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The Rules of Magic

October 9, 2017

rules

Whatever is meant to be is bound to happen, whether or not you approve. Frances, Bridget (Jet) and Vincent are born and raised with no sense of family. Their parents, actively discourage any discussion of grandparents or other relatives. Even worse, their mother, Susanna, gives them odd rules for living, including: no walking in moonlight, no red shoes, no cats, no candles, ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: coming-of-age, family, literary, magic, relationships

Mrs. Houdini

April 6, 2016

houdini

  Bess Rahner met Ehrich Weiss the summer of 1894 at Coney Island where both were performers—she a singing and dancing girl and he doing an escape act with his brother. Little did she know that this brash, confident young man would become Harry Houdini and she would be his wife. Mrs. Houdini, by Victoria Kelly, looks not only their life together, from their beginnings in ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Atria Books, debut, historical fiction, magic, New York City

The Book of Speculation

July 8, 2015

Debut novelist Erika Swyler does not waste any time before throwing the reader into the deep end of The Book of Speculation. The novel begins with Simon Watson, a librarian with the ability to hold his breath for underwater for almost ten minutes at a time, a skill passed on to him by his mother before she drowned herself when he was seven. Now, he lives alone in the family’s ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: debut, historical fiction, magic, mystery, St. Martin's Press

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