I've read two memoirs by Jancee Dunn so far this year, and now I've finished her foray into fiction, Don't You Forget About Me, which was so similar to her memoirs that I had to keep reminding myself that she was not, in fact, the main character. I had the same problem with Nora Ephron, after … [Read more]
One of these books was amazing
Of the four books I reviewed yesterday, two were awful, one was alright, and one was great. I did not really hold anything back in my reviews of the bad ones. Is it so hard to do a little research and avoid terrible tired clichés? Apparently, yes, yes it is. So I feel fully justified in getting my … [Read more]
I’ll Take Two (or More)
Although the Mormon church officially gave up polygamy in 1890, the practice is still associated with it, sometimes through contemporary fundamentalist groups or historically. David Ebershoff takes on both a historic and a contemporary story in The 19th Wife. The first story is a fictionalization … [Read more]
A good read, but a laborious one
The Known World by Edward P. Jones
My long dormant local book club is back in swing and this was our first read of the new year, and my submission. I happened upon this book at a used book sale and after seeing that it had won the Pulitzer and cost $1.50, adding it to my "to read" pile was sort of a no brainer. My book club has some … [Read more]
's CBR6 Review No:5 ·
Genres: Fiction, History ·
Tags: a known world, Edward P. Jones, Fiction, Non-linear, Slavery ·
Ghost story? Metaphors? Say what now?
Oy. First thing: the third star of this rating is entirely for Jack Davenport, the narrator of the audiobook, whose voice is like sex. When he talks, my ovaries try to leap out of my body like that tiny alien in Alien. I try to explain to them this is counterproductive, but it continues to happen. … [Read more]
's CBR6 Review No:12 ·
Genres: Fiction, Mystery ·
Tags: bellman & black, diane setterfield, gothic, mystery, narfna, speculative, Victorian ·
You, Too, May Strike It Rich
...The group is broken into teams of two unrelated “players,” and at the start each team is provided with an envelope containing several apparently random words and a check for $10,000. And that’s all. As the teams work together to solve the mystery (whatever it is), they must face disasters both … [Read more]