Category: Contemporary Novels
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The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton by E. Speller
I’ve always had a strange fascination with people who’ve disappeared and have never been seen again. The tv show Disappeared is one I never miss because I just don’t understand how someone can vanish into thin air. The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton deals with just such a case. Set in the 1920’s the book…
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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Sometimes I jump on bandwagons – never for sports teams, but occasionally for books. Last week I decided to jump on the Gone Girl bandwagon. This cunning thriller has been the talk of the summer at my library and has been mentioned on almost every ‘Best Books of Summer’ list I’ve seen. There are still over…
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Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
I’ve been dying to recommend this book to you. It is one of those books that I want to push into the hands of every reader I know. I’ve told quite a few people at the library about it and now I want to tell you all about it too. Code Name Verity is the…
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The Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd
The Solitary House (called Tom-All-Alone’s in the UK) is a dark Victorian mystery that uses characters and plot points from two grand Victorian mysteries – The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins and Bleak House by Charles Dickens – to create its own riveting tale. Charles Maddox is a young private investigator, an outspoken man…
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BEA Buzz Books
Book Expo America is next week in New York and I am not going. But, that’s okay – I discovered a great way to experience some of the new fall fiction without having to buy a plane ticket or hotel room. Through Netgalley I downloaded a copy of BEA Buzz Books. This little gem, produced…
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The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan
Hello, friends, it only took a short week for me to start feeling better! I’m very glad not to be away longer because I did miss blogging and being part of the community of readers I so treasure. Thanks for being understanding and kind during my little break! I didn’t go to the doctor because I am…
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The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
The Song of Achilles was just shortlisted for the Orange Prize and I couldn’t be more excited.This retelling of the story of Achilles and the Trojan War is one of the most gorgeously written books I’ve read in a while and made me completely engrossed in learning more about Greek mythology and the ancient world.…
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Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Who? Olive Kitteridge, retired school teacher, and various members of her family and citizens of her town. What? A Pulitzer Prize winning novel constructed of 13 stories that depict human struggle, loneliness, loss, grief, broken relationships, disappointment, heartache and rejection, but also hope, connection, support and forgiveness. Where? Crosby, a small coastal town…
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The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
The Snow Child seems to be one of those books that everyone loves. Last fall I read many shining reviews of it that convinced me that I would love this too, which was surprising to me because I usually don’t like books that have a ‘fairytale’ element. I think they try too hard to capture…
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Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
I contemplated not writing a post about Wolf Hall because I liked it so much and found it so incredibly wonderful that I know I really can’t convey my admiration for it or communicate the sheer enjoyment I derived from this book. I’ve decided to share my thoughts anyway because part of the purpose of…
A Certain Fondness 