‘Boomtown’ Juggles Loads of Stories
Pappalardo took on quite a project in trying to tell the story of Borger’s hectic year, particularly his dedication to weaving together so many threads rather than focusing on a single character or sector.
‘Japanese Gothic’ Bloody and Tender
Baker’s pacing is quick enough, and the story compelling enough to keep the violence and characters’ hopelessness from bleeding too heavily into the reader.
‘Yesteryear’ Delves into Tradwife Life
In delving into her main character’s psyche, Caro Claire Burke walks a fine line between psychological exploration and parody, but manages that balance well.
‘Forest’ a Rallying Cry for Conservation
When the Forest Breathes is an important book detailing important work. It just also happened to be a very depressing book. But then, that seems less the fault of the trees than the state of the world we’re inflicted with.
‘Only One’ a Swift and Sharp Thriller
It can be daunting to let characters be messy, especially those whose eyes we borrow to experience the story, but Matlin does so with confidence.
‘Blood Relay’ a Thriller Built Around Dark Truths
None of the issues that Mihesuah incorporates into the story are done so subtly. Then again, none of these issues is exactly cutting edge; they’ve been ignored, dismissed, shrugged off for years, decades, over a century. Maybe what they need isn’t subtlety, but to be shouted from the rooftops.
The Past Feels Too Familiar in ‘Fear’
The ideas that led to the shooting and Goetz’s subsequent exoneration are still alive and well, and while it may not be easy, it’s crucial to understand and confront them.
Sherlock More Than a Role in ‘Final Problem’
In glamorous 1960 Europe, a chance encounter between those on both sides of the second world war, and Hollywood’s golden-age camera, makes for a deadly combination. That’s the setup in The Final Problem, the latest from Spanish writer Arturo Perez-Reverte, now translated into English by Frances Riddle. Ormond Basil, a one-time movie star now flirting with…
Emotion and Mystery Threaded Through ‘Mothering’
In any book that’s made up of multiple parts, there’s always a risk of one being more compelling than the other, or for the relationship between the two to be confusing before the intended connection is clear. Those questions are central to the tension in Mass Mothering, the latest novel from Sarah Bruni.
In ‘Infamous,’ Minutiae Gives Meaning to Family Life
The Gilberts and Thornwalk are fictional, but the equivalents in our own homes and families and lives aren’t. These bits and bobbles, these trinkets and signs of wear that mean nothing to anyone else and might not even mean a thing to ourselves but nevertheless bear aching witness to, well, life.
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Follow My Blog
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
Ring Reads 