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Monogamy: A Novel by Sue Miller

September 25, 2020

monogamy

  Recently, my reading has involved both unusual plots and characters. Today I’m back with Sue Miller’s Monogamy, a novel that is, appropriately for this week, about grief. Annie McFarlane’s husband, Graham, dies of a heart attack in the night next to her in their bed. A large, boisterous man with an appetite for life he leaves a gaping hole in the lives of everyone who ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, literary, marriage

The Boys’ Club: A Novel

August 17, 2020

boys

Klasko & Fitch is a massive law firm where the best of the best work, so Alex Vogel is thrilled to be hired there. When she learns the most powerful and lucrative group in the firm is Mergers & Acquisitions, she signs up. She’s energized, not intimidated, because Alex always likes to win. The Boys’ Club is a high-octane debut novel about this first-year associate’s ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, debut, new adult, New York City

Thin Girls: A Novel

August 14, 2020

thin

The opening pages of Thin Girls take place in a treatment facility for people with anorexia. The key protagonist, Rose is sharing her thoughts on group therapy and they fairly crackle off the page with intelligence and sharp, incisive humor. She is 23 and has been at the facility for over a year, something she sees as a badge of honor. The only visitor she has is her identical ... Read More...

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

Almost, But Not Quite: Mini-Reviews

April 24, 2020

almost

It’s not an unusual phenomenon, especially in these crazy times when concentration is a foreign concept for most of us, but sometimes a novel is…almost, but not quite right. For me, the pull is always good writing and if there’s a plot to go with it, it’s an easy sell. It’s when one or the other of these things is lacking that things get dicey. Both of today’s novels had plot ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: contemporary life, mini-reviews, women

Valentine: A Novel by Elizabeth Wetmore

April 6, 2020

five best

When you encounter a scene like the one that opens Elizabeth Wetmore’s novel, Valentine, and the words …she imagines him facedown in the dust, lips and cheeks scoured by sand, his thirst relieved by only the blood in his mouth. sear themselves on your brain you know you are in for high-intensity reading and immersion in a heartbreaking world. A world where a 14-year-old girl ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, debut, Harper, literary

February Reading Wrap-Up

February 28, 2020

february

The roller coaster that was my January reading ground to a halt in February. I can’t even blame the weather because Michigan has had one of its most mild winters (so far!) in years. Instead, it seems as if it’s something larger in the air because most of the readers and bloggers I know reported the same thing. Sadly, this means I’m going to sound crankier than ever in this ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: contemporary life, historical fiction, mini-reviews, thriller

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