Dance, set in the same world and the first book in the Dance & Listen Series. Also, he is the author of Marion’s 25 Series, his two volume series based on his favorite books as a book review blogger since 2011. Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida. He has lived in Atlanta, Georgia, Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Living in those cities helped create the world of Kammbia. Marion currently lives in San Antonio, TX and is working on the second book in the Dance & Listen Series, Cassandra’s Revelation, due Spring 2023.

Book preview

Introduction

"Reading is the cheapest and easiest passport you can get to another world."

Ihave written that sentence on social media several times recently. Currently, we are dealing with the COVID19 pandemic throughout the entire world and while most of us are quarantined at our homes. Reading is the best way for a short-term escape from our everyday lives.

Last year, I published Marion’s 25. It is a book review anthology for twenty-five of my favorite books I have reviewed as a book review blogger since 2011. Readers corresponded with me in appreciation for a book that covers a wide spectrum of literature. I have decided to publish a second volume of Marion’s 25. I had at least twenty-five more reviews that I wanted to put together in another book. All of these reviews have appeared on my blog at marion-hill.com in its original form. I have updated them for this second volume.

I’m an eclectic reader and as you read this second volume (as well as the first volume of Marion’s 25), you’ll see I love stories. Stories provide a small window into human behavior, connection, and imagination.

I hope as a reader you appreciate the selections I chose for this second volume and you add more books to your ever-expanding TBR List.

I want to thank you in advance for reading Marion’s 25 Volume 2.

Fahrenheit 451

by Ray Bradbury

When I heard that Ray Bradbury had passed in June 2012, I realized that I had never read any of his books. Wow, that surprised me. Well, in honor of his passing, I decided to read his most popular and enduring work, Fahrenheit 451.

"Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores. It has features. This book can go under the microscope."

"So now do you see why books are hated and feared? They show the pores in the face of life. The comfortable people want only wax moon faces, poreless, hairless, expressionless. We are living in a time when flowers are trying to live on flowers, instead of growing on good rain and black loam."

Both of those passages were spoken by Mr. Faber, a former professor, to Guy Montag, the main character of the novel. Guy is a fireman living in a grim, dystopian society where books are outlawed and anyone caught having books gets them burned to a temperature of Fahrenheit 451.

However, he discovers upon burning books that something is not right and begins to realize he may have been doing the wrong thing all along. Guy meets a few characters that confirm his suspicions and the transformation begins.

This is such a well-known novel and covered from so many angles that I have just a few observations after reading it.

Fahrenheit 451 is Ray