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The Ornatrix: A Novel

December 5, 2016

ornatrix

  Those of us in the contemporary world often believe that our problems are new to civilization and have never been experienced before, but Kate Howard shatters that belief in her debut novel The Ornatrix. She takes three women and seals their fate to their faces in this gothic tale of beauty set in Italy in the 16th century.  Flavia is a country girl whose face is half ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: debut, historical fiction, Italy, The Overlook Press, W.W. Norton

Victoria: A Novel

November 21, 2016

In 1837, barely after turning eighteen, Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent became the queen of England. She stood a mere 4’11” tall and had led a life largely isolated from society. For modern day readers it is almost incomprehensible to imagine that a tiny teenager could rule one of the most powerful and widespread empires in the world. Thankfully, author Daisy Goodwin’s ... Read More...

5 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: 19th century, England, historical fiction, royalty, St. Martin's Press

News of the World

November 16, 2016

news of the world

  Jefferson Kidd is a reader. Not like you or me, but an elderly, retired Army captain who earns his living by riding through Northern Texas in 1870, stopping in towns to read the major newspapers to the townspeople. His is a solo act until he meets a man in Wichita Falls who has recovered a little girl kidnapped four years ago by the Kiowa Indians after they killed her ... Read More...

9 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: 19th century, historical fiction, William Morrow

The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee

November 2, 2016

queen of the night

    Alexander Chee’s new novel, The Queen of the Night works well as the chilly fall nights begin because you will need to settle in to really enjoy this massive piece of entertainment. This is not a book to skim through, like any grand diva, attention must be paid. And this Chee does by creating a world overflowing with the sumptuous and the over-the-top for ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: 19th century, historical fiction, Mariner Books, Paris

October Reading Wrap-up

October 31, 2016

october reading

  Happy Halloween, dear readers and welcome to the October reading wrap-up! I’m not going to beat around the bush—I had serious reading issues this month. Bottom line? By midmonth I could not commit to almost any new fiction. I went into it on Friday, so I won’t bore you with the details again. I had more starts/stops, stalled, put-down-and-forget-about books than I’ve ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction, Reading Tagged: contemporary fiction, England, historical fiction, mini-reviews

Comfort Reading

October 28, 2016

comfort reading

  This fall has been the winter of my discontent with the election making me want to pull up the drawbridge to my psyche and mentally barricade myself in a safe place. I know I’m not alone with this because I know too many people in both political parties who are stunned by what has happened to civil discourse in America. What makes it worse is that in today’s 24/7, ... Read More...

13 Comments
Filed Under: Feature, Reading Tagged: chick lit, England, historical fiction, mystery, thriller

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