Monthly Archives: April 2017

I really wanted to read this for a long time because it’s so short and I’ve read and very much enjoyed  many other works by James.  It’s very highly regarded and I can see why. A first person male character is … Continue reading →

It was on sale.  It’s the first of a series.  I went for it.  I’ll not be bothering with more of these. ******* A Quiet Life in the Country by T.E. Kinsey 2014 / 258 pages read by Elizabeth Knoweldon … Continue reading →

This is a Japanese import which intrigued me but when I first saw the “cast of characters” in the Kindle edition I got nervous.  I’m listening and those kinds of names are quite difficult for me to distinguish.  Fortunately,  I … Continue reading →

I’ve been a fan of Amos Oz for a long time, but only read A Tale of Love and Darkness,  Scenes From Village Life, and perhaps some essays. ******* Judas by Amos Oz 2016 / 320 pages read by Jonathan Davis … Continue reading →

Howard Zinn (1922 -2010) is best known for his book,  A People’s History of the United States first published in 1980.  In 2017 some congressman in the state of Arkansas proposed that all of Zinn’s books be banned from the public schools. … Continue reading →

Umami (/uˈmɑːmi/), or savory taste, is one of the five basic tastes (together with sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness). It has been described as brothy or meaty.   (Think soy sauce or parmesan cheese.) This is the completely delightful and  brilliantly … Continue reading →

Another sale book (I kind of stocked up at this last sale) and this one is quite good although very short.   That’s okay –  it’s not a really serious book – it’s quite humorous and a nice refreshing break … Continue reading →

We’re not in Glasgow for this book in the series,   but in the nearby community of Helensburgh where a woman is being murdered and is subsequently thrown into the water.  One of the murderers,  gets haunted by his conscience. Then in … Continue reading →

I read this years ago and then much later I read The Hours by Michael Cunningham and not really liking either one I put them away – even out of my mind.  (I love To the Lighthouse and A Room … Continue reading →

Truly, Madly Guilty started out feeling  like quite a disappointment after Big Little Lies and if you’re looking for a lot of suspense or a thriller you’d better keep looking.   On the other hand it’s quite good if you could also … Continue reading →

I got on a Joseph Finder kick since reading Vanished a few days ago.  (And it was on sale.)  It is older though and it shows – 15 years of progress in technology is a tell, imo, but the book is … Continue reading →

I’ve wanted to read a book by Noam Chomsky for a long time (he’s now 88 years old!) but something always interfered.  I’ve watched him attack the system and support his causes for since the anti-Vietnam War years.   I … Continue reading →

Memories are tricky things – especially after 20 years has passed.   But some things stick – some true,  some not –  some get placed in the wrong context.   This isn’t so much a “thriller” as it is a … Continue reading →

I’ve read two of Finder’s novels prior and I loved one (Company Man)  and didn’t much care for the other (Paranoia).  I wasn’t going to read any more but this one caught my eye for some reason – on sale … Continue reading →

The Refugees had been on my radar for several weeks – since it was released actually,  because I totally enjoyed The Sympathizer by the same author.   And this book then won several awards (as did The Sympathizer) and then I procrastinated. … Continue reading →

This has been read and reviewed highly rated and ranked for so long I just finally caved in.   It’s the memoir of a young brilliant neurosurgeon who discovered in 2013,  while still in his mid-thirties, that he had cancer … Continue reading →

Ahhhhhh…..  another juicy legal thriller – it’s not out of my system  yet I guess. I read  Eskens’ prior crime novel,  The Life We Bury (2014)  back in January of 2016 and enjoyed it pretty well although it seemed a … Continue reading →