Anyone who has ever felt alone has wished they had some kind of personal companion to turn to when loneliness becomes overwhelming. In “The Goldfinch,” Donna Tartt builds on this premise by asking what happens when one’s solution to loneliness also happens to be a felony. Our protagonist Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, becomes […]
Tag: Book Review
Book Shell-f: “Lab Girl” by Hope Jahren
Hope Jahren’s memoir, “Lab Girl,” is an incredibly honest telling of a woman finding her way in her field, her friendships and her life. Throughout the book, Jahren speaks candidly about working in a male-dominated profession, non-romantic bonds, mental health, being pregnant as a professional woman and much more. The intimate story-telling she uses to […]
“Let Sleeping Dogs Lie”: The story of a Nazi descendant
In the provocative novel “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie”, a story about a German descendant of a Nazi, Mirjam Pressler explores the lesser-told legacy of the Nazis’ historical sins.
In the still of the night
Ann Rule is an ex-law enforcement official who pens true crime books retelling criminal investigations from her standpoint. Her 2010 novel “In the Still of the Night: The Strange Death of Ronda Reynolds and Her Mother’s Unceasing Quest for the Truth” tells the true story of a mother’s journey to have the word “suicide” taken […]
No excuses this Valentine’s Day
Consider the dread that February brings to a number of — though not all — single women. “Thirteen days until my life sucks if I can’t find him,” I’ve heard people say. February is a time when the single woman finds herself morphing into a pile of nerves as she fights to find “the one” […]
Thoughts fall together in Nigerian folktale
A Nigerian classic set in a heated chapter of Africa’s history, “Things Fall Apart” is a great pick for readers seeking a powerful story the expounds on complex themes such as pride and honor.
Book review: “Turtle Feet”
The widely popular 2006 memoir “Eat, Love, Pray” by Elizabeth Gilbert is a charming story of a woman hungry for truth, satiating her appetite on the other side of the world. “Turtle Feet” follows that same soul-searching template, but with twice the attitude, and no fluffy, hippy crap and inevitable happy endings.
Book Review: Steven Saylor’s “Roma”
A sweeping exposition of Rome — from the dawn of civilization to the fall of the senate — is quite a difficult and complex feat, yet it is one that Steven Saylor pulls off quite well.
Book review: Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist”
It certainly says something about an author when their book holds the title for most translated in the world. And at 71 languages, Brazilian author Paulo Coelho’s allegorical novel “The Alchemist” presents a philosophy of life and living that is housed within a story of whimsy and fiction, yet real enough to have happened anywhere. […]
Dave Grossman’s “On Killing”
In all, “On Killing” is an amazing read. Grossman gives us rampant insight into the world of a military man faced with soldiers who on an unconscious level don’t want to shoot and kill other humans, but must do so to stay alive.