Monthly Archives: October 2013

Sycamore Row by John Grisham 2013/464 pages read by Michael Beck rating  A+ /  legal thriller Grisham is back!   For awhile there it looked like he’d permanently changed his genre but with the last book,   The Racketeer,  and … Continue reading →

The Moor’s Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie  (India/Britain) 1995 / 434 pages rating 7 / 20th c. fiction Okay,  so I’m a Rushdie fan since Midnight’s Children and totally fell in love with The Satanic Verses (the first book I ever read twice in … Continue reading →

Turtle Diary by Russell Hoban  (American ex-pat) 1975 / 185 pages Rating  9.2  /20th cent. fiction Odd rating,  I know,  but I wanted it to make the 9+ category.  It’s that good,  but still,  not more than that.  It’s a … Continue reading →

A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym (England) 1958 / 246 pages Rating:  8 /classic I discovered Barbara Pym several years ago but have not even nearly got all of her books read.    Pym was very popular in the … Continue reading →

Stay Close by Harlan Coben 2012 / 480 pages read by Scott Brick rating A+ / crime-suspense Megan Pierce has lived the life of an upper middle class suburban loving wife and mom for 17 years,  but she has a … Continue reading →

The Turn of the Screw by William James 1898 / 117 pages (Kindle) Rating:  9 / horror I’m not a horror fan at all but I do enjoy Henry James,  so when this book was suggested as a Halloween read … Continue reading →

The Love Artist: A Novel by Jane Alison 2002/222 pages Rating:  7 /fantasy romance set in the past I’m taking the Coursera class in Historical Fiction and this is one of the highlighted books.  I’m going to try to get to some … Continue reading →

Mortal Bonds by Michael Sears 2013/352 pages rating A /crime Jason Stafford is a hired  financial investigator who works for the companies he worked for and did business with prior to his arrest and time in prison for fraud.   … Continue reading →

About Grace by Anthony Doerr 2004 / 402 pages (Kindle) rating: 5 (out of 10)  / 21st c. fiction This book tries to be a lot of things and I don’t think it succeeds at any.  From the beginning there … Continue reading →

Tracks by Louise Erdrich 1988 / 226 pages read by Anna Fields 6 h. 22 m. rating:  9 / magical realism – Native American This and Four Souls comprise the backstory of Fleur Pillager the mother of Lula, a major … Continue reading →

Four Souls by Louise Erdrich 2004/ 240 pages read by Anna Fields 6 h. 40 m. After falling in love with Erdrich’s  Love Medicine I decided to listen to try the next novel or two in the “series.”     The … Continue reading →

Swimming Home by Deborah Levy 2012 / 154 pages (K) rating 8.5 ? / 21st c. fic. Although it’s short,  this is not a quick and easy read –  well, duh,  it’s a Booker nomination so what did I expect? … Continue reading →

Heir to the Glimmering World by Cynthia Ozick 2004 / 310 pages rating 9 / 20th c. fiction I read this the first time back in 2004 – I know this because I have a hard cover copy.   It’s … Continue reading →

Daniel Martin by John Fowles (English) 1977 / 629 pages Rating 9.5 / 20th cent. lit This book is over-written,  it’s dated and it’s predictable.   But it got a 9.5 from me. Overwritten:   if Fowles can think of one … Continue reading →

The Brutal Telling (Det. Gamache #5) by Louise Penny 2009 / 386 pages read by Ralph Cosham 13h 12m rating – A Louise Penny writes such lush cozy mysteries – they have death but no gore.  Her Detective Armand Gamache is smart enough … Continue reading →