Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

Like The Book Thief, which I read last September, I thought there was no way Room could live up to the hype.  But it did.  This is a book nearly everyone on the planet has read and raved about.  It’s a book I put down days ago and I haven’t gotten out of my head. …

Review: The Adults by Allison Espach

The Adults is about Emily Vidal, a 14 year old in an affluent Connecticut suburb, whose parents announce they are divorcing, right before the start of a giant lawn party to celebrate Emily’s father’s birthday.  This is Espach’s first novel. I went into this book thinking it would remind me of my own parents’ divorce,…

Review: The Truth about Us by Dalene Flannigan

I read this book based on a review request by its author, Dalene Flannigan.  I’ve received a number of review requests in the last year but this is the first one I’ve accepted.  The book has positive reviews on Amazon, and I read the first chapter and found myself interested in the story and characters.…

Review: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

I’ve been wanting to read something by Murakami for a while now, just from reading reviews on other blogs.  Right now most people are reading 1Q84, which is topping the critics “Best of 2011” lists, but I wanted to start with something a little more straightforward.  Alley over at What Red Read had the same…

Review: The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

The Marriage Plot is the long-awaited novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, the author of The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex (winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2003).  Eugenides is an author you should read if you haven’t — each of his novels is completely unique and will stay in your head for years. The Marriage Plot seems…

Review: Still Life by Louise Penny

I can sum up this book by saying I wanted to like it more than I did.  I mostly read historical mysteries, but having recently read and enjoyed two Agatha Christie novels, I thought it would be nice to broaden my horizons a bit.  I read about this series on Amazon and readers rave about…

Review: Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

Before I Go to Sleep is a book about a woman with anterograde amnesia, or the inability to retain short term memory.  She remembers her life in her early twenties and earlier, but nothing after that.  She’s in her forties. In a first chapter that is immediately compelling, Christine wakes up in a strange room…

Review: Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman

Last week we were talking about the Man Booker nominees, and the general consensus was that the list is usually on the dull and uninspiring side.  If that’s the case, then Pigeon English must be an exception.  I absolutely loved this book. Pigeon English tells the story of an eleven year old boy living in…

Review: When the Killing’s Done by T.C. Boyle

I love T.C. Boyle and this book didn’t disappoint – in fact I’d have to say this is one of my favorites.  The story is a reflection on environmentalism, conservation, and the strength and beauty of nature. The two main characters, Alma Boyd Takesue and Dave LaJoy are mortal enemies, pitted against each other in…

Review of Trespass by Rose Tremain

Trespass is a book you probably haven’t heard of, by an author you probably haven’t heard of.  Rose Tremain has written 15 books, many of them award winners or nominees (Whitbread Awards, Booker Prize, and Orange Prize).  Her best known work is Restoration, a historical novel about a 17th century physician that was made into…

Review: One Day by David Nicholls

One Day is the story of a friendship that begins in college and grows over twenty years.  It’s the story of Dexter and Emma, who meet at the University of Edinburgh in the late 1990s and sort-of hook up the night of graduation.  Dexter barely knows Emma, but Emma’s had a crush on Dexter for…

Review: Mary Ann in Autumn by Armistead Maupin

I think if this book hadn’t received a good review I wouldn’t have bought it.  Maupin’s recent books haven’t done much for me, and Mouse, Brian, Anna, and even Mary Ann are like old friends.  Better to reread the old books again and again than change them with a not-so-good update. Happily, I think Maupin…