Red Rising is a dystopian science fiction story set on Mars more than 700 years after mankind has colonized the Solar System. It is the first book in a series which starts with our main character working in the mines under Mars. We soon find out that he is a member of the lowest “caste” of humanity, the Reds. There … Continue reading →
Educated is a fascinating memoir about a young girl brought up in a Fundamentalist Mormon family who live in a remote mountain valley in Idaho. In a home where the father makes all the decisions, mental health, fanaticism, paranoia, and deep mistrust all play a role in shaping Tara’s life, her education, her relationships, and her understanding of the world. … Continue reading →
Billy Collins is the most popular poet in North America, publishing collections of verse and filling seats at live readings throughout the year. His poems are quite accessible and personal. A few resonate; a few are just passing thoughts. He published Horoscopes for the Dead in 2010. The title comes from this poem – Horoscopes for the Dead. … Continue reading →
Neverwhere is a fantasy about an everyday man who helps a girl in distress, then finds himself pulled into the alternate London, a world of creatures, angels, assassins, merchants, nights, and bizarre characters. London Below is the setting for the story, an alternate world of a feudal class structure, commerce, and tribalism. Richard Mayhew has to make sense of why … Continue reading →
As a long term fan of Stephen King, I look forward to each new publication. I have read all of his recent books going back to 2012 and I have been filling in (and enjoying) some of the missing earlier ones, including Misery, Pet Semetary, and Under the Dome. My favorite Stephe King book is It. This is a seminal … Continue reading →
Do not read book reviews or synopses of the book beforehand. Dive into the book and allow yourself to be surprised. Walk with Piranesi down the halls, aware of the rhythm of the tides, and the calls of the seabirds. There will be a mystery to unravel, but let it be revealed slowly. There are some moral dilemmas to understand, … Continue reading →
Eye of the Needle is a spy thriller set in World War Two England. Henry Faber (Die Nadel) is a long-term spy in England who is called on to find out about the British preparations for the D Day Invasion. Historically this is Operation Fortitude in which Churchill and military leaders prepared a military deception to look like the invasion … Continue reading →
The Overstory won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2018 and was a New York Times Bestseller. It is a sprawling, ambitious work that winds the stories of several trees and nine characters throughout the long narrative. Some of the stories are interconnected and some are not, some feel unfinished, and some seem to have universal connections. This … Continue reading →
The main character in Bluebird Bluebird is a black Texas Ranger who works for the State on a variety of types of crimes. He leaves East Texas to pursue a profession which escapes the small-town racism, injustice, suspicion, and the pervading code of silence. But he returns to the town of Lark to investigate two murders. The book is a … Continue reading →
Code Name Verity is a fictional historical story of two British women who are recruited, trained, and employed in the war effort in the RAF and in the British Secret Service. They become close friends, but on a mission over France are shot down. Julie (the spy) is captured by the Gestapo and interrogated (tortured and starved) over a period … Continue reading →
I read a review of The Ten Thousand Days of January and decided to listen to it as an audiobook. It is a fantasy about a young girl who learns to open hidden doors to other worlds. It is the story of January Scaller, the ward of Cornelius Locke, whose father was an explorer and collector, but has been missing … Continue reading →
I had read The Other People and enjoyed it so I decided to try another book by C.J. Tudor. The Burning Girls mixes several genres – thriller, mystery, horror/fantasy, and moody psychological suspense. The setting is in a small English town, Chapel Croft. The main character is the Reverend Jack Brooks who comes to the village for a temporary position, … Continue reading →
Red Dragon is a serial killer – FBI profiler thriller, the first of the Hannibal Lecter series. It was published in 1981 and since that time there have been many books, TV series, and movies that have taken a similar premise, so even though this was a fresh story forty years ago, it has been copied many times since. The … Continue reading →
Nomadland is a well-researched, carefully-crafted book. Jessica Bruder practiced immersive journalism, following nomads over a three-year period. Her deep observations are combined with a shrewd analysis of a current-day phenomenon – a class of people who live in their vans, RVs, or vehicles for economic reasons, a single investment in “wheel estate.” Many are nomadic, traveling to seasonal work, … Continue reading →
The Dry is a brisk-moving dark mystery set in the Outback of Australia. Aaron Falk is a federal agent who returns to his home town for a funeral, but then is asked to help out in the investigation into why his friend allegedly killed his family. In the small town, there are old memories and unsolved crimes that may be … Continue reading →
Miss Benson’s Beetle caught me by surprise. The premise sounded interesting, enough to prompt my interest, and a friend had recommended it, so I started the book in good faith. The story started with a light touch, but with some humorous spots and some interesting characters. The main character initially did not stir much interest, but that changed over the … Continue reading →
