Category Archives: 2023 Fiction

Oh I was ready for a good juicy page-turning crime novel and it looks like the choice of the 4-Mystery Addicts group is just the thing.   I read one book by Lehane,  Mystic River,   years ago and enjoyed it, … Continue reading →

In the very northern reaches of Idaho,  a hundred miles or so from the Canadian border,  Ann and Wade  Mitchell are married even with his ex-wife  Jenny who is in prison for the murder of one of the daughters she … Continue reading →

I had to reread this for some reason –  (so call my a martyr).   I actually enjoyed it quite a lot more the second time having got over my disgust and annoyance with Eileen-the-younger.   It’s really not necessary … Continue reading →

This is a remarkable interweaving of the stories underlying My Name is Lucy Barton  –  What all went on in that hometown of Lucy’s  – to the people Lucy and her mother gossip about? –  These are those stories, each almost … Continue reading →

I read Breakfast with Buddha a few months ago and was kind of enchanted so when Dinner with Buddha (3rd volume) was on sale I had to get Lunch with Buddha, too. Lunch with Buddha doesn’t have quite the same … Continue reading →

I’ve had this book sitting around for a few months and now that maybe I’ll give it a try although I’ve read other material quite similar –  White Trash by Nancy Isenberg  and Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy … Continue reading →

I rated this an A- as a crime novel but only a 6.5  as a literary endeavor.  I like to think I understand what Silvis was trying to do but that it just didn’t quite cut it although it was … Continue reading →

Toibin is a wonderfully creative author and talented wordsmith.  This is certainly not my favorite kind of literature but in the hands of Toibin it comes alive. Continue reading →

I need some kind of highest praise word here,  “ remarkable and extraordinary aren’t quite enough. “Important” is in the ball park but “vital”  is better.  One reviewer said, “Reading this book is imperative. You may not get another chance.” … Continue reading →

This is a very good book but not quite as good as either of my Chabon favorites,  Kavalier and Clay or The Yiddish Policeman’s Union.   This may be third favorite – (lol)  – Overall the novel feels like two separate … Continue reading →

Other reviewers have called this book quiet,  but I would rather just call it boring. That said,  it’s an old Booker Prize short-lister (1977)  and I read and almost always enjoy Booker Prize material with the Booker Prize reading group. … Continue reading →

Lucy Barton, our first person protagonist, is having some medical complications from an appendectomy and is in the hospital for several weeks.  She misses her husband and daughters,  but during this time her mother travels from Amgash, Illinois to see her … Continue reading →

I’d been eye-balling this book and then voila – it was selected as the discussion read at All-nonfiction Group!   Okay – so I looked forward to it – I don’t usually read the group selections until a couple weeks prior … Continue reading →

I listened to this years ago – one of my first Audio books –  and I was amazed.  So I was more than willing to read it again when it came up as a selection in the Modern Fictionreading group. … Continue reading →

The hero is corrupt – specifically,  a New York City detective sergeant has gone bad -actually,  this is basically a really good cop who has gone very bad.  Winslow tells us the story of his fall and it’s gritty – … Continue reading →

I’ve read a couple books by Dunant over the last few years ago and have not been impressed.   The prior books were “Sacred Hearts” and “Blood and Beauty”,   Dunant’s 1st book in this series about the Borgias.   Nevertheless, several members … Continue reading →

Sofia Papastergiadis is a very bright young woman trying to finish her PhD in anthropology, but who is stuck working at a coffee bar in London.   Mainly she has some family and personal issues.   For one thing she’s … Continue reading →