Gillian Flynn has quickly become a part of our current zeitgeist, much thanks to her highly celebrated novel “Gone Girl”, a portrayal of a modern day marriage gone toxic. Having made the New York Times bestseller list and read by millions around the globe, Flynn has proved herself to be a compelling writer, a singular... Continue Reading →
Book Thief by Markus Zusak
“The Book Thief” is a title you have probably heard of within the past few months. Markus Zusak’s 2005 novel won awards and critical acclaim when first published, and had a second wave of attention with the 2013 film adaptation last year. I did not know what to expect when I first opened... Continue Reading →
The Pineville Heist by Lee Chambers
Aaron Stevens is pretty unpopular in school. As the son of Derek Stevens, the richest man in Lee Chambers’s The Pineville Heist, it’s no wonder: the people of Pineville all suspect that Aaron’s father is planning on closing the local mill. If that happens, Pineville will become a ghost town without any industry, forcing everyone... Continue Reading →
“Just End Already !” The Ruins by Scott B. Smith
So at my second job I have been listening to a ton of audiobooks. For those who have never tried one before you definitely should. They are both enjoyable and super convenient when you don’t have time to pick up a book but have the time to multitask and listen to one. Now that being... Continue Reading →
The Great Gatsby
Somehow through both high school and an MA in English, I managed to miss reading F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. So when I discovered that Baz Luhrmann was making it into a movie, I decided to read the book before going to see it. Right when I read the first page, I knew The... Continue Reading →
Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell
Cloud Atlas had been on my to-read list for some time and when the movie came out, it instantly got bumped up to my read-right-away list. It’s a great book, but a bit of a flop at the same time. It’s great in that I thoroughly enjoyed reading it as it was imaginative, fascinating, and... Continue Reading →
Midnight’s Children, by Salman Rushdie
This is no Days of Our Lives, sand through the hourglass, kind of book where you can skip massive chunks and still be ahead of what’s going on. Allow your mind to drift off to contemplate what you’re having for supper or the blue fluff in your belly button, and you’re finished. This is a... Continue Reading →
Where are the Children by Mary Higgins Clark
I remember reading this book as a young teenager and loving it, so when I was moving some boxes the other day and came upon a ratty copy of the paperback, what else could I do but grab a cup of tea and sink back between it's pages. Sadly, it's a bit dated (circa 1975),... Continue Reading →
Fifty Shades of Drivel vs. Tobacco Road
This is called killing two birds with one stone and, yes, I realize that putting these two books together in the one review is complete heresy, but James’ book doesn’t warrant any more than a few cursory comments and I finished reading it before embarking on Caldwell’s American classic. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.... Continue Reading →
Wallander by Henning Mankell
One of the things I love about mysteries, is that many develop into series, where you follow the character or characters through their lives. Sometimes this is badly done and the plot of each book is simply there to hang a familiar character on, or to showcase the attributes that make these fictional people. In... Continue Reading →
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