Cameron Bogan (Author of Meeting Kentucky)

Cameron Bogan rated a book really liked it Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Not my usual cup of tea! I’m not big on self-help or management books, but this is heavily related to my field of work. Will’s book is one part management and one part customer service, blended together in an easy-to-read work on how to take care of ...more
Oct 27, 2026 01:57PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cameron Bogan wants to read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 09, 2026 07:03AM · like
Cameron Bogan wants to read The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 09, 2026 07:03AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cameron Bogan rated a book A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
“The killing came suddenly and unreasonably.” My favorite of the Hemingway novels I’ve read thus far. Explores some questions of what it means to be abandoned and to abandon. Hemingway was heavily dealing with some grief here as the story lightly refl ...more
Oct 06, 2026 06:57PM · 1 like · like · see review
Cameron Bogan rated a book The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I had to take a minute with this book. I enjoyed McCullers’ writing style, but didn’t fully understand the scope of the plot. The central five characters are each interesting in their own way - especially Mick Kelly - but it at times feels preachy an ...more
Oct 06, 2026 06:53PM · like · see review
Cameron Bogan rated a book really liked it Golden Son (Red Rising Saga, #2) by Pierce Brown (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I had a lot to say about Red Rising, and I think I stand by most of what I had to say. But Brown really turns it around here. The prose is much better. The character overload is tapered. The sci-fi tech dump is limited. The language is much more consi ...more
Aug 08, 2026 02:52PM · 1 like · like · see review
Cameron Bogan rated a book it was amazing Ghost in the Grove by Frank Reddy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I was honored to be an early recipient/ARC of the manuscript on this one. To be spoiler-free: Reddy plays around with time, religion, and memory in this southern backwoods tale. His language is King-ian, themes in the realm of Pizzolatto, and a setting ...more
Aug 03, 2026 08:32AM · 1 like · like · see review
Cameron Bogan rated a book liked it It Came From Memphis by Robert Gordon	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Exceptionally well researched and written. It’s a great supplement to Robert Palmer’s “Deep Blues” - possibly my favorite NF book to date. Though where Palmer focuses on the legends and icons that shape blues, this book focuses on the niche backgroun ...more
Jun 29, 2026 07:22PM · like · see review
Cameron Bogan rated a book it was amazing Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
What a ride. This was my first foray into medieval/fantasy literature along these lines, but what an achievement in writing. The Southern Gothic influence cannot be ignored, and the historical immersion into plague-ridden France pairs well with the t ...more
Jun 21, 2026 10:11AM · 2 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cameron Bogan rated a book it was ok Red Rising (Red Rising Saga, #1) by Pierce Brown (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
It’s 2.5 stars, all things considered. My goodness, this book is a mess. It borrows so heavily thematically and plot-wise from Hunger Games, it is at times just like he rewrote entire scenes from the beloved Suzanne Collins work verbatim. Sprinkle in ...more
May 26, 2026 11:09AM · 1 like · like · see review

Cameron Bogan rated a book really liked it

Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
by Will Guidara

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Not my usual cup of tea! I’m not big on self-help or management books, but this is heavily related to my field of work. Will’s book is one part management and one part customer service, blended together in an easy-to-read work on how to take care of ...more

Cameron Bogan wants to read

Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Cameron Bogan wants to read

The Cost of Discipleship
by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Cameron Bogan rated a book

A Farewell to Arms
by Ernest Hemingway

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Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

“The killing came suddenly and unreasonably.”

My favorite of the Hemingway novels I’ve read thus far. Explores some questions of what it means to be abandoned and to abandon. Hemingway was heavily dealing with some grief here as the story lightly refl ...more

Cameron Bogan rated a book

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
by Carson McCullers

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

I had to take a minute with this book. I enjoyed McCullers’ writing style, but didn’t fully understand the scope of the plot.

The central five characters are each interesting in their own way - especially Mick Kelly - but it at times feels preachy an ...more

Cameron Bogan rated a book really liked it

Golden Son (Red Rising Saga, #2)
by Pierce Brown (Goodreads Author)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

I had a lot to say about Red Rising, and I think I stand by most of what I had to say.

But Brown really turns it around here. The prose is much better. The character overload is tapered. The sci-fi tech dump is limited. The language is much more consi ...more

Cameron Bogan rated a book it was amazing

Ghost in the Grove
by Frank Reddy

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

I was honored to be an early recipient/ARC of the manuscript on this one.

To be spoiler-free:

Reddy plays around with time, religion, and memory in this southern backwoods tale. His language is King-ian, themes in the realm of Pizzolatto, and a setting ...more

Cameron Bogan rated a book liked it

It Came From Memphis
by Robert Gordon

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Exceptionally well researched and written. It’s a great supplement to Robert Palmer’s “Deep Blues” - possibly my favorite NF book to date. Though where Palmer focuses on the legends and icons that shape blues, this book focuses on the niche backgroun ...more

Cameron Bogan rated a book it was amazing

Between Two Fires
by Christopher Buehlman (Goodreads Author)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

What a ride. This was my first foray into medieval/fantasy literature along these lines, but what an achievement in writing. The Southern Gothic influence cannot be ignored, and the historical immersion into plague-ridden France pairs well with the t ...more

Cameron Bogan rated a book it was ok

Red Rising (Red Rising Saga, #1)
by Pierce Brown (Goodreads Author)

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

It’s 2.5 stars, all things considered.

My goodness, this book is a mess. It borrows so heavily thematically and plot-wise from Hunger Games, it is at times just like he rewrote entire scenes from the beloved Suzanne Collins work verbatim. Sprinkle in It’s 2.5 stars, all things considered.

My goodness, this book is a mess. It borrows so heavily thematically and plot-wise from Hunger Games, it is at times just like he rewrote entire scenes from the beloved Suzanne Collins work verbatim. Sprinkle in some Percy Jackson, Ender’s Game, and a smidgen of Dune, and bam, you’ve got this book.

He’s a scrappy teen of low birth entered in to a game against quite a few other teens where they play an enormous simulated war. There’s weapons, there’s allegiances, there are game proctors that insert themselves into the game and provide gifts and resources to our competitors. The only large difference between this plot and HG is that the competitors are dissuaded from killing, and they instead are encouraged to focus on strategy and domination of resources.

The world-building is interesting, but not often fleshed out in great detail. There’s a caste system in play, and our protagonist is from the bottom rung, attempting to weasel himself into the upper rung. The middle rungs are referenced fairly often but not really explained to a degree where you understand their relevance.

Same goes for characters - there are a million of them. Some get dedicated descriptions and personalities, others are name-dropped often but contribute no meaningful dialogue and seem more like a distraction to the story than anything impactful. I don’t need to know all of the generals and lieutenants if they don’t have a time to shine. The story is told in first-person – just rely on the limited narrative that comes from that!

Technology - probably the least fleshed out. There are a dozen or so sci-fi weapons either vaguely explained or demonstrated in context, but some get no explanation at all for what they are and are only referred to by lingo. — Also a piece of this is entirely lifted from Dune, where people wear futuristic body-shields that can only be penetrated by thin blades. Cmon, man!

The climax - where was it? I got 10 pages to the end wondering if I had missed something. I guess MAYBE it could be considered when he pins the Jackal, but even that ends unceremoniously. Even though the work is a part of a larger series, the payoff really wasn’t all that exciting by the end of it. As a standalone work, it really just feels like an extremely long part 1 of whatever is to come next. And this is 400-page book!

The language - inconsistent. It seems like at times he suddenly remembered his high society would occasionally speak in High English. Some sentences feel really out of place when he suddenly switches into George RR Martin-speak. If I had to read “bloodydamn” or “gorydamn” again, I might’ve gorydamn lost it.

Our dear protagonist - covered in armor, plot armor, and an exorbitant amount of self-confidence that never waivers – and never really has a hole poked through it. There are countless instances in this book where our first-person narrator compliments himself “I am so strong,” “I am good at ___,” yadda yadda. The only real barrier for him is the central caste system rigged against him, but he’s otherwise a flawless figure and runs into next to no trouble overcoming any difficulty he encounters. He stumbles here and there, but gets right back on top as if nothing happened. There are some Jon Snow comparisons that could be made to Darrow in this way.

Themes - I get it. It’s classic dystopia at its core. It says some interesting things I don’t think Hunger Games quite touched on as much. Where Collins focuses more on the angles of propaganda and high society hegemony, Brown focuses more on the notion of a rigged, nepotistic system where the rich get richer, etc. Katniss didn’t spend nearly as much time focusing on class-consciousness as Darrow does in this work.

Brown clearly had a lot of ideas, some interesting, some meh. The world is unique, a hodge-podge of sci-fi, dystopia, and high fantasy. But he took a lot of time to get to a payoff I don’t think was there. I enjoyed the ride! It’s fun! Not excessively original, but entertaining nonetheless! ...more

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Cameron Bogan

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Learn moreAsk the Author

Combine EditionsCameron Bogan’s books

Cameron’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

See a Problem?

Preview — The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

See a Problem?

Preview — Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

recent postsCameron’s Groups

Cameron’s Friend Comments

Learn more
Ask the Author

Combine Editions
Cameron Bogan’s books

recent posts
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