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The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus

February 19, 2025

life cycle

Monday I shared a literary novel I loved and now I’m back with another. The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus is the witty, contemporary story of two friends and their freshman year at the University of Edinburgh. Alice and Penelope both have their reasons for wanting to leave Canada and go to this particular school. Alice’s is practical in that she hopes it will be the gateway ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: coming-of-age, literary

Penitence: A Novel

February 3, 2025

penitence

When Penitence begins 13-year-old Nora is alone in a jail cell after turning herself in for killing her 14-year-old brother. An opening like this has the heft to carry a traditional thriller/mystery whether as a police procedural (solving the crime) or a courtroom drama (Nora on trial). Instead, debut author Kristin Koval forges a completely different path in what becomes a ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, debut, family, literary, mystery

From Here to the Great Unknown

January 24, 2025

from here

Those of us outside looking in, mired in our everyday lives, tend to mythologize celebrities and what their lives look like. The greater the star the larger they loom. This is even true for the children of the famous and in that realm, Elvis Presley’s daughter was tabloid fodder from the day she was born. Lisa Marie died last year, but had started writing a memoir with the help ... Read More...

3 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: memoir, pop culture

Those Fatal Flowers

January 22, 2025

fatal flowers

While my fascination surrounding the legend of Troy has waned (I can only watch Eric Bana and Brad Pitt in the movie so many times) my curiosity about mythology has not. Those Fatal Flowers is a genre-bending tale of a handmaiden to a goddess who is cursed for her carelessness, but has the opportunity to save herself and her sisters if she can complete a heroic quest. Quests ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: 16th century, debut, mythology

Snake Oil: A Novel

December 13, 2024

snake oil

Three women, one company. Set in the wellness industry Snake Oil is about the woman who starts the company and two of the women who work for her. At opposite ends of the spectrum, one is a fervent believer in the company’s mission while the other avidly opposes it, but needs the paycheck. When the novel opens a clinical trial for a new supplement is wrapping up. It’s release ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, debut, mystery, women

I Hope This Finds You Well

October 30, 2024

this finds you well

Apparently, the reading gods have taken pity on me this fall because I’m on a roll with FUN, entertaining, reading. Case in point: I Hope This Finds You Well, a debut from Canadian author Natalie Sue. This novel’s main ingredient is humor, but she blends it into something with more depth as one introverted office worker has to attend HR training to improve her attitude or lose ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, debut, humor, vacation reading

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