Author: Emily Leader

I have been an avid reader since Dick and Jane met Sally. At age 7, I read my parents' first edition of "To Kill a Mockingbird." I am a retired lawyer and so read almost only fiction for pleasure. I'm adding in nonfiction these days, largely on social justice matters but also history, biography, and weird topics that catch my imagination. I used to read only serially, one book at a time. Presently, I read paperbacks, hardcovers, listen to audible, listen to CDs and read online through Net Galley. Covid-19 has caused me to read a lot so I have re-upped my Goodreads challenge for 2021 and am starting to review at least my favorite finds annd, perhaps, some stinkers.

The Night Watchman – Louise Erdrich (audio narrated by Louise Erdrich)

Louise Erdrich is an exquisite writer.  This novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 2021. The fictional story of The Night Watchman is based on her grandfather, who in addition to working as a night watchman in a jewel bearing plant, becomes an ardent activist, seeking to prevent Congress from taking recognition from his … Continue reading The Night Watchman – Louise Erdrich (audio narrated by Louise Erdrich) →

The Incredible Winston Brown – Sean Dietrich (Audio read by author)

This is a book anyone would describe as heartwarming.  Winston Browne is the Sheriff in Moab, a small town in the Florida panhandle.   He has never married.  It is the mid-1950s.  We learn immediately that Winston is dying, but along the way we learn more, including that he is not telling anyone about this. … Continue reading The Incredible Winston Brown – Sean Dietrich (Audio read by author) →

Virgil Wander – Leif Enger (Narrator Macleod Andrews)

It is impossible not to use huge mental exclamation points when reading a Leif Enger novel, because his prose is so elegant yet he paints everything that is ordinary with authenticity appropriate to each character, each setting, each story. In 2024, when I read an advanced reader copy of the novel, "I Cheerfully Refuse," Leif … Continue reading Virgil Wander – Leif Enger (Narrator Macleod Andrews) →

Deeper than the Ocean –  Mirta Ojito (Narrator – Kim Ramirez)

This is one of the best books I've read this year. 10 Stars!! In the early 20th Century, Catalina, lovely young woman/girl lives in the Canary Islands where her family cultivates olive trees. Things are going poorly and her father is ill. Catalina is forced to marry a man who is a good match financially. … Continue reading Deeper than the Ocean –  Mirta Ojito (Narrator – Kim Ramirez) →

The Land in Winter – Andrew Miller (narrated by author)

The Land in Winter wasn't what I expected…. it was way better than what I expected. Some would call it a domestic drama, which I would have run from and then I would have missed this beautifully written story. It is 1962. The setting is rural Great Britain and the players are ut two couples/four … Continue reading The Land in Winter – Andrew Miller (narrated by author) →

George Falls Through Time – Ryan Collett (narrator – Samuel Barnett)

This book was both touching and a hoot. George, a young gay man who was recently fired and who recently went through a break up is presently earning less than a living as a dog walker when two of the dogs he is walking escape. As he dashes into a nearby park to look for … Continue reading George Falls Through Time – Ryan Collett (narrator – Samuel Barnett) →

Berlin Shuffle – Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz (narrator – Neil Hellegers)

I'm really annoyed! Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz wrote this amazing novel in 1937 and died 5 years later after publishing only one other novel and I feel like I've been cheated. I want more, more, more of his unique style, his choice of characters and his storytelling. We have in Berlin Shuffle the stories of a … Continue reading Berlin Shuffle – Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz (narrator – Neil Hellegers) →