I’ve been reading a lot of books that are set during World War II (and I haven’t even gotten to All the Light We Cannot See or Boys in the Boat yet) and this is the latest. Kristin Hannah’s novel focusing on the experiences of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, in France during the Occupation was a compelling read for me even though I felt I had seen/read a lot of this before. There has already been a lot of tragedy and upheaval in the […]
A Perfect (yet haunting) Book for your Summer Reading List
I really loved this graphic novel by Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamaki. The black and white and purplish color palette reminded me of Blueberries for Sal, a picture book I loved as a kid, and the story made me think about summers of my childhood, where nothing happened but everything happened at the same time. This is the story of Rose, who comes to Awago Beach every summer with her mom and dad and hangs out with her “summer friend,” Windy. This summer, though, things […]
Pardon Me, My Curmudgeon is Showing
Arghhh. If this book hadn’t been on my I-pad, I would have thrown it across the room as I read the last line. I know that I’ve said this before, but I’m really getting tired of YA books that simply stop mid-storyline—to be continued. It feels alternately like a money grab (instead of giving you one longer book, we’re going to split this puppy into three parts—otherwise known as The Hobbit effect) or simply lazy storytelling. I want to simply say, “Go watch the first […]
Little Trouble Girl
I’ll start this review by saying that I’m not a super fan of Sonic Youth but I’ve always been aware of them, ever since a friend put “Kool Thing” on a mix tape for me back in the early 90’s. This book was compared to Patti Smith’s Just Kids, which I loved, so I was interested to learn both more about Kim Gordon and Sonic Youth. The memoir starts off powerfully in the near present. Gordon and her husband and bandmate, Thurston Moore, have broken […]
Chicago Noir-ish
I was intrigued by the description of this book on Netgalley because of its Chicago setting and its noir feel and I was not disappointed. It turns out the Michael Raleigh is not only a Chicagoan but has already created another mystery series set in Chicago with titles like Death in Uptown and A Body in Belmont Harbor, all featuring detective Paul Whelan (which I will be checking out next). I don’t know if Peerless Detective is a standalone or the beginning of a new […]
In the Face of the Abyss, Hold On To Kindness
I have to say I’m a bit in awe of Kate Atkinson’s writing prowess. This novel sucked me in, gave me a dose of existential angst, made me laugh, and then made me cry. Atkinson plays a lot with form here, just as she did in Life after Life, but it works because the characters are just so wonderfully and frustratingly real. In Life after Life, Atkinson tells the story of Ursula Todd who dies and is reborn numerous times in the novel as she […]
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