The Un-Retirement
The Un-Retirement by Penny Mirren Recent widow and retiree Maggie Lawford is thrilled with her principal role as doting grandmother to precious Alice, but she occasionally considers finding a proper […]
How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder
How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McConigley How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder is another COA novel, if defined somewhat loosely. The fish out of water protagonists are […]
O Caledonia
O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker (NCN Book Club Selection May) As you know, I dislike coming of age (COA) novels, and here’s why–they are uniformly grim. In British COA stories, […]
Yankee Doodle Dixie
Yankee Doodle Dixie by Lisa Patton Yankee Doodle Dixie chronicles the adventures of divorcee and professional Southerner, Leelee Satterfield. I was disappointed in this sequel to Patton’s bestselling novel Whistlin’ […]
The Light in the Ruins
The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian In the summer of 1955, Serafina Bettini, the only female detective in the Florence (Italy!)Police Department’s Homicide unit, is assigned the grisly […]
The Exiles Return
The Exiles Return by Elisabeth de Waal If the name Elisabeth de Waal sounds familiar, then you probably read her grandson Edmund de Waal’s book The Hare with Amber Eyes, […]
Armchair Traveler-India
Over the holidays I caught up with my friend Patricia who recently returned from two weeks in India. Listening to her colorful stories, I was reminded of my own trips […]
Prayers for the Stolen
Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement I admit that I was reluctant to read a book about women who live/hide in a bleak Mexican outback dominated by drug cartels […]
I Still Dream About You
I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg I enjoyed Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, both the novel and the movie, but I find most of Fannie […]
The English Understand Wool
The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt Despite its brevity (about the length of a New Yorker article), The English Understand Wool provoked plenty of conversation at book club. Marguerite […]
The Go-Between
The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley You may not know the British author L.P. Hartley, but you are probably familiar with the opening line of his 1953 novel The Go-Between. “The […]
The Saint of Bright Doors
The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera I hated this book… and yet. Fantasy fiction bores me (Tolkien, yuck), so I was not thrilled with our November book club […]
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol 1-8 by Beth Brower More my style is a series of historical novels which were recommended to me by my friend Jerry. […]
A Way of Life, Like Any Other
A Way of Life, Like Any Other by Darcy O’Brien I typically hate coming of age novels. Why would I want to relive the angst of adolescence, even through the […]
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler A few months ago, I said I would get back to you regarding the novel We Are All Completely Beside […]