I’ve read most of Isabel Allende’s books, and I didn’t love the last few (most recent was Island Beneath the Sea). Maya’s Notebook had a different feel from her others (it’s set in modern times, for one thing). Yet it felt like a return to the storytelling that Allende is so good at. The story…
Category: Contemporary Fiction
Review of Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
There are so many things I love about this book. I loved the humor and the snarkiness, I loved the making fun of the private school moms, Seattle, and Microsoft, and I loved the characters of Bee and Bernadette. Granted, Bernadette is a hard character to like. I suspect some people will find her very…
Review of Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
My vacation reading had some highs and lows, and this was one of the highs. Rainbow Rowell caught my attention with Attachments, but she’s earned my respect with Eleanor & Park. This book was, in a word, beautiful. Eleanor & Park is about two teenagers who meet on a school bus. Park is half-Korean, half-Irish,…
Review: Zaremba, or Love and the Rule of Law by Michelle Granas
I was interested in this book for two reasons. First, it’s sort of a historical/political novel about modern-day Poland. I’m a quarter Polish, and visited Poland for the first time two years ago, and loved it. We were fascinated by the country’s rich history and modern-day politics. But secondly, as I started reading the book,…
Review of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
Note: The Book Stop is on vacation! This post was written in advance. But please feel free to comment. This was my second book by Haruki Murakami, and it blew me away. There’s so much in this book, I don’t know where to start. Last year I read Norwegian Wood, which was very good. I…
Review of The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
I liked the movie but not as much as I expected to. I loved the book. The movie was well-cast, well-acted, and rose way above the typical rom-com. And yet… it was, in the end, a “dance movie”. Why do movies insist on acting like dancing will heal everyone’s problems? Without going into a lot…
Review of Charlotte Street by Danny Wallace
I picked up a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, but really the suggestion came from Bethany at Subtle Melodrama, who said it was nice to read something a little light when most books are so heavy. And having recently read books about World War II spies, Sudanese civil war, and the blood and…
Review of What is the What by Dave Eggers
It’s not very often you read a book that really changes your perspective on the world, but this was one of those books. Now admittedly, I tend to stick my head in the sand when it comes to foreign affairs. We have so many tragedies at home on a daily basis, how can I wrap…
Review: Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin
Please Look After Mom is a widely acclaimed Korean novel by Kyung-Sook Shin, which tells the story of a family who lose their mother in a Seoul subway station. Park So-Nyo is an elderly wife and mother of five who gets separated from her husband in a crowded station and disappears. The family’s efforts to…
Review of The Tortilla Curtain by T. Coraghessan Boyle
The Tortilla Curtain might not be my favorite T.C. Boyle, but like his others it poses interesting issues, great writing that blends emotion and sarcasm, and even though it was written in 1995 every issue it raises is meaningful today. Curtain takes place in Los Angeles’ Topanga Canyon. It’s a story of contrasts, between an…
Review of The Round House by Louise Erdrich
The Round House is a compelling book, and I can appreciate all the acclaim it’s received. I’ve been a fan of Louise Erdrich since I read Love Medicine in college (many years ago). If this book brings Erdrich the critical acclaim and mainstream readership she deserves (including last year’s National Book Award), then I’m all…
An Interview with C.H. Zhu, author of Descent
Yesterday I posted a review of Descent, a compelling debut novel by C.H. Zhu. I interviewed Zhu because I wanted to learn more about this book and how he came to write it. What inspired you to write this story? What parts of the story come from your own life? The character, Dr. Wu, first…
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