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Book Reviews from the Left Coast

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Another Kind of Eden by James Lee Burke

Littoral Librarian May 3, 2021

Back in 2016, I read and reviewed James Lee Burke’s The Jealous Kind, noting that the book was “… part of the Holland family saga. Back in 1835, Sam Holland escaped from prison, fighting in the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. Sam’s grandson, Hackberry Holland, was a Texas Ranger.” Hackberry’s grandson, Aaron Holland Broussard, …

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

Littoral Librarian April 27, 2021

Laura Dave has written several novels, but TBH I’d never heard of her before I got an advance copy of her latest, The Last Thing He Told Me, from Simon & Schuster and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review. The premise sounded like it had the potential to be either ho-hum or terrific: husband …

Dream Girl by Laura Lippman

Littoral Librarian April 25, 2021

I love Laura Lippman, and was super excited to get a copy of Dream Girl from William Morrow / Custom House and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review. It is compared to Stephen King’s Misery and Lippman herself has referred to it as her first horror novel.  I’m a fan of psychological suspense/thrillers, but …

Tall Men, Short Shorts by Leigh Montville

Littoral Librarian April 25, 2021

In the 1960s and 1970s, I lived in Southern California and was a huge fan of professional basketball in general and the LA Lakers in particular. I followed the team closely, every season, through the playoffs, with the too-frequent finale being a loss to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Championship Finals. Back in the …

False Witness by Karin Slaughter

Littoral Librarian April 25, 2021

Harleigh Collier, who goes by Leigh, is a hard-working professional woman, working her way up at a fancy high profile law firm. One Sunday evening, she is at her daughter’s school play and gets a call from one of the law firm’s senior partners, asking her to defend a wealthy client accused of multiple counts …

Falling by T. J. Newman

Littoral Librarian April 23, 2021

 The story of this book’s publication is almost as much fun as the book. A young woman named T.J. Newman spent years working as a flight attendant for major airlines. During and outside of her long flights, she made good use of her time thinking and writing about a terrifying story set around an airline …

The Devil May Dance by Jake Tapper

Littoral Librarian April 22, 2021

Back in 2018, when I read Jake Tapper’s novel The Hellfire Club, I said it was “four and a half stars, rounded down to four because it isn’t QUITE a five – but I would bet his next one will be.” Now here we are with a sequel, The Devil May Dance, bringing back New …

Reclaim Joy by Emine Rushton

Littoral Librarian April 20, 2021

Reclaim Joy, by Emine Rushton, is just what the subtitle says: a guided journal to discover simple pleasures every day. The author is a holistic therapist (not exactly sure what that entails) who provides a years’ worth of prompts and rituals designed to help the reader who is trying to incorporate more mindfulness into their …

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

Littoral Librarian April 13, 2021

Recently, I read Nancy Thayer’s new book  “Family Reunion,” which I said was like a warm blanket and a cup of tea. Comfort reading, perfect for the pandemic. Despite my shudder when I hear the phrase “women’s fiction,” I actually enjoyed it. So when I had the opportunity to receive a copy of  Miranda Cowley …

What To Do When Someone Dies by Nicci French

Littoral Librarian April 12, 2021

I’m a fan of psychological thrillers, even those that require a fair amount of willing suspension of disbelief, so I was happy to receive a copy of Nicci French’s lates, What  To Do When Someone Dies, from William Morrow/Custom House and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review. TBH, the title was a bit off-putting …

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

Littoral Librarian April 5, 2021

Stacey Abrams, well-known for her political work in Georgia and an experienced tax attorney IRL, has written When Justice Sleeps, a legal thriller that is complex, clever, and revelatory of the high-stakes political maneuverings in Washington DC (particularly the Supreme Court). The protagonist of this fast-paced thriller is Avery Keene, a brilliant young law clerk …

Just One Look by Lindsay Cameron

Littoral Librarian April 5, 2021

Cassie Woodson is a hot mess…think Cassandra Bowden in The Flight Attendant — after a drama-filled breakup that led to her humiliating firing from her job as an attorney at a top-level law firm, she has been forced to take a job as a legal temp, working long hours on a mind-numbing project reviewing documents, …

Paradise by Lizzie Johnson

Littoral Librarian March 28, 2021

Fire season was very real for us last year. And the year before, and before. Northern CA has endured more than its share of fire damage, and the worst of all might be the November 2018 “Camp Fire” that destroyed the beautiful town of Paradise. Lizzie Johnson, a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, tells …

The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding

Littoral Librarian March 28, 2021

Robyn Harding has a string of successes: The Party, The Swap. The Arrangement…now she is back with The Perfect Family. Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley, I received a copy in exchange for this honest review. The “perfect family” is the Adlers: Realtor Tom, his interior designer wife Viv, and their kids, Eli and Tarryn. …

The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman

Littoral Librarian March 28, 2021

Catherine Steadman is an accomplished actress (memorably played Mabel Lane Fox in Downton Abbey) and author. I loved 2018’s Something In The Water, but 2020’s Mr. Nobody didn’t do it for me, so I was curious about the latest from this talented woman, and was happy to receive a copy of The Disappearing Act from …

At Any Cost by Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Angar

Littoral Librarian March 28, 2021

True Crime – my guilty pleasure. Well-written true crime — too rare but oh so enjoyable. Frequently when reading true crime, the characters and outcome are familiar (think Laci, O.J., Menendez brothers). I admit I was not aware of At Any Cost, the story of Shele Danishefsky and her younger husband Rod Covlin, but the …

Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson

Littoral Librarian March 28, 2021

Jenny Lawson is brave, and funny, and smart, and willing to share her struggles with anxiety and depression in her blog posts, essays, and books. Why “brave?” I share some of her afflictions and, while I totally bought in to the concept that depression won’t lose its stigma until people are willing to talk openly …

The Missing Piece by John Lescroart

Littoral Librarian March 18, 2021

I generally enjoy thrillers, with legal and financial being my favorite subgenres. There are several authors that are consistently ones whose latest books are always on my TBR shelf as soon as I can get them, and John Lescroart has been on that list since I first came across his work in the late 1980s.  …

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

Littoral Librarian March 18, 2021

Maybe it’s pandemic fatigue. Or maybe it’s just me. My expectations may be a bit high? But when Mary Kubica is referred to repeatedly as the “queen of the domestic thriller,” and I am so ready for a grabber — you know, the kind where you just want people to leave you the bleep ALONE …

Family Reunion by Nancy Thayer

Littoral Librarian March 12, 2021

I admit it. The phrase “women’s fiction” generally makes me shudder. I don’t quite equate it with the phrase “bodice ripper,” but almost. Maybe it’s because I took over as manager of a nice suburban branch library from a woman who had done everything she could to run it into the ground (like getting rid …

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Who Is the Littoral Librarian?

I am a librarian who is fortunate enough to live on the beautiful Central Coast of California. I have worked in public and academic libraries,  I teach Information Competency and Literacy online part-time, and spend huge amounts of time reading and enjoying the amazing place I live.

 

Contact me by email:   LL@littorallibrarian.org

Recent Reviews

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