I heard an episode of Backlisted (the show that gives new life to old books) discussing various books of Graham Greene, and The Quiet American was the only one I happened to already own and had never read. Greene's story and the story of his many novels was very interesting and well-told (it is a favourite podcast because of... Continue Reading →
Murder Before Evensong, by The Reverend Richard Coles. Pub 2022
Since reading The Madness of Grief a few years back, I've been a quasi-fan of Coles. He retired from parish duties in 2022, and continues his writing, presenting, and social media activities. This book is his first work of fiction, creating a new accidental-detective-in-an-English-village character for a series of murder mysteries. In Murder Before Evensong, we meet... Continue Reading →
The Light of No Other Hour, by Joseph Massey. Pub 2023
This is my third book of poems by Massey, an independent and prolific poet. This book is self-published, and he also publishes regularly on his blog and other online places. Like most best poems, these are wonderful when read aloud, evoking the grit and chill and calm of days after storms, when the light is... Continue Reading →
Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver. Pub 2022
After reading Kingsolver's previous novel Unsheltered, and really not enjoying it, I was tempted to this one given its premise: a transcribing of David Copperfield into the Appalachia. This would have been less appealing were it not for my having recently completed the audiobook of the Dickens novel, and loving it. I was at last familiar with those... Continue Reading →
Olga Dies Dreaming, by Xochitl Gonzalez. Pub 2021
Another from the Christmas bounty from my sister, I chose this book based on a recommendation from a friend. While the setting and story elements are different, the tone and style (and even the cover art) are reminiscent of Lessons in Chemistry, and like that book, this was also a fun, unchallenging read. Olga Avecedo... Continue Reading →
This Tender Land, by William Kent Krueger. Pub 2019
This is not a book I would have picked for myself, but came as part of a bounty that I won in a prize draw at my local bookstore. There are a few from that set that are on my to-read list, and some others that will eventually go right to charity. This one was... Continue Reading →
Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff. Pub 2015
The impetus for this book was twofold - my fellow book-clubber's excellent review of Groff's Matrix last year, and the title's suggestion of a linkage to Greek mythology. I'm a fan of the retellings of mythology (see Circe and The Children of Jocasta), so I was anticipating some element of that in this novel. I was not disappointed with either... Continue Reading →
Assembly, by Natasha Brown. Pub 2021
This little book was a Christmas gift from a fellow book-clubber, and also a recommendation from them. It is a quick (one day) but demanding read, as the material gets a bit intense in places and the writing style is curious blend of lyrical/poetry and stream of consciousness/interior. The story is that of an unnamed... Continue Reading →
With All Due Respect, by Nikki R. Haley. Pub 2019
I had previously listened to the audiobook version of this a few years ago, and liked some of what Haley has to say on leadership. Since I didn't have any notes from that listen, I decided to read it again, partially for the leadership elements and partly as a response to the casual misogyny ("she's... Continue Reading →
Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Pub 2015. Translation by Geoffrey Trousselot, pub 2019.
Another Christmas gift, I read about one of the later books in this series as being an interesting and light read, so decided to start at the beginning. In this novel in four parts, we visit the Funiculi Funicula cafe, in a dark back alley in Tokyo. Although never overrun with customers - in fact,... Continue Reading →
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