I'm a fan of the Sparks and Bainbridge mysteries centering on old friends who create a marriage bureau (The Right Sort) in London in the post WWII era. Fire Must Burn, the eighth entry in the series, started slow for me and then totally met all of my expectations and more for the series. A … Continue reading Fire Must Burn – Allison Montclair
Category: Book Reviews
Murder in Manhattan – Julie Mulhern
Freddie Archer is a keeper for me. She is based on Lois Long, a New Yorker Columnist who was on the scene in the 1920s. Freddie's job is to party everywhere in New York during Prohibition, writing a cheeky column on all the best places to go, her celebrity friends and fashion, fashion, fashion. Mulhern … Continue reading Murder in Manhattan – Julie Mulhern
What We Can Know – Ian McEwan
What We Can Know is so rewarding a dystopian novel that it is hard to review. In 2119 and beyond, the earth is essentially made up of many islands. Physical infrastructure and documents and artifacts have been lost to the tsunamis that tore through the world. Most of what is left from a historical perspective … Continue reading What We Can Know – Ian McEwan
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)
The Turner House – Angela Flournoy (Amazing audio narrator: Adenrele Ojo)
I've taken far too long to review this amazing novel, wanting to do it justice. the Turner house, a small residence on Yarrow Street in Detroit, was home to Francis and Viola and the thirteen children born to them. Francis and Viola grew up in the same Arkansas town and he did right by her … Continue reading The Turner House – Angela Flournoy (Amazing audio narrator: Adenrele Ojo)
When the Cranes Fly South -Lisa Ridzen
When the Cranes Fly South won Swedish Book of the Year and the translation is lovely. It's told only from the point of view of Bo, a very elderly man. We are in his mind for a few weeks. Bo still lives in the home his parents left to him in a quiet corner of … Continue reading When the Cranes Fly South -Lisa Ridzen
Gray Dawn – Walter Mosely (Easy Rawlins #17)
Walter Mosley is one of my top favorite writers and Easy Rawlins is one of my top favorite characters in literature. In my mind, I've been reading them forever, but I see that it has "only" been since sometime after the 1990 hardback of Devil in a Blue dress was isssued in paperback. ,While any … Continue reading Gray Dawn – Walter Mosely (Easy Rawlins #17)
Ordinary Grace – William Kent Kreuger (Audio Narrator, Rich Orlow)
People died in Bremen MN, the summer of 1961. Frank Drum was 13. The first death was little Bobby Cole, a "simple" boy who played on the railroad tracks and was hit by a train. Forty years later, Frank reflects on that summer that changed his family forever. Each member "coming of age." Frank's dad … Continue reading Ordinary Grace – William Kent Kreuger (Audio Narrator, Rich Orlow)
They Called me Bookworm 