When Maggie’s older brother, Chip disappears for the summer after the end of his senior year in high school it’s a big deal. Because it’s probably the last summer he’ll ever have and she and her parents are left alone and wondering if they’ll ever see him again. They do, but he never says anything about his time away. A year later Maggie seeks some kind of closure around his ... Read More...
My 9 Favorite Books in 2024
As I started reviewing my reading year there was one stat that jumped off the chart at me. Of the 13 five-star books I read this year my favorite 9 were backlist (published before 2024). I’m sure publishing analysts could provide an easy explanation (fewer books published in an election year) or a psychologist something more detailed (possibly around escape and avoidance) but ... Read More...
The Same Bright Stars by Ethan Joella
As evidenced by Wednesday’s review I’m always up for dark dark fiction if there’s humor somewhere in the horror. At the same time, I appreciate a gentler approach—slice-of-life novels if you will. Ethan Joella’s The Same Bright Stars fits in this quieter space perfectly. Jack Schmidt has been in the restaurant business since he was a little boy. Now in his early 50s he’s begun ... Read More...
A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella
We live so much of our lives without telling anyone. Apparently, this is going to be an emotion drenched week of reviews. When A Quiet Life opens, a Pennsylvania suburb is locked in the throes of winter, while three of its residents are just as frozen in their grief. Chuck is a man in his early 70s whose beloved wife died suddenly from cancer, Ella’s young daughter is missing, ... Read More...
