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Invincible Summer

August 10, 2016

invincible summer

  Less than a quarter of the way into Invincible Summer and I realize why the novel feels so comfortable—I’ve superimposed the characters from Four Weddings and Funeral over the ones Alice Adams creates. This is not a bad thing because the story is not derivative, but you do have a small, tightly knit, British group of friends who get together once a year, not for ... Read More...

3 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: debut, friendship, Little Brown and Company, London

How I Became a North Korean

August 8, 2016

north korean

How I Became a North Korean by Krys Lee is a lot like the Korean delicacy kimchi—a confounding blend of elements that, until it has fermented, can be confusing and difficult to appreciate. But, just like kimchi, by halfway through the novel the three disparate main characters have released their identities to make the story come together. Danny is a sixteen-year-old boy, living ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: China, contemporary life, North Korea, racism

Take It or Leave It: Contemporary Life

August 3, 2016

summer

Contemporary life almost always makes for good fiction, but needs to be done right. That’s why the 'take it or leave it' theme today. I recently read two light fiction novels and only one struck the right note.   Take It Nine Women, One Dress by Jane Rosen fits perfectly from beginning to end. The title is fairly self-explanatory, but in case you want to be ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature, Fiction Tagged: chick lit, contemporary life, debut, Doubleday, mini-reviews, New York City

It’s a Mystery: Mini-Reviews

July 27, 2016

mystery

  My timing may be off for conjuring all things creepy and mysterious, but somehow these three books found their way to me in the last month and I didn’t want to delay sharing them. And honestly, if all you read in the summer are beachy, light reads you’ll get bored. Sure it’s great to be scared on a dark and stormy night, but it’s just as fun when you’re sitting in broad ... Read More...

5 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Grand Central Publishing, mini-reviews, mystery, social issues, St. Martin's Press, suspense, Touchstone

The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra

July 20, 2016

tsar of love

I could not pass up the opportunity to share the love again for a book that I adored. I'm not a big short story reader, but Marra connects the dots so well that The Tsar of Love and Techno reads like an abstract art of a novel. It comes out in paperback tomorrow so if you missed it the first time around, read it now!   For art to be the chisel that breaks the ... Read More...

7 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, cultural, Hogarth, literary, Russia, short stories

Break in Case of Emergency

July 17, 2016

break in case

  Poor Jen. She was an artist while in college, but gave up after school and got a communications job at a non-profit. Which then hit hard times and laid her off. Now she’s at a new foundation started by Leora Infinitas (that’s not a typo on my part), a former sitcom star who achieved her wealth by marrying old money. Literally, her husband was old. And then he died and ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Brooklyn, debut, friendship, Knopf, literary, marriage, satire

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