Fiona Davis does it again! I've enjoyed every one of her novels, all set in two eras and centered on a building in New York city. In this case, while a building matters (Radio City Music Hall), "The Spectacular" is about a Rockette, Marion, who danced in the 1950s and is now, in the 1990s, … Continue reading The Spectacular – Fiona Davis
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 Imposters – Tom Rachman
Dora is an older person who is alone in the world, partly by design, but she is obviously lonely. She is a published author of books that failed to sell. Yet, she still has an agent. Still is invited to a writer's conference in Australia. There have been people in her life, but she is … Continue reading The Imposters – Tom Rachman
Remarkably Bright Creatures -Shelby Van Pelt (Audible)
This is one of the most entertaining audio books I've ever read. One thing I loved was the voice of the Octopus, whose voice we hear in many chapters. He is perfectly narrated in a kind of "Mr. Belvadere' voice (showing my age). The female narrator is excellent as well, voicing an array of male … Continue reading Remarkably Bright Creatures -Shelby Van Pelt (Audible)
The Society of Shame – Jane Roper
The Society of Shame is a clever satire. Kathleen Held, wife of a progressive US Senate candidate, Bill Held, returns home in a taxi to find her garage on fire, her husband near the conflagration with his pants down, and the woman her husband was with, nearby, decidedly disheveled. After saving the family dog, the … Continue reading The Society of Shame – Jane Roper
Hang the Moon – Jeannette Walls
Jeannette Walls, with unparalleled perception and kindness brings to us the inner voices of people who survive and thrive, despite their extraordinarily dysfunctional families. I have loved each of her books for her gift of writing, so much that I read hours and hours until my eyes will not let me stay awake. Hang the … Continue reading Hang the Moon – Jeannette Walls
Loyalty – Lisa Scottoline
Lisa Scottoline offers us an entertaining stand alone story-- historical fiction -- that opens in Palermo, Sicily in 1810. Early on, Franco Fiorivanti, who serves as the manager of a lemon grove for a local Baron, gets involved in a favor for the Baron that sets off a chain of events making up the largest … Continue reading Loyalty – Lisa Scottoline
Red Queen – Juan Gomez-Jurado
In Red Queen, we first briefly meet Antonia Scott, who unaccountably thinks about suicide for three minutes each day. She obviously is not an ordinary person with an ordinary brain, as she quickly makes calculations related to the physics of jumping in a lake to accomplish her end. It's a brief, tantalizing introduction. And then, … Continue reading Red Queen – Juan Gomez-Jurado
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez – Clair Jimenez
At thirteen, Ruthy Ramirez disappeared sometime after track practice. We never meet her father. He died a few years after Ruthy disappeared. Dolores, her mother, went a bit mad. It is 2008. Nina just graduated from her premed program at an elite school. She avoided going home for college breaks and has not seen her … Continue reading What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez – Clair Jimenez
Night Flight to Paris – Cara Black
All hail Cara Black who brings us a second book with WWII British sniper Kate Rees. We first met Kate not too long after her husband and baby were killed in a Nazi air raid. She grew up in Northeast Oregon on a ranch, educated well by her father in shooting and in learning how … Continue reading Night Flight to Paris – Cara Black
The Narrows – Ann Petry
As a former English major and avid reader of many authors of her period, I am shocked I never heard the name Ann Petry before I read The Narrows. What a gifted writer. Before I go further, I want to mention the forward, intended to introduce Petry to readers like me and comment on this … Continue reading The Narrows – Ann Petry
They Called me Bookworm 