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Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

September 20, 2021

cloud cuckoo

At long last, author Anthony Doerr, whose last novel, All the Light We Cannot See is one of my all-time favorite books, has come out with a new novel. Massive in its scope, Cloud Cuckoo Land covers everything from the life of a young girl in 1450s Constantinople, that of young man conscripted into the sultan’s army as it marches on the city, the small town of Lakeport Idaho ... Read More...

7 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: historical fiction, literary, science fiction

Fast Fiction: Mini-Reviews

May 20, 2021

fast

  Fast fiction may sound like a pejorative, but I don’t mean it that way. Sometimes, particularly after deeper literary fiction I’m happy to jettison character development and lyrical prose for books that go down like any of my favorite sugary snacks—easily, mindlessly, and with no nutritional value. Empty calories, but yummy, and just how much kale should any one person ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: mini-reviews, mystery, science fiction

The High-Rise Diver: A Novel

April 14, 2021

high rise

A young woman, strong and proud, stands on the top of a high-rise thousands of feet tall. Below her a crowd chants her name and yells for her to jump. She does, plunging to within inches of certain death before activating the flight mode in her specially constructed suit and soaring back up above the crowd. She is Riva, 20-years-old and a chosen athlete, a physically perfect ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, debut, dystopia, literary, science fiction

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

April 7, 2021

klara

In an unspecified place, sometime in the future, Klara waits inside a store for her new best friend. Days pass and she moves from section to section, often gazing out the main window onto the street, observing and absorbing what’s happening in the world outside. She has a strong sense of who her new friend will be, a girl that only she can help, so when Josie arrives, she knows ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: literary, science fiction

October Under-the-Radar Reads

October 7, 2020

october

I already made a big fuss about the eight books of fall I was ready to read, but now I'm back with four new books I'm reading this October. I haven't heard much about any of them in the bookish world, but each has piqued my interest for a different reason, so we'll see. (For a more detailed synopsis of each, click on title link to go to ... Read More...

1 Comment
Filed Under: Feature, Reading Tagged: debut, historical fiction, literary, memoir, science fiction

July Reading Wrap-Up

July 30, 2020

july

  Goodbye, July! My first full month of real summer in the Midwest. What I loved: fireflies, thunder and rain storms that last for hours. What is not so much: humidity that flattens me but makes my hair explode. And flies. So many flies! Why? The natural world aside, even with the increasing crazy that is America, July was an outstanding reading month. I finished 15 ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: dystopia, Italy, literary, memoir, mini-reviews, mythology, science fiction

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