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The Body Lies by Jo Baker

June 19, 2019

body lies

A young, pregnant woman walking home is beaten on a busy street. Only by biting the man’s hand does she escape before he rapes her. This random act of violence is pivotal in her life and, despite a happy marriage and a healthy baby, three years later she still finds herself haunted by the event. A writer, she finds she can’t write, so she takes a job teaching writing at a small ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, Knopf, literary, social issues, suspense, women

The Paper Wasp by Lauren Acampora

June 12, 2019

paper wasp

The Paper Wasp is the story of two young women living in small Michigan town who were best friends. Up until high school that is, when Elise was discovered and left town for L.A. to become an actress. In losing her popular best friend, Abby floundered and even though she ended up as valedictorian she never fit in again. Now, a decade has passed and Elise’s star is on the rise ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, debut, friendship, Grove Press, Hollywood, literary

The Body in Question

June 10, 2019

Hannah

Standard courtroom drama fiction has never been a favorite of mine, but I recently read two novels that put such an interesting spin on them I’m changing my mind a bit. I’m calling them ‘courtroom drama plus’ because both came at the genre from an unusual perspective. The first was Miracle Creek, which I loved and the second is a new novel called The Body in Question. The twist ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, crime, literary, Pantheon, thriller

Riots I Have Known

May 20, 2019

eight

Sometimes a synopsis can come out of nowhere and make you pick up a book you never thought you would, but it’s a dicey proposition because marketing people are wily devils. Their entire purpose in life is to seduce. But it still doesn’t quite explain why I thought a novel about a Sri Lankan male inmate in an American prison in the midst of a riot would make for something I ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary fiction, debut, humor, literary, satire, Simon & Schuster

Mothers’ Week: Mother Country

May 10, 2019

mother

Nadia’s life is not an easy one. She works not one, but two jobs—as a home attendant for an elderly man and as a nanny for a little girl. It’s necessary because she lives in Brooklyn while her daughter Larissa is still back in Ukraine. They’ve been separated for six years. Lonely years for Nadia as a non-English speaker, looked upon with distrust by the other Ukrainians she ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, cultural, politics, Russia, social issues, Thomas Dunne Books, women

Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan

April 24, 2019

machines

It’s 1986 and the first artificial intelligence humans are for sale in London. Only 25 have been made and Charlie Friend decides he has to have one. Why is not quite clear except that he wrote a book about AI and has always been fascinated by Alan Turing and his contributions to the field. It’s much like the rest of his life, flitting from one thing to the next without much ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: England, literary, Nan A. Talese, science fiction, social issues

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