Somehow I ended up reading two books recently on the same esoteric subject—witch hunting in England in the 1600s. Earlier this week I reviewed The Witchfinder’s Sister and now I’m back with Into the Water, Paula Hawkins’s new novel. The title is a reference to the test of tying a woman to a chair and dropping her in a pond. If she sinks, she’s innocent. If she floats, ... Read More...
Dead Letters: A Novel
Parents expecting identical twins often decide to get whimsical with their children’s names and Marlon and Nadine Antipova are no different. To paraphrase the pretentious Marlon—his daughters would be the beginning and the end, explaining how Ava and Zelda came to get their names. This family story is the only sentimental one found in Caite Dolan-Leach’s mesmerizing ... Read More...
December Library Checkout
Happy last day of 2016! Suffice it to say I’m ready to wash my hands of this year. Actually, not the entire year. I had some great personal experiences earlier in 2016 but the second half has been draining and difficult. Like so many people I know, the election results have made staying positive challenging. The bad news seems to keep coming with no respite in sight. Complete ... Read More...
Comfort Reading
This fall has been the winter of my discontent with the election making me want to pull up the drawbridge to my psyche and mentally barricade myself in a safe place. I know I’m not alone with this because I know too many people in both political parties who are stunned by what has happened to civil discourse in America. What makes it worse is that in today’s 24/7, ... Read More...
You Will Know Me
Devon is a gymnast and has been a gymnast probably since she was in her mother’s womb. Something as little as losing two of the toes on her right foot when she was a toddler wouldn’t and didn’t stop her and now, at fifteen, she’s ready to become a Senior Elite—the girls with a chance to go to the Olympics. She is the shining star at the center of Megan Abbott’s new ... Read More...
Thrilled to Death: Siracusa and Dear Mr. M
This is the type of post that should wait until Halloween, but honestly who wants to wait for reviews of the kind of reading that keeps you up all night? Here are two recent releases that fit the bill for fall creepster reading. Both involve death and one thrilled me. Although you never really know in a marriage who is responsible for what, do ... Read More...
