Though I enjoyed reading this novel about a young history scholar who discovers a magical house just at the point of need, the story sometimes became a bit too twee for my taste. Alba Ashby has just dropped out of Cambridge, reeling from the betrayal of her mentor/advisor when she stumbles upon 11 Hope Street. An older woman named Peggy invites her in and makes her an offer—she can stay for ninety-nine days and try to get her life back on track but only ninety-nine […]
When Poets Write Thrillers
This novel would make an interesting companion piece to Tom Perotta’s novel, The Leftovers. In that story, the characters have to deal with a world where a third of the population simply disappears and the spaces those family and friends leave behind are often gaping and raw. In this quieter and more reflective novel, the dead begin to return and the living have to deal with this new reality—of holes suddenly filled and somewhat healed wounds ripped open. On his eighth birthday in 1966, Jacob […]
We Used to Be Friends (and still are)
Since the original series was noir fiction transported to the UPN—complete with voiceover (by Kristen Bell) and a sunny California town with a seedy underbelly—it makes perfect sense to create a book series based on Veronica’s world. Actually, when I googled VM to see which network it originally aired on (I thought UPN but wasn’t sure), I read that Rob Thomas had originally conceived of the show as a young adult book series with a male protagonist but decided that a female POV would be […]
Shaking the Family Tree
This book of Munro’s short stories was the March selection for my book club and with the exception of the person who had recommended it, most of the group had found it slow going. At the time, I was only halfway through the collection and though I didn’t hate it like some of my book club friends did, I was finding it hard to connect. However, at about the halfway point, when these stories based on Munro’s family history, got closer generationally to Munro, I […]
Not with a bang but with a whimper
So, first of all, if you haven’t read this book yet, STOP RIGHT NOW and don’t read any further. I’m not going to reveal any major spoilers, but I am going to hint at them so if you’re only halfway through Divergent, stop right now and go read some other review. I was a bit underwhelmed by this final installment in the Divergent series. I loved the first book, liked Insurgent, but found myself a bit frustrated with Allegiant. The first thing that bugged me […]
Not Bad for the Hot Pockets Guy
First, I have to say that I’m a fan of Jim Gaffigan, ever since his days on the Chicago-set show, My Boys. Second of all, I have to admit that I read this entire book in the bathroom. The book is perfectly set up to do that—written in small bursts that are easily read while . . . sitting in the bathroom. Finally, I don’t have five kids or any kids and I don’t live in New York and this book made me feel alternate […]