I don’t think this is a perfect book, but I loved this story about a Puerto Rican family in Staten Island, New York. I found it a fantastic and moving first novel. The story revolves around the disappearance of Ruthy Ramirez, age 13, who never comes home after track practice. Ruthy’s mother, her older sister…
Rules of Civility is the debut novel of Amor Towles, also widely known for his book A Gentleman in Moscow. The novel is set in New York City, beginning in the 1960s but then jumping back to the last night of 1937. It centers around Katie, a 25-year-old secretary who is out for New Year’s…
I was offered a review copy of Stacie Murphy’s new novel, The Unquiet Dead, a historical mystery set in 1893. Since it was a sequel, I decided to read A Deadly Fortune first. I loved both of them and highly recommend them for anyone who likes historical mysteries. A Deadly Fortune, Murphy’s debut novel, introduces…
I had mixed feelings about this book, but I found the story and its characters really compelling. Saint X is a fictional island in the Caribbean, a place where affluent white families go to soak up the sun and drink all day long. The Thomas family arrives at the resort of Indigo Bay with their…
If you’re a Jennifer Egan fan, you’ve already heard that this book is a bit different from her others, in that it’s traditional historical fiction. If you loved Goon Squad, this book isn’t anything like that one, but don’t let that keep you from reading it. Manhattan Beach tells the story of Anna, who grows…
This was a strange book; I was fascinated with the story and loved Mazie’s unique voice. But by the end I wasn’t quite in love with it. Mazie is based on a real-life woman who helped the poor during the Depression. Her family owns a theater and she spends most of her time sitting in…
This novel was a gift from my mother, after we both read Stephen King’s 11/22/63. King said this was his favorite time travel novel, and that it inspired his book. And I can see that. I had mixed feelings about the book, although it begins with an interesting premise. Si Morley is an artist who…
This book worked on so many different levels. It’s a great example of fantasy that transcends the genre, ultimately telling a story of immigrants in turn of the century New York who are struggling to fit in. It’s a book that moves at its own pace, winding through its characters’ day to day lives rather…
The Book Stop 