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Icon book review: A life in hozo

The sacred legacy of the Hillermans
Posted by Fred Steiner on Monday, January 4, 2021

Review by Robert McCool
Hozo is the peace that a balanced life brings. Ever since 1970's Tony Hillerman's “The Blessing Way,” and all along the way through 18 books in his series until 2016's “The Shape Shifter,” hozo is what his main characters strive toward as they seek to solve the mysterious happenings in the sacred home of the Navajo people.

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Icon TV review: The Good Place is more-than-good TV

Icon welcomes Lauren Canday as our newest reviewer
Posted by Fred Steiner on Sunday, January 3, 2021

Reviewed by Lauren Canaday
Meet the author at the bottom of this review -
What do you get when you combine themes of philosophy, morality, socioeconomics, the after-life, the human soul, and... fart jokes? 

You get the television series The Good Place! 

The series has a stunning 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (with seasons two and four both at 100%), and takes viewers from laughing to crying to laughing again amid plot twists that would usually leave you biting your nails in anticipation of the next season. 

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Ten songs for when we can party again!

Craig Hoffman give us something to think about between Christmas and New Year's
Posted by Fred Steiner on Monday, December 28, 2020

Reviewed by Craig Hoffman
While life in 2020 has been full of masks, social distancing, and isolation, there will be a time soon when everyone will party again. Here are ten songs to help you plot out your return to real life and the dance club scene.

How are you going to enjoy your return to everyday life in the near future? Let the Icon know in the comment section!

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Seven songs for your pandemic playlist

Icon music reviewer outdoes himself with this column
Posted by Fred Steiner on Thursday, December 17, 2020

Reviewed by Craig Hoffman
“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”- Fannie Lou Hamer 

Aren’t we all in 2020?

Hopefully, you are doing your best to avoid catching or are recovering from the coronavirus. Here’s a list of songs related to life, masks, quarantine and social distancing. They were written long before the events of modern day, but their lyrics offer timely advice in the present. 

Do you agree? Let the Icon know what tunes are on your pandemic playlist while sitting at home.

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Icon book review: Skipping Christmas

The story ends with an example of the true Christmas spirit, and a heartwarming gesture showing a new and caring light
Posted by Fred Steiner on Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Reviewed by Robet McCool
It's a simple idea – take what you normally spend for Christmas, or even less, and go on a Caribbean cruise. In John Grisham's 2001's Skipping Christmas (Doubleday ISBN 0-385-50583-3) that is the premise, and how horrible it could be.

Luther and Nora Krank see their twenty-three year old daughter Blair off for a two year tour with the Peace Tour, and Luther goes home with a new idea. With Blair gone he totals up what they spent last Christmas, and how much chaos and frenzy the holiday brings to his life.

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Holocaust is happening today in China

There are concentration camps that are killing Uyghur Muslims
Posted by Fred Steiner on Sunday, December 13, 2020

By Amelia Alexander
I remember learning about the horrors of the Holocaust during elementary school. 

Everyone in my class seemed appalled that humans could do such vile things to each other. The systematic killing and torturing of the Jews and other minorities was nauseating to learn about. 

How could 11 million people be senselessly murdered in such a short period of time? Certainly, if we were alive during the Holocaust, we wouldn’t have let this happen for so long, right?  

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