Publication Date October 2, 2024 Three years ago, reviewing JohnBanville’s “April In Spain,” I wrote “Banville is an outstanding writer, and he is great at developing both setting and character — but you have to be REALLY patient or just one of those readers who likes to savor a well-written story. The ending was a …
A couple of years ago, when I reviewed T. Jefferson Parker’s book A Thousand Steps, I wrote: “When I first read T. Jefferson Parker’s Laguna Heat back in 1985, I had recently moved to Santa Cruz and was ecstatic to be living in a small beach town again — because I grew up in South …
What a fun puzzle, along a nice story about an aspiring writer who wants to get back to his roots (sort of) after his dreams didn’t work out in the big city. He goes back to Puget Sound (great atmospheric detail) in Washington State and before you know it, there is a dead woman hanging …
Subtitle: The Fight Against Book Banning in America Publication Date: August 27, 2024 I’m a retired librarian, one of thousands. And also a STRONG opponent of book banning and censorship, among other current threats to liberty and democracy these days. As a librarian, I dealt with my share of challenges, complaints, etc, but I never …
Publication Date September 17, 2024 Earlier this year, Lee Goldberg’s novel Dream Town was published, and I was incredibly eager to read it. It was #5 in the Eve Ronin series, and I had read and enjoyed 1-4 (Lost Hills, Bone Canyon, Gated Prey, and Movieland). Then, last August, I attended Bouchercon in San Diego, …
Publication Date August 20, 2024 I remember reading an article inThe Atlantic entitled “Was Shakespeare a Woman?” (June, 2019) which examined the possibility (and, for some, the staunchly held belief) that Emilia Bassano was the true author of some/many/all (your choice) of the works attributed to William Shakespeare, the man considered by many to be …
Publication Date August 27, 2024 Talking To Strangers by Fiona Barton Overall, I’ve been entertained by Fiona Barton’s mysteries (The Child and Local Gone Missing come to mind), so I was pleased to receive a copy of Talking To Strangers in exchange for my honest review. Local Gone Missing featured Detective Elise King, and The …
Publication Date September 3, 2024 Death At The Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson Shockingly, it has been TWENTY years since I “met” Jackson Brodie, the private investigator (who has been one of my favorite characters in recurring mystery series) in Kate’s Atkinson’s Case Histories. So it shouldn’t have really shocked me when I …
Publication Date September 17, 2024 Back in 2020, I read and reviewed Rumaan Alam’s Leave The World Behind and it was a solid five-star read for me. If you missed that one, here’s a quick summary from my review: “Amanda and Clay take their teenage children on a week-long getaway from their home in NewYork …
Publication Date September 10, 2024 Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty I’ve enjoyed some of Liane Moriarty’s work (including 2021’s Apples Never Fall, which was a four-star for me, and which was the unusual title where I enjoyed the movie/series at least as much as I did the book – Annette Benning was awesome). So …
Publication Date July 9, 2024 I’m a fan of family sagas and social satire, so I was eager to read Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, who wrote Fleishman In Trouble. Thanks to Random House and NetGalley, I received a copy in exchange for my honest review. For starters, and because I don’t really know …
Publication Date June 25, 2024 OK, first off, anyone who knows me knows I LOVE these guys. All three worked in the White House during the Obama administration (Favs and Lovett were speechwriters, and Tommy worked in National Security). They started the wildly successful media company Crooked Media, and now are maybe best known for …
Publication Date May 7, 2024 I had no idea when I got this what I was in for…I have watched Ali Velshi on MSNBC frequently, and I knew he was Canadian and VERY intelligent. That’s about it. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it was along the lines of “how I got …
Publication Date November 5, 2024 A new standalone thriller from Philip Margolin? Yes, Please! Since 1993, when my sister recommended a book by Philip Margolin, I became a fan and since then have enjoyed nearly all of his 20+ books. Legal thrillers are among my favorite genres, and he is often referred to as “the …
Publication Date July 2, 2024 Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley, I recently received a copy of Michael Robotham’s latest psychological thriller, Storm Child (in exchange for this honest review). It includes familiar characters Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac, both of whom were in the earlier novels Good Girl, Bad Girl, When She Was Good, and …
Publication Date July 16, 2024 “Things Don’t Break On Their Own” by Sarah Easter Collins is one twisty, well-written, character-driven thriller! There are many characters and various timeframes, so it seemed like actual work for me to keep everyone straight at first. But trust me, this one is worth the effort! The three main characters …
Publication Date July 30, 2024 Shari Lapena has been called “the queen of the one-sit read,” and that was EXACTLY the kind of book I was needing to take my mind off the news! Thanks to Penguin Group Viking and NetGalley, I received a copy of her latest, “What Have You Done?” in exchange for …
Publication Date April 2, 2024 I’m not sure when I first came across John Pavlovitz…and although I’m not proud to admit this, I suspect it may have been online, specifically on Facebook. He is described as an author, pastor, activist, and storyteller, and his book “Worth Fighting For” is described as “Christian Nonfiction.” Since I …
Publication Date May 14, 2024 Many years ago, I read Claire Messud’s book “The Woman Upstairs.” I don’t remember much about it except that it was wonderful. I was happy to receive a copy of Ms Messud’s new novel “This Strange Eventful History” from W.W. Norton and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Spoiler …
Publication Date May 7, 2024 Some days, I wonder if maybe being retired and slowing things down in my life has affected my taste in reading. I used to like digging in to “literary novels,” but these days I find what my friend calls “one night stands” (mysteries and thrillers you can binge in a …