Books and other leisurely pursuits
Barbara Kingsolver’s latest tome is a modern retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic David Copperfield. Told in first person, Demon Copperfield escorts readers through his life from the difficulty of getting born to an addicted mother, navigating abusive foster situations, to devising survival routes at any cost.
Towles gives readers another excellent literary read with The Lincoln Highway. Four boys head east on a journey to claim an inheritance and settle some old scores. This one begs to be discussed.
Love Marriage by Monica Ali is one of my best surprise reads of the year. I can’t remember why I picked it up – maybe […] Read More
There’s a new genre of fiction emerging – COVID Lit. Two of the last few books I’ve read have commenced with the “shelter in place” orders that came in March 2020. And this is where Elizabeth Strout places Lucy Barton from her Amgash Series in Lucy by the Sea, the fourth in the series.
Here it is – my Book Club’s 2022-2023 Short List Book Selections! Thanks to all who contributed their thoughts on the Facebook post of my […] Read More
For those who visit regularly, you know that thrillers aren’t my go-to genre. But when a few of my colleagues at work started telling me about this great book a co-worker had published, I was intrigued. I purchased and read it in the course of a weekend – completely engaged and thoroughly entertained. But because I don’t normally review thrillers, I felt less up to that task. So instead, I asked Matt if he’d be willing to participate in a Q&A with me, and he agreed.
Elizabeth Strout’s latest novel Oh William! is full of what we love about Strout – stories of imperfect people managing life in imperfect ways. Strout’s […] Read More
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart fortifies my belief in The Booker Prize winners.
The most consistent reading theme for 2020 that I heard was an inability to “get into” a book, which was incredibly frustrating – especially during those weeks and months of “sheltering in place.” For many readers, they readily apply this feeling to that now cliche term of “unprecedented.”
I first read Native Son in college. (That’s my copy in the photo.) And while I know I read it – there are highlights, notes […] Read More