Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians, came to my local independent bookstore, Malaprops, a couple of weeks ago to promote the paperback release of his book. I had just finished reading and enjoying it, so I headed out to see what he had to say. He read us part of a short story set in […]
The Magicians by Lev Grossman: Book Review
Quentin Coldwater is the top in his class. He’s also in love with his best friend’s girlfriend and unhappy at home. One day, he receives a manuscript that looks like an unpublished addition to his favorite fantasy series, set in a fantasy world called Fillory. In a roundabout way, this manuscript leads him through a […]
Middle Eastern Women’s Literature Recommendations
A few weeks ago I posted about author Masha Hamilton and her Afghan Women’s Writing Project. Check out my post if you missed it. This is a great project. I recommended the books A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, and Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi and […]
Happy Father’s Day!
Happy Father’s Day to any fathers out there! Let me tell you about my dad. He can best be described by a conversation I had with my neighbor recently. I had been out of town, my parents had stopped by my house to water my plants and check the mail, and my dad and Neighbor […]
Egypt: Locus Focus
Locus Focus is hosted every Saturday at Shredded Cheddar. Write a post about your favorite setting and go share your link! Can you imagine Peter Pan without Neverland? Lemuel Gulliver without Lilliput and Brobdingnag? The Pied Piper without Hamelin? A good setting is more than just a backdrop! Join us every Saturday as we write […]
The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C. W. Gortner: Book Review
Catherine de Medici. I picked this up not knowing exactly who she was, knowing only that if she was “de Medici,” there would be lots of the drama that make the best historical fiction. Her parents died when she was young; she was held hostage in a convent in Florence when the Medicis were overthrown; […]
Agatha Raisin: Character Connection
We all have characters we love. Let’s spotlight these fantastic creations! Whether you want to be friends with them or you have a full-blown crush on them, you know you love them and want everyone else to love them too! Most of you will probably post about how much you love each character, but this […]
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters: Book Review
Miss Amelia Peabody is a confirmed spinster. Her father died and left her a comfortable inheritance and she has decided to start traveling to those ancient sites they both loved. She acquires the lovely yet troubled Evelyn as a companion in Rome and she sets off to visit Egypt. There, she meets the Emerson brothers. […]
2010 Book Reviews by Author
A list of my 2010 book reviews by author. Click the letter to jump to the corresponding section. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T V W Z
Daughter of My People by James Kilgo: Book Review
Hart Bonner is the son of a formerly prosperous plantation owner. Jennie Grant is his cousin’s biracial cook. In South Carolina in the early 1900s, she is considered a “Negro” and it is a felony for a white man to have “relations” with her. She and Hart carry on a secret affair for years though. […]
Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe: Book Review
I decided to read this because Thomas Wolfe was from my area and I only had to read one short story of his for an English class. I wanted to see what he was all about. This is basically the slightly fictionalized story of his childhood and young adult years growing up in the mountains […]