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Pretty Things: A Novel

June 4, 2020

pretty things

Nina is the kind of pretty that stands out, but not enough to be a problem if you’re a grifter stealing from rich people in L.A. She’s got a keen eye, both for fine art and antiques (thanks to an MFA), and for drunk spoiled men who aren’t likely to miss valuable items from their homes. Vanessa is an heiress who fits Nina’s profile, but as an Instagram influencer she’s too aware ... Read More...

5 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: mystery, thriller

May Reading Recap

May 29, 2020

May

It’s getting harder and harder to tell the end of any month. Who knows when one has ended and a new one begun, but apparently May is over. The loss of normalcy and routine means that even as restrictions in Michigan ease I feel unsettled going out and saddened by the fact that what was once normal may not be that way for the foreseeable future. This ongoing uncertainty has led ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: historical fiction, literary, memoir, mini-reviews

The First Actress: A novel

May 27, 2020

actress

Born the illegitimate daughter of a French courtesan, Sarah Bernhardt didn’t even live with her mother until she was eight years old. When she did move in with her, Sarah caught the eye of one of her mother’s patrons and was shipped off to convent boarding school. Not for her safety, but because her mother didn’t want the competition.  When she returned to Paris at 15 her ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: 19th century, France, historical fiction

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life

May 25, 2020

irby

Samantha Irby is a 36-year-old, black, lesbian living in Chicago. She also grew up broke-ass poor—all of which she lets you know from the get-go in her essay collection We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. But her biographical details are the least interesting thing about her. What really matters is that she is wildly funny, even as I cringed at how she has NO filter about ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: essays, humor

Master Class by Christina Dalcher

May 22, 2020

master

Christina Dalcher’s debut novel, Vox, established her as one of those writers who can layer present events onto the future and make it grim, but plausible. In the novel, separation of church and state disappear and one of the first acts of the new government is to restrict the number of words a woman can speak each day. Yeah. Now, she’s back and she sets Master Class in a ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: dystopia, science fiction, thriller

Rodham: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld

May 20, 2020

rodham

Seldom has there been a public figure more scrutinized, disparaged, and talked about than Hillary Rodham Clinton. You might think it’s the price to be paid for entering politics, but the level of personal attacks against her often seem largely based on the fact that she is a she. Add to this her marriage to a man not known for his fidelity and her defeat in the 2016 ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, historical fiction, literary, politics, women

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