I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so to date, I have written two complete short stories which I first wrote many years ago. Since then, they’ve been in a constant state of revision because they lack a certain je ne sais quoi for publishing. I wish other writers were as self-aware: Amazon is currently filled with published novels that are truly the works of amateur writers. One such amateur work is Molly Ringwald’s When It Happens to You: A Novel in Stories (2012). At $1.99 at the time of […]
Or, The Shock of the Fall
‘I’ll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother. His name’s Simon. I think you’re going to like him. I really do. But in a couple of pages he’ll be dead. And he was never the same after that.’ Published in the USA as “Where The Moon Isn’t”, I have no idea why. Nathan Filer won the Costa Book of the Year award last year for this intensely well crafted debut novel, and now I have read it, […]
Another Historical Romance, But with Lions (Lion Lions Not Loin Lions)
The second book in Laura Lee Guhrke’s “An American Heiress in London” historical romance series, How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days, focuses on a marriage of convenience under renovation. It was rather sweet in its way, but Guhrke continues to be a library loan author for me. I will likely read the rest of the series, but I will not purchase the books. Disgraced and shamed by an involuntary sexual encounter, such is the way of things, Edie has wealth beyond the dreams of […]
Guilt, Pleasure, and Murder
This mystery is part of the Inspector Lynley series, featuring the inspector and his sergeant Barbara Havers. I haven’t read the others in the series, and I’m happy to report that it doesn’t seem to matter. Elizabeth George’s work was recommended by a friend and it was a good recommendation. The tale moved along at a quick pace and featured morally complex characters, which all added up to more than just a clever whodunnit. What I liked most about this story was the inclusion of […]
I want to be Persis Blake when I grow up.
Here’s how I would break down 2014: BDF and ADF. That’s Before Diana Peterfreund (January – June), and After Diana Peterfreund (July- today). Back in July, while shopping for books to bring on vacation, my favorite book-seller recommended For Darkness Shows the Stars to me. She promised I would like it, and I was helping support a local author, so I picked it up AND IT WAS AWESOME. A futuristic, dystopian re-telling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, I ate it up and told everyone I knew about […]
Utter worthless shit
There are some novelists who, when you read them, you really feel like you get to know them. And you like them. My literary crush on Patrick Ness is well documented, but I’d also happily go for a pint with Stephen King, Sarah Waters, David Mitchell and so on. Purely based on how much I enjoy their books and how their voice comes across in it, you understand. Based on this so-called novel, I wouldn’t want to go anywhere near Edward St Aubyn. Not only […]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- …
- 137
- Next Page »