I just finished Colum McCann’s “Thirteen Ways of Looking” and it is simply the antithesis of the last two books I reviewed (Purity and City on Fire). And that’s a good thing–in case you were wondering. None of the clutter or pretension. Simply beautiful writing, moving story telling and believable, recognizable
City On Fire – by Garth Risk Hallberg
I finished City on Fire a couple of weeks ago and just couldn’t decide whether I liked it and what I wanted to say about it. The book has its highs and its lows, but overall I have decided it is overly ambitious, tries too hard and is simply too long.
A first novel, City
Purity – by Jonathan Franzen
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“There’s a fashion now for fat, hyper-intellectual, cooler-than-thou novels that are loaded with lard and siphoned of believable feeling…” This is how Mary Karr, the poet and memoirist, has described today’s novel and this is how I felt about Jonathan Franzen’s “Purity”.
I loved “The Corrections”, and I always look forward to and read the
The Fishermen – by Chigozie Obioma
“The Fishermen”, by Chigozie Obioma, takes place in 1996 in Akure Nigeria and tells the tragic story of the Agwu family amidst a changing Nigeria. A first novel short listed for the 2015 Man Booker Prize, The Fishermen revolves around 4 brothers. The story begins with the transfer of their disciplinarian father to the town
H Is For Hawk – by Helen Macdonald
I know I said I was a fiction fanatic, but when I read good nonfiction I just want to tell the world about it. So let me tell you about “H Is For Hawk”.
Helen Macdonald’s “H Is For Hawk” is a beautifully written and thoughtful book that includes patience as one of its many
Our Souls At Night – by Kent Haruf
Kent Haruf’s “Our Souls at Night” is a short, sweet story about the cycle of life. The main two characters are a widow (Addie) and a widower (Louis) in their 70s who, in an unlikely scenario, find each other and develop a slow moving romance. As the characters get to know each other and reveal
The Secret Chord – by Geraldine Brooks
King David is a biblical icon about whom we actually know very little. If you want to experience (first hand) the highs and lows of King David in a way you never dreamed possible, then read Geraldine’s Brooks’ “The Secret Chord,” which will be released in October of 2015. This fictionalized history of King David’s
When Books Went to War – by Molly Guptill Manning
I know I said I was a fiction freak and that I would be reviewing lots of novels, but I just couldn’t resist a book about books written by a lawyer!
Anybody who is passionate about books and reading will be intrigued to read about the multi-faceted role that books played in World War II,