When Penitence begins 13-year-old Nora is alone in a jail cell after turning herself in for killing her 14-year-old brother. An opening like this has the heft to carry a traditional thriller/mystery whether as a police procedural (solving the crime) or a courtroom drama (Nora on trial). Instead, debut author Kristin Koval forges a completely different path in what becomes a ... Read More...
Instructions for a Heatwave
In 1976 England was in the midst of a terrible drought and heat wave. It’s an inauspicious and unexpected time for a happily married, retired man to go missing, but Robert does, taking only his keys and his passport. His wife Gretta is left in a frazzled state and his adult children have all been called to come home and look for him in Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, Instructions for ... Read More...
My 9 Favorite Books in 2024
As I started reviewing my reading year there was one stat that jumped off the chart at me. Of the 13 five-star books I read this year my favorite 9 were backlist (published before 2024). I’m sure publishing analysts could provide an easy explanation (fewer books published in an election year) or a psychologist something more detailed (possibly around escape and avoidance) but ... Read More...
Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
A successful food writer, Nina Dean is happy with her life. She has close friends, her own apartment in London, and her breakup with her longtime boyfriend was amicable. She’s happy being alone, but a partner would be nice as well, so with her sense of self-esteem mostly in place she makes the foray back into the dating world. It’s that simple decision that sets the dominoes in ... Read More...
Bear by Julia Phillips
Small, character driven novels have not been good reading for me recently so I was surprised to be drawn into Bear. Somehow, author Julia Phillips makes the unexpected presence of a large bear in the lives of two downtrodden women magnetic. Elena and Sam are sisters living on an island off the Washington State coast. Bears are an unusual sight on the island, but the appearance ... Read More...
October Reading Wrap-Up
Such a month was October. I resolved some health issues and have regained a modicum of my energy. Unfortunately, being awake and aware this month came with its own trials. I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember ever being so scared about an election. An election that’s less about issues and more about what democracy means. The fact that this is even up for discussion ... Read More...
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