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It’s Not You, It’s Me: Mini-Reviews

September 2, 2016

it's

  First of all, how is it that summer is already over?! I know this wasn't the case in most of the country, but here in Seattle we never had sustained summer heat, just a few days here and there.  It still feels as if summer lies ahead, even though September is chock full of big releases. Having said that, here are two It's Not You, It's Me books. They did not go ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature, Fiction Tagged: 1950s, Dutton, Graywolf Press, India, Manhattan, mini-reviews

Behold the Dreamers

August 31, 2016

behold the dreamers

Imbolo Mbue’s debut novel Behold the Dreamers falls into a quirky category of mine—books with titles that perfectly encapsulate the story. This novel is the American dream from two vastly different perspectives—one, that of an immigrant here on a limited work visa and the other, an investment banker. Jende Jonga is hired as a chauffeur by Clark Edwards, the banker. His ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, cultural, debut, Manhattan, marriage

Bright, Precious Days

August 22, 2016

bright precious days

  Russell and Corrine Calloway move in all the right circles, but at the grand banquet that is New York society they’re seated at the children’s table. Yes, Russell owns his company, but it’s a publishing firm and while it has cachet it doesn’t have much cash. They live at an enviable address downtown, but in a cramped loft with one bathroom for four people. When Bright, ... Read More...

5 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, friendship, Knopf, Manhattan, marriage, midlife

Love is Red

May 27, 2016

love is red

  I was 6 pages into Love is Red when I realized my heart was pounding. Pounding enough to notice, which is not normal. Sophie Jaff’s novel opens with a seduction scene—told from the perspective of an unnamed man who woos a woman at a bar. The action inevitably moves to the woman’s apartment, but this is not a crude encounter, Jaff’s writing is as smooth and well-paced as ... Read More...

7 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: Harper, Manhattan, mystery, suspense

Wealthy Women: Mini-Reviews

May 6, 2016

wealthy women

  It’s no secret I like sorbet reading—the kind of fiction that is light on the brain and cleanses my mental palate for the heavier novels that linger in my heart and mind after I’ve finished them. This could also be called chick-lit, but while I think that’s a fun term I know there are plenty of women that think it's offensive. Political correctness aside, what I’m ... Read More...

3 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: 1920s, 1950s, chick lit, family saga, fashion, London, Manhattan, mini-reviews

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos: A Novel

April 11, 2016

last painting

  It’s hard to believe that something as benign as an art exhibit entitled Women of the Dutch Golden Age could be the nexus for such widespread themes as art history, abandonment, love, grief, forgery, and intrigue, but in Dominic Smith’s new novel The Last Painting of Sara de Vos it is. Eleanor Shipley is an esteemed professor at Sydney University and a well-known ... Read More...

1 Comment
Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged: 1950s, art, book clubs, historical fiction, Holland, Manhattan, Sarah Crichton, women

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