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The Knockout Queen

April 27, 2020

knockout

Michael and Bunny are the unlikeliest of friends. Polar opposites in almost every way: his mother is in prison so he lives with his aunt, while she lives in a mansion with her father. He is less of a young man than he is supposed to be with long hair, a pierced nose, small and slender. He likes other boys, but no one knows. She is literally too much of a girl. Growing and ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, coming-of-age, contemporary life, literary

March Reading Recap

March 30, 2020

march reading

Well, of all the things I thought might happen this March I could never have come up with where we are now. I'll spare you the contents of my brain churning with the anxiety I have not only over family and friends flung across America, but all the people who have lost their jobs, the people sick and struggling. I feel helpless. So, while it feels a little frivolous to write ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: contemporary life, family, memoir, mini-reviews, short stories

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

March 27, 2020

glass hotel

A young woman named Vincent is at the heart of The Glass Hotel, a novel that stretches its plot around the globe and into the world of high finance, hotels, restaurants, and even global oceanic shipping. It’s a complex brew of stories and people who meet, side- step, brush up against, or collide, with each other in ways that mean much more to the big picture than they ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, Knopf, literary, mystery

House of Trelawney

February 21, 2020

trelawney

An 800-year-old family estate in Cornwall, England is at the heart of Hannah Rothschild’s new novel, House of Trelawney. The house is occupied by Kitto and Jane, the current Earl and Viscountess; their three children, and his infirm parents.  What’s missing is the money needed to keep Trelawney running. Actually, there isn’t even enough money to keep it habitable as they’ve ... Read More...

9 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: England, humor, Knopf

Weather: A Novel by Jenny Offill

February 13, 2020

weather

Lizzie has a good life. She’s an academic librarian with a loving husband and a young son. Her mother, although more religiously inclined than Lizzie will ever be, is in good health. Her brother has kicked his pill addiction, found a girlfriend and a job. Into this relative quiet comes an old mentor of Lizzie’s who asks her to answer the email for her wildly popular podcast. ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary fiction, contemporary life, humor, Knopf

Midwinter Doldrums: Mini-Reviews

February 7, 2020

midwinter

On Wednesday we officially hit the midwinter mark. Hurray! I’m halfway through my first Midwestern winter and it’s not so bad. Of course, by saying that I’m just asking for trouble. Unfortunately, while the weather has been cooperating, my reading has not. I’ve finished a number of books I discussed on my episode of Sarah’s podcast and in my own Winter Preview post and the ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: contemporary fiction, contemporary life, cultural, historical fiction, literary, women

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