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The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson

March 11, 2020

splendid

It’s May 1940, but Hitler is already on the move, invading and collecting countries like Monopoly properties. In Great Britain, Prime Minister Chamberlain has lost the confidence of his party and is going to be replaced. It is a momentous time in the world and in British history. Winston Churchill fulfills his lifelong dream of being Prime Minister when he is chosen as the ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: biography, Crown, England, history, world war II

Becoming by Michelle Obama

January 28, 2019

becoming

Leave it to Michelle Obama, an untested writer, to achieve something that has never happened in my reading history. I finished her memoir, Becoming, on January 15th and had no hesitation in ranking it 5 stars. This makes it not only the first time I’ve found a 5-star book in January, but the only time my first 5-star rating of the year has been given to nonfiction. I just don’t ... Read More...

20 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: book clubs, marriage, memoir, politics, Random House, social issues, women

5 Fall Thrillers: Mini-Reviews

October 13, 2017

thriller

As the fall weather settles in and Halloween approaches what better time to discuss thrillers? The kind of books that make you settle into a favorite chair with a hot drink while it’s grey and rainy outside. Given that new releases have been a bit flat this year, I’m mixing up my reviews with three backlist books that are guaranteed to keep you looking over your shoulder. Extra ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Crown, family, Gallery, lists, mini-reviews, Simon & Schuster, suspense, thriller, Viking

The Heirs: A Novel by Susan Rieger

May 29, 2017

heirs

  Sometimes, misinterpreting book blurbs can be a big mistake, leading to disappointment and frustration. Then there are the amazing times when a book sounds like one thing and turns out to be something even better. I’ve had both experiences and while the former can make you swear to never read another synopsis or blurb, the latter can be like Christmas dipped in ... Read More...

9 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, Crown, family, literary, Manhattan, wealth

March Reading Recap

March 31, 2017

March

  I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t tell lion or lamb about March all month. We had warm warms and cold colds. My reading kind of felt the same way. On the one hand I read another 5 star book, but by and large consistency was not the name of the reading game because I stalled out on so many books. I also found myself turning more towards other media to fill my brain ... Read More...

12 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature, Reading Tagged: Crown, Henry Holt and Company, mini-reviews, mystery, Riverhead Books, suspense

The Fifth Petal: A Novel

February 17, 2017

fifth petal

  I carry no weight, no worth, no influence. I represent nothing. I do not exist…But remember this as you flee: You brought me into existence. I am not the cause, I am merely the effect.   The Fifth Petal is set in contemporary Salem, Massachusetts making it a heady concoction of witches, evil, superstition, murder, magic and tragedy. Rose Whelan, a local historian ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, Crown, mystery, New England, paranormal, suspense

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