It helps, though it is not necessary, to have some familiarity with written fairy tales as a genre to get the most out of The Land of Lost Things. I check this box big time, having read and reread the very dark versions of the more famous fairy tales by Hans Christian Anderson and The … Continue reading The Land of Lost Things – John Connelly
Category: Book Reviews
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store – James McBride (audible)
NOTE: When I review I book I listened to, I can't fact check things I believe are correct or confirm all spellings. Hope you love this book even as you find my mistakes! Pottstown, Pennsylvania, not far from Reading. A little further to Philadelphia. James McBride, one of the very best story tellers in the … Continue reading The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store – James McBride (audible)
The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp -Leonie Swann
I LOVED this book… BUT. A group of elderly acquaintances have made a home together in Agnes Sharp's house where they take care of one another and have agreed to ensure each person lives the life they want in their old age. Most of the group has a background in law enforcement or espionage but … Continue reading The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp -Leonie Swann
The Peach Seed -Anita Gail Jones
The Peach Seed is a loving story of family, of life-defining choices, personal failure and redemption all tied together by little carved peach "seed" monkeys. It's kind of a a coming of age in old age story. It is around 2015. Fletcher Dukes, widowed father of three adult daughters, grew up in Albany, Georgia. In … Continue reading The Peach Seed -Anita Gail Jones
Flags on the Bayou – James Lee Burke
James Lee Burke is a fabulous writer. It happens I never read any of his Civil War Novels. It was right up my alley. Because it took me awhile to get to this feedback, I don't remember the names of the many characters, so will focus on the story and their roles. First, I'm not … Continue reading Flags on the Bayou – James Lee Burke
Those We Thought We Knew – David Joy
Those we Thought We Knew is a conversation on race. It is sort of a mystery, although the name pretty much gives away the solution. Toya is a fiercely individual black artist from Atlanta, working on her thesis. She's staying with her grandmother Vess in a rural town in North Carolina for the summer, using … Continue reading Those We Thought We Knew – David Joy
The Puzzle of Blackstone Lodge – Martin Edwards
This was a really fun Golden Age Mystery and I didn't even understand that if I were a puzzle freak, some of the clues that were there will be "well duh" to some readers. Blackstone Lodge is in a village in Yorkshire that no one has heard of. Among other things, it houses a well … Continue reading The Puzzle of Blackstone Lodge – Martin Edwards
Night Angels – Weina Dai Randel
I read a lot of Holocaust related books and at times take long breaks, partly because it's a hard topic, of course. But partly because some writers just tell the same story over and over again. Like they are exploiting the topic rather than exploring the topic. I just finished Night Angels, a beautifully written … Continue reading Night Angels – Weina Dai Randel
Hamnet – Maggie O’Farrell (Audible)
After listening to the audible version of Maggie O'Farrell's The Marriage Portrait and raving about that, people urged me to read more O'Farrell. Being a former English major and a lifelong fan of Shakespeare, Hamnet, the story of Shakespeare's son who died at eleven, was a no brainer choice. What I like about O'Farrell's historical … Continue reading Hamnet – Maggie O’Farrell (Audible)
Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver (Audible)
As a long time Kingsolver fan, I've learned she can take us on journeys wildly unlike the last novel and always move me. I chose to listen to the audio book of Demon Copperhead due to having a lot of driving to do over the last few months. That doubled the blessing with a narrator … Continue reading Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver (Audible)
They Called me Bookworm 