one book leads to another
12 steps for a deadly addiction Assassins Anonymous begins and ends in the Christmas season but this is a Christmas book like Die Hard is a Christmas movie. It's part thriller, part meditative examination of life and friendship, and I practically inhaled it. Meet Mark, ex-Navy Seal and ex-assassin for a group that's beyond the … Continue reading Assassins Anonymous
Souls caught in the balance. The Human Scale is a new novel by Lawrence Wright and what an ambitious, tender and unflinching book it is. Perhaps only Wright could have created a story like this - his background in the Middle East is well-established* and his writing chops are undisputed. The Human Scale is beautiful … Continue reading The Human Scale
I'm beginning to think that Art is everything, am I wrong? I wrote that in a letter to my cousin, a poet living in New York City. I had just finished Bianca Bosker's 2024 book, Get the Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey among the Inspired Artists and Impressive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See … Continue reading Get the Picture
Be your own BFF. The inside flap of this debut novel asks "What would you be willing to lose to have the life you always wanted?" Interesting question. If you give up something meaningful wouldn't its absence be a constant aching hole in your fabulous new life? Maybe, maybe not. Alana B. Lytle's Man's Best … Continue reading Man’s Best Friend
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
When you find an author you like do you keep tabs on them? There are some authors I can count on to publish a new novel every year or so and then there are those that I keep an eye on, googling occasionally in case they've written something new. I'll periodically go back to my … Continue reading Favorites, Old and New
I was listening to NPR's 1A when I heard part of an interview with A Place Called Home author David Ambroz. The show that day was about adults who grew up in the foster system and as Ambroz told his story I stopped what I was doing to listen. He said that once when he … Continue reading A Place Called Home: A Memoir
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