one book leads to another
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
A masterclass in sinister fiction. If this book was a fabric, it would be plush velvet. If this book was a drink, it would be a rich Bordeaux. If this book was a fruit, it would be an overripe plum. If this book was a dream, it would be a nightmare. Lucy Foley and her … Continue reading The Paris Apartment
Predators are on the loose in Joe Pickett's world Let's begin with the bottom line: C.J. Box is tried and true and I'm a fan. I devoured Three-Inch Teeth in two days, and it was a tasty treat. This is book number 24 in Box's Joe Pickett series. I've listened to most but read the physical … Continue reading Three-Inch Teeth
You think your family has issues? Jean Hanff Korelitz's writing is like a sleek bullet train, propelled forward, subtlety gaining speed and momentum until reaching its destination. This is the third book of hers I've read and in my review of The Plot I wrote "Korelitz is an excellent writer; her books just seem to … Continue reading The Latecomer
In which spy craft runs in the family. Amanda Cole has the CIA in her blood. Her father, Charlie, was a field operative for years until his abrupt relocation from Helsinki to a desk job at Langley. Amanda is a trusted agent as well, respected and on the rise. Charlie’s past and Amanda’s present dramatically … Continue reading The Helsinki Affair
All the books I read this year 1) Hot Springs Drive by Lindsay Hunter 2) Colors of the National Parks by Jenny Miriam 3) The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak 4) The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz 5) Marigold and Rose by Louise Gluck 6) Improbable Libraries by Alex Johnson 7) On Writing by Stephen … Continue reading 2024 book roundup
You mean love doesn't conquer all? Sometimes a book will surprise me, like when the writing is much better than I expected. Sometimes the surprise is more like a swindle, like the time I eagerly started a psychological thriller only to discover that it was more of a sad mental health story. Sometimes you want … Continue reading Love and other crimes on Hot Springs Drive
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