Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella
With Valentine’s Day coming up this week it felt like the perfect time to review a new novel about marriage from an author I love. Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella is about a couple who have been...
View ArticleAnatomy of a Miracle
Cameron Harris is a patriotic young man who goes to Afghanistan and returns home paralyzed from the waist down after stepping on an IED. When Jonathan Miles’s new novel, Anatomy of a Miracle opens he...
View ArticleQuirky Women: Mini-Reviews
I am a huge fan of quirky characters, but when they fly by the eccentric train station heading full speed to weird I start applying the reading brakes. Today’s reviews are about two women who are...
View ArticleHow Hard Can It Be?
You know how sometimes you see a trailer for a movie and it is fantastic, then you go see the movie and realize all the best bits were in the trailer? The cover for How Hard Can It Be? is like that....
View ArticleLast Bit of Summer: Mini-Reviews
This week is it—the last bit of summer. At least, the traditional vacation aspects of it, because who knows how much longer summer-like weather will last? Either way, I’m ready for it. The past two...
View ArticleThe Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
Everyone knows the old saying that the best things come in small packages. I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to refer to jewelry, but I’m happy to report that it can also be true of books. For any number...
View ArticleWhen You Read This
Here’s a spoiler: Iris Massey is dead. She died of cancer at 33, leaving behind an obstreperous older sister, Jade; a narcissistic abusive mother; a weight lifter boyfriend, Richie, and Simon, her boss...
View ArticleRiots I Have Known
Sometimes a synopsis can come out of nowhere and make you pick up a book you never thought you would, but it’s a dicey proposition because marketing people are wily devils. Their entire purpose in life...
View ArticleBreathe In, Cash Out
Breathe In, Cash Out is fast and furious summer reading. Allegra is a second-year analyst at a large investment bank. It’s a soul-sucking experience, lived solely for the purpose of being able to cash...
View ArticleSummer Fun Reading: Mini-Reviews
Summer fun reading means something different to everyone. For some it’s a chance to finally slow down and sink into longer, deeper reading, but for others it’s a time of toss-away reading—books that...
View ArticleNothing to See Here
Friday’s book review was a little dark so I’m starting the week with something much lighter. Not only did I never think I’d read a novel where children spontaneously combust, I definitely didn’t think...
View ArticleWeather: A Novel by Jenny Offill
Lizzie has a good life. She’s an academic librarian with a loving husband and a young son. Her mother, although more religiously inclined than Lizzie will ever be, is in good health. Her brother has...
View ArticleHouse of Trelawney
An 800-year-old family estate in Cornwall, England is at the heart of Hannah Rothschild’s new novel, House of Trelawney. The house is occupied by Kitto and Jane, the current Earl and Viscountess; their...
View ArticleBeen There, Married That
What happens when powerful, high profile Hollywood producers decide their old wife is tired and they want a younger model? We all know the answer, as does Gigie Levangie, the former wife of...
View ArticleWe Are Never Meeting in Real Life
Samantha Irby is a 36-year-old, black, lesbian living in Chicago. She also grew up broke-ass poor—all of which she lets you know from the get-go in her essay collection We Are Never Meeting in Real...
View ArticleBecoming Duchess Goldblatt: A Memoir
After eight years of writing reviews it feels as if the time for ‘firsts’ is long past, but here I am today with a first. I’ve never read or reviewed a book by an anonymous author before, but Becoming...
View ArticleMore Than A Woman by Caitlin Moran
I’ve loved all of Caitlin Moran’s fiction (How to Build a Girl, How to Be Famous) but had never read any of her nonfiction, so was interested to see she has a new book out. More Than a Woman is her...
View ArticleA Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost
If you’re a fan of Saturday Night Live then you’ll know the name Colin Jost. If not, he’s one of the anchors for Weekend Update and a very funny man. His memoir is called A Very Punchable Face and...
View ArticleMetropolitan Stories by Christine Coulson
Regardless of where you live, if you love the art and artifacts of human history, then you’re probably familiar with Metropolitan Museum of Art. When I lived in NYC it was one of my favorite places to...
View ArticleJuly Reading Wrap-Up
July. What a month! On the bright side there was this: Me getting to see my mother after 18 months apart. She’s the person who encouraged my love of reading. And that’s about as much as I need to...
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