I was first introduced to Toni Morrison through Beloved (1987) in my high school English class. I remember Beloved being powerful and disturbing, but I’m guessing I would get more out of it now. Toni Morrison is an impressive woman, though, so when I saw she had a new book out: God Help the Child (2015), I immediately got on the library’s waitlist. I should just accept, before I get started, that my review is not going to do justice to this novel. It is complex and disturbing and probably […]
Looking at the bright side…kind of
I didn’t know anything about Lucky Us (2014) by Amy Bloom when my book club picked it as our next book, but it looked like it wasn’t too long, so I didn’t have any objections. I haven’t read anything by Amy Bloom before, but she comes with some impressive credentials, including nominations for the National Book Award and a short story published in Best American Short Stories. “My father’s wife died. My mother said we should drive down to his place and see what might be […]
It just never gets old
I rarely read books twice. There are just too many great books out there for me to retread familiar ground. But Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1813) is a special book. Also, Storywonk* is doing a podcast/discussion on the book and I couldn’t resist. I remember my first exposure to Pride and Prejudice like it was yesterday. I was a Freshman in college and I picked it up as a way to avoid reading whatever book I was actually supposed to be reading for English Literature. I did not know […]
And you thought your adolescence was bad
Peggy Hillcoat is an eight-year-old girl growing up in London with her concert pianist, German mother and English, survivalist-leaning father. When her mother goes on a concert tour, her father takes her to a run-down cabin in the remote woods of Germany and tells her that the rest of the world has been destroyed, including all of her family and friends. Our Endless Numbered Days (2015) by Claire Fuller alternates between Peggy growing up in the woods with her father, and when Peggy is recently returned […]
Not what I was expecting
I’d read some good reviews of Bad Feminist (2014) by Roxane Gay, and I usually enjoy feminist books. They give me a refreshing and different perspective from what I often face at work. I especially enjoy reading about real-life stories that I can relate to and small, concrete ideas to make things better. I’ve really enjoyed the other feminist books I’ve read , and I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t what I was expecting, and I ended up being disappointed. If […]
Dystopian fiction, just the way you like it
I wanted to read Wool (2013) by Hugh Howey after I saw it in an airport bookstore, but I had to read it when it became the next book for my book club. I’ve read what feels like a little too much dystopian fiction lately but this one looked intriguing and I was looking forward to it. The entire population is kept safe from the toxic environment outside by a huge, underground silo, falling 150 floors into the ground below. The population is divided clearly into […]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 95
- 96
- 97
- 98
- 99
- …
- 112
- Next Page »