one book leads to another
Sinclair Lewis blew me away with It Can't Happen Here. He wrote this spookily modern novel almost 100 years ago and not to be dramatic, but oh how I wish it weren't so relevant. Lewis is my kind of author: smart, witty, observant and incisive. He's a legend - the man won a Pulitzer AND … Continue reading It Can’t Happen Here
Serving up a flight of reviews for your reading pleasure. Prepare to knock back tastes of gritty novellas, a refined spy thriller, a complex memoir, and family fiction with both sweet and sour notes. Cheers! Owning Up by George Pelecanos (2024) What’s better than a new George Pelecanos novel? Four new Pelecanos novellas! Quality and … Continue reading Short Shots
In which a fiction prompts a return to poetry. Marigold and Rose are tiny babies and the narrators of this tiny book. It's only 52 pages long! Author Louise Glück called it 'A Fiction' and that it is: a wonderful, insightful, imaginative tale. Marigold and Rose tells the story - in their own words/thoughts - … Continue reading Marigold and Rose and Louise
I did a little survey of all my reviews and realized that around 20% of the books I’ve read since 2020 are by Black authors. The genres include fiction, sci-fi, personal development, young adult, children’s, art, memoir, romance, and a book about books! It’s an interesting list and in the spirit of Black History Month … Continue reading Review Roundup: Black authors
In a world where you want to read more but can't find the time, remember the mighty novella. These slim stories can be just as profound, moving, and satisfying as regular-sized novels. Foster, by Claire Keegan, weighs in at less than 100 pages but it has subtle depth and power. Definitely worth your time and … Continue reading Foster by Claire Keegan
It's been a long time since I was in grade school but that didn't stop me from reading Wildfire, which is intended for grades 6-8. Whew! This book begins with a bang and doesn't stop until the last page. Action-packed doesn't cover it. Wildfire, by Rodman Philbrick, is fraught from the start. Sam and Delphy … Continue reading Wildfire
New! Listen to me read this review here - https://open.spotify.com/episode/21Ri7o9hKABqfP7ublI0Kr News flash - Colson Whitehead can write! I know we know this, he's won not one but two Pulitzer Prizes (for The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys). Harlem Shuffle is completely different from those books but just as extraordinary. Ray Carney is a good … Continue reading Harlem Shuffle
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