Forty years ago, Fear of Flying made Erica Jong (and her protagonist Isadora Wing) household names, along with the infamous concept of the Zipless Fuck. In this not-exactly-a-sequel, Isadora is back as the sidekick to the protagonist Vanessa Wonderman, a past-her-prime actress who is coping with her husband’s illness, her parents’ aging, and her own …
This book shares some things with another of Chamberlain’s books, in terms of a very similar protagonist ( a female who leaves the South, relocates to San Diego, etc. ) Although I had read the earlier book, I was quite eager to read this, although part of me now wishes that I had also read …
Ronnie Gilbert: A Radical Life in Song This is a wonderful memoir of the woman best known as a member of the folk group The Weavers, who died a few months ago at the age of 88. I admit I knew her only as a singer, someone who had originally performed with the Weavers starting …
This book, focused on women past the ago of 60, is a combination of stories told by the women themselves, interspersed with the latest research.When I was young, women in their 60s were…OLD. Not many of the ones I ever saw were vibrant – they were mostly sedentary and seemed resigned to being…old. Ms. Singer’s …
Shades of Blue: Writers on Depression, Suicide, and Feeling Blue By Amy Ferris For starters, this book is amazing. Amy Ferris has gathered writings about a subject that is close to my heart, and the result is a powerful, gut-wrenching, piercing look into a topic that is too often stigmatized, hidden, shame-based, you name it, …
My husband LOVES James Lee Burke’s books (particularly the Dave Robichauex series)…and, I admit that over the years I have tried (without success) to develop an appreciation for them. The House of the Rising Sun, while not a Robichauex, stars another of Burke’s well-known protagonists: Texas Ranger Hackberry Holland. I gamely jumped in, with an …
I have recommended Michael Robotham’s books to many people…so I was happy to have a new Robotham book to read/review. In his latest, the protagonist is London-based Detective Alisha Barba (who appeared as a minor character in Lost, published in 2005). As the story begins, Alisha is recovering from a terrible injury sustained at work. …
I admit it: I’m a sucker for a good book cover. And the image of the cover of Kate Morton’s The Lake House leapt off the page so, ignoring any memory of having read other titles by this author or (more importantly perhaps) what genre this title belonged to, I dove in. First off, I …
I have a dilemma about this book: first off, I WANTED to love it. I wanted it to teach me how to be constantly grateful and not to be a whiny, self-involved depressive who suffers bouts of envy and sadness (despite having an awesome life living in Paradise with few actual problems). On the other …
I received an advance copy of Ms. Ryan’s latest book…and my initial reaction was something like “YAY! Another author to add to my “writers-whose-latest-book-I-immediately-snap-up” list! Not sure why I have missed her previous Jane Ryland novels, but I plan to go back and enjoy them as well. Ms. Ryan’s “day job” as an investigative reported …
Four Stars! Thanks to NetGalley, I received a copy of Carla Buckley’s The Good Goodbye, which might actually be a YA novel. If it isn’t, my vote is that it should be…doesn’t mean it won’t be read/enjoyed by adults, but I think YA readers would REALLY like it. Part of that is due to the main …
I was happy to be given a copy of Linwood Barclay’s latest novel, “Broken Promise,” in exchange for an honest review. He has been one of my favorite authors, and I had high expectations…that were more than met overall. When David Harwood (introduced in an earlier book, although this title stands alone quite nicely) returns …
I received a copy of Bradstreet Gate for review…and I was really looking forward to it! Comparisons made to Tartt’s Secret History and The Interestings (loved the former, felt the latter was not as interesting as the characters thought they were!) And I love mysteries, and looking at this, I had some sense that it …
Eden in Winter concludes Patterson’s trilogy focused on the Blaine family of Martha’s Vineyard. In all honesty, I read the first in the series (Fall from Grace) in 2012, but somehow missed the second installment. Not sure if this affected my appraisal of this one, but really, I think in a series like this, it would …
I love Brene Brown. Watched her TED talks, took an online class through OWN, read her books and blog – I love her. So I was really pleased to receive an advance copy of her new book, Rising Strong, to review (thank you NetGalley). Brene’s voice is there in this book, as in her previous …
I LOVE Elizabeth George, and have been reading the Inspector Lynley novels (or, as I prefer to call them, the Lynley-Havers novels) since the mid-1990s when introduced to them by a fellow librarian when we were stuck in an airport. So I was extremely pleased to receive an advance of A Banquet of Consequences (#19 …