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The Gimmicks: A Novel

January 22, 2020

gimmicks

I didn’t plan this, but I’m back today with another unusual book (Monday's review). The Gimmicks is about two teenage brothers in Armenia in the 1970s. One is a giant, standing over 6’6” tall, while the other is a competitive backgammon player. The novel moves between their lives and the life of a former pro-wrestling manager in 1980s America. When the book arrived I actually ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: cultural, debut, Harper, historical fiction, literary

The Sacrament: A Novel

January 17, 2020

sacrament

Set in Iceland, The Sacrament is a spare and chilling novel about the Catholic Church. An elderly nun, Sister Johanna Marie, is called from her convent in France to look into an accusation at a Catholic school in Iceland, where she taught decades ago. During her tenure, a young boy witnessed a priest fall to his death from a tower. This boy, now a man, sends a letter for Sister ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, ecco, literary, social issues

What I’m Reading this Week

January 6, 2020

reading

Hello to the first Monday in the new year! Did you all survive the holidays relatively intact? Or, with intact relatives? Congrats on either one. I had a nice mix of family and reading time and am ready for a new decade of reading. Here's what's up for this week.   Currently Reading   The Gimmicks is far from my normal choice of book. I don’t like the cover or ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Feature, Reading Tagged: lists, literary, suspense, women

Ten Best Books of 2019

December 20, 2019

ten

  Well, what do you know. Rather than being my usual contrarian self, I actually have ten books I consider to be the best of 2019. Of course, that doesn’t include the eight debut novels I wrote about on Wednesday, but let’s not split hairs. The point is: ALL of these books are marvelous. Even better, you still have time to get any one of them before Christmas for your ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: book clubs, favorite books, lists, literary

Tell the Wolves I’m Home

December 9, 2019

tell the wolves

  You could try and believe what you wanted, but it never worked. Your brain and your heart decided what you were going to believe and that was that. June is a bit of a loner who feels safer in the woods than she does around people. She’s never had friends her own age, but what she did have was an uncle she adored, who lived in NYC and understood her better than ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, coming-of-age, debut, literary, New York City, Random House

Small Books, Quick Thoughts

November 29, 2019

This post may include Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I was going to call this post Short and Sweet, but the title is not quite right for these three novels. Sweet implies a bit of passivity and isn’t often a trait I like in my fiction. Instead, each of these small books belied their size with the force of their stories. Because they’re ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, literary, mini-reviews, social issues, women

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