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The Swimmers: A Novel

July 14, 2023

swimmers

A beautifully composed, but unusual novel, there's not a lot of action in The Swimmers so if plot and pace are a criteria for your summer reading, save this contemplative beauty for the fall.  It's the story of a swimming pool and the group of swimmers who churn, wade, bounce, and glide through its lanes. In the first half of the novel the narrators are the collective ‘we’ of ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult

July 10, 2023

honey

I’d left off reading Jodi Picoult after disliking her last two books and so didn’t read Mad Honey until two readers I trust said I would enjoy it. I listened to them, but this may be the briefest review of a 4 star novel I’ve ever done. Not for a lack of thoughts, but because the plot twists in this story just keep coming until the very end. Given that each is substantive and ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, mystery, vacation reading

The Puzzle Master: A Novel

June 20, 2023

puzzle

It’s been a long time since I’ve reviewed a book that I not only loved, but would recommend to everyone I know. The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni is a propulsive novel about a man with an extraordinary gift for puzzles, patterns, and all things numbers who’s pulled into unexpected drama when a prison inmate asks him to meet with her. Mike Brink is a star high school ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: mystery, thriller, vacation reading

Such Kindness: A Novel

June 13, 2023

kindness

I’ve been craving pace in my reading lately so am surprised to be here with an introspective novel spanning only a few days and very little action. Set in present-day Massachusetts, Such Kindness by Andre Dubus III is a tender, painful look at one man’s reckoning of an expansive life that once included marriage, a son, and owning his own business, but is now diminished to ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, literary, social issues

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women

June 9, 2023

lady

Lisa See’s depictions of the women of China and Southeast Asia have always been entertaining and educational reading so I was pleased to hear about her new novel, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women. Set in 15th century China it’s the story of one of China’s first female doctors. Yunxian Tan is a little girl when, her mother dies at the age of 28. She is sent to live with her ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: 15th century, book clubs, China, historical fiction, women

Nora Goes Off Script

May 22, 2023

nora

When Nora’s husband leaves their family to pursue his dreams, she does what she always does—she writes about it. Nora earns her living writing romance movies for cable TV, but in Nora Goes Off Script she changes things up and writes reality. The result is a screenplay that gets picked up by a major studio, complete with movie stars in the lead roles. All of whom descend on ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, chick lit, vacation reading, women

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