I read Lake Country by Sean Doolittle while I was in Key West, back around Labor Day, and for some reason, never finished my review. I found, in my year-end clean-up, a small stack of things I meant to review but somehow never did, and I’m going to try and get those reviews caught up in January. Lake Country, for me, was… Read more
Redshirts may be the most fun I’ve had with a book this year. It made me laugh…and it made me go out and load my Kindle with other John Scalzi titles. I love the mix of humor and seriousness in the book, and I am looking forward to reading more. Are you a Star Trek fan? If you’ve ever watched… Read more
I’ve got a few new books to tell you about. I don’t think I requested any of these (I’ve been requesting fewer these days, as I’m trying to get caught up), and if I didn’t request it, a book has to be really good to make the review list. Let’s see if any of these make the cut: First, The One I… Read more
I am a firm believer that kids should have a lot of books, and this is a book that I would choose for my nieces and nephews. It’s funny, but I’ve seen the Nutcracker ballet, but I don’t think I’ve ever read the story before. Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann and illustrated by Maurice Sendak is wonderfully written, perfect for some… Read more
How can a handful of words and a simple drawing be so moving? Over and over while reading through The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories: Volume 2, I was startled at how a tiny amount of ink could make me laugh or make me want to cry. Perhaps because the drawings are so simple, the message is much sharper; the tiny… Read more
Oh hear us when we cry to thee For those in peril on the sea. — William Whiting I start off every book wanting to love it. You don’t choose books to review because you think they’ll be bad. But sometimes they are. Wilbur Smith’s Those in Peril would make a pretty decent spy novel. The problem is, he tries to… Read more
Father Night is the fourth book in Eric van Lustbader’s Jack McClure/Alli Carson series. These are spy novels with a bit of a supernatural twist. Jack McClure, Department of Defense special agent, has some curious abilities: he’s dyslexic, which has to be a detriment for an agent, but his unusual way of thinking lets him see things others miss. He can… Read more
I wanted to read Buried on Avenue B as soon as I read the premise: When a home health attendant, Paulette Williamson, appears at Homicide South in Manhattan, she’s introduced to the NYPD’s Detective Darlene O’Hara and skeptically reports the confession of a senior citizen struggling with Alzheimer’s. Gus Henderson, a former junkie and petty criminal, claims he murdered and buried… Read more
This is a tough review to write. The Code, by sportswriter G.B. Joyce, has a lot of things that I love — a good mystery, a flawed hero, and a bit of action. But it is all somehow a bit awkward. First, the story: Brad Shade is a former hockey player with a sad-luck story, now a scout for the team… Read more
Sometimes, a book comes along for review at just the right time. I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This: Success Secrets Every Gutsy Girl Should Know by Kate White comes along just as I am doing going through a bit of personal career evaluation, so there are definitely tips and tricks in this book I can use. I like the structure of… Read more