Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is a captivating, exploratory speculative fiction novel set in a pandemic-ravaged United States. The narrative follows the entwined stories of several people across time, all connected to an actor who dies the night the pandemic begins. St. John Mandel’s writing is intimate and lyrical in this melancholy work…
Having just finished The Nightingale, a wonderful novel by Kristin Hannah, I was so excited to read it’s in production to become a movie, with an expected release date of December 2020! I’m not surprised The Nightingale was Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel of 2015 and the People’s Choice Award winner for best fiction in…
The Art of Resistance by Justus Rosenberg is a wonderful memoir. The book, which reads like a novel, begins with the author’s childhood in Danzig (present-day Gdansk, Poland), and spans the years of WWII, detailing an extraordinary life. As a young man, studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, war breaks out, changing Justus’ life in…
This new account of the 1893 Trial of Lizzie Borden, accused and acquitted of murdering her father and stepmother in the home the family shared in 1892, is packed with facts and photographs the author uncovered during the course of her research, much of which draws on the collections of the archives in Fall River.…
If you are in the mood for something magical to read for the month of October, I recommend The Witches of New York by Ami McKay. Set in 1880’s New York, the author gives us a glimpse of the world of magic, realism, fantasy, and witchcraft. Beatrice Dunn, one of the main characters, is looking…
Released in 2015, the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Frank Sinatra, this sensitively written yet honest and raw portrayal of the life of the great entertainer is a real page turner for Sinatra fans. Tina Sinatra (Frank’s youngest daughter) brings the reader back in time to her father’s past as he attempted to gain…
Written by: Greg Rucka Illustrated by: Liam Sharp & Laura Martin With the upcoming release of the superhero genre’s first female-led film, it is no surprise that many people are turning their attention to the Wonder Woman comic books. Wonder Woman’s rise to fame has been on a steady upswing since she first arrived on…
As an avid reader of DC Universe comic books and the wide array of heroes that they cover, I had high hopes for All Star Batman Volume 1: My Own Worst Enemy by Scott Snyder. Batman, being one of DC’s most popular heroes, has multiple storylines in the current ‘Rebirth’ comic run, but the All…
City on Fire is a behemoth of a novel – clocking in at over 900 pages – but it feels overwrought and excessive, as if author Garth Risk Hallberg simply wanted the world to know that he was capable of writing such an opus. The core action – which spans about seven months in 1977…
In The Fortune Hunter Daisy Goodwin has crafted a tale that weaves together fiction with historical fact. At the core of this novel is a love triangle between the handsome and dashing British Captain Bay Middleton, a young heiress by the name of Charlotte Baird, and Empress Elizabeth of Austria-Hungary, known as Sisi to her…
When Miri was fifteen, and in love for the first time, a succession of airplanes fell from the sky, leaving a community reeling. Against this backdrop of actual events that Judy Blume experienced in the early 1950s, when airline travel was new and exciting and everyone dreamed of going somewhere, Blume imagines and weaves together…
The Hunter Killers: The Extraordinary Story of the First Wild Weasels, the Band of Maverick Aviators Who Flew the Most Dangerous Missions of the Vietnam War – Dan Hampton The Hunter Killers‘ prologue reads a bit like a combined manufacturer’s manual for a plethora of fighter aircraft, radar equipment and surface-to-air missiles. This pages-long deluge…
One Soldier’s War is the memoir of Babchenko’s service as an infantryman in the Russian army during the First and Second Chechen Wars in the 1990s. Both these wars grew out of attempts by Chechnya to break away from the Russian Federation. Fresh out of college, Babchenko was drafted into the army and sent to…
Rachel reviews two graphic novels: Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Eillis; and Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Mark Waid.
I admit I picked up this book because of the cover. I first saw it in the new book display by the circ desk (if you haven’t checked that one out you really should there are a lot of gems there). And everything on the cover of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street has a connection to the story which makes it even cooler. Plus it has really great endpapers. This is Natasha Pulley’s first book and it is a mixture of historical fiction and fantasy.
Mezrich’s Once Upon a Time in Russia: The Rise of the Oligarchs is a hard book to categorize which in my mind says it’ll will appeal to a wide variety of people. This is a book that could be read as a history of Russia in the 1990s and early 2000s It could be read as true crime literature. It also has the machinations of big business, the intrigues of government and the shadowy feel of espionage. All of this is set against the background of Russia after the collapse of Communism.
I think Vanity Fair sums up the book pretty well: “It’s an unexpectedly serious work about the challenges and pitfalls of looking for love in the Digital Age via Match.com, OkCupid, Tinder, Twitter, Facebook — the whole techno shebang…”
Where Station Eleven cornered speculative fiction with a flu virus turned pandemic, Broken Monsters turned its spotlight on a probable schizophrenic serial killer roaming around the city of Detroit in real time.
And, yes, both hooked me with narratives, and kept me reading past bedtime, and fed me answers just as quickly as they kept me asking questions…
Staff review by Rachel | First, though, I have to give props to Ransom Riggs: he created a seriously inventive atmosphere with Miss Peregrine’s setting, characters, and plot. With that said, however, something always felt lacking, like maybe a plot point could have been explored further or maybe a character’s motivation felt weak…
Staff review by Rachel | Here’s the thing: I really loved Station Eleven (to the point where my review notes included such helpful phrases as “ZOMG” and “more, please”). After being completely underwhelmed by another post-apocalyptic foray (which was a complete dud), Station Eleven felt like a breath of fresh air…
Staff review by Rachel | I don’t remember when “feminist” became such a buzz word in the pop culture strata during the last 3-5 years, but I do know that I started noticing it in my vocabulary a lot just last year…
Reviewed by Jen “A charming restaurant A book and its mysterious author A little secret A romantic meeting Paris and all its magic . . . Cyrano de Bergerac meets Chocolat and Amélie in this intelligent, charming, and entertaining publishing sensation from Europe. While in the midst of a breakup-induced depression, Aurélie Bredin, a beautiful…
Reviewed by Linda | Joey Rubin, a single woman working as an architect in Manhattan is given a chance to prove her skills by overseeing the restoration of the Stanway House in the Cotswold’s of England.
Staff review by Rachel Amy Poehler is a funny lady (and if you don’t think so, maybe this review isn’t for you). She’s smart and talented and unafraid to speak her mind or stand up for herself. And, boy, I did not know that I admired her until I started reading this book. I mean,…
Reviewed by Rachel I find it annoying (and unfortunate) that I had no idea who Kristin Newman was before reading her memoir – ’cause she is one funny broad. What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding is pretty much exactly what you think it is – a travelogue detailing exactly what (and whom) Newman…
Jen reviewes a debut novel about the life of a housewife.
Reviewed by Rachel Let’s just get this over with: The Royal We is pretty much real person fic about Prince William and Princess Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Like them, our two protagonists (Nick and Bex) meet at college (a prestigious English university vs. the royal couple’s alma mater, University of St Andrews);…
Reviewed by Rachel If you’re not a huge fan of either pop culture or history, microhistories can be a tough sell on their own; reading at length about the historical, political, economic, and cultural factors that both contributed to – and also occurred because of – a huge film series like Star Wars is really…
Reviewed by Jen: Former foster child, now a stay-at-home mom of three, Allison Darling desperately wants to fit in with the stylish moms that run Monrovia, her charming seaside town based on Newburyport…
Reviewed by Jen: The Vintner’s Daughter transports us back to the 1800’s and into vineyard life offering a bit of romance, tragedy and an interesting look into the wine-making process during this time so long ago.
Chris reviews “a tight sci-fi thriller that’s hard to put down.”
There’s no lie in that subtitle: the birth of the comic book (the storytelling, the art, the characters, the industry, all those egos) is the axis on which Men of Tomorrow turns. The thing is, a whole, beaming-bright universe of American history glommed on for the ride. There be decades in these pages, long years that hosted war and prohibition and depression and hope that ebbed and flowed like the tide. And I loved every minute spent on delving into the details.
Two titles recommended by Julie: The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag and The Boy Kings of Texas by Domingo Martinez.
Recommended by Linda: The Secret Prince is a story of magic, adventure, surprise, fairytale and deception.
Reviewed by Carol: This is a story of 85 year-old Addie Baum, telling her life’s journey to her youngest granddaughters.
Reviewed by Linda: Touch & Go is a quick read suspense thriller without a lot of murder and blood. It involves a wealthy Boston family of three who have been kidnapped and hidden in the woods of northern New England.
Reviewed by Chris Much like the 100th anniversary of the Titanic in 2012 inundated us with retrospectives and movie rereleases, expect a flood of books on the Lusitania for its centenary coming up in May. You may remember the Lusitania from the footnotes of your high school textbook: a British passenger ship that was torpedoed…
Since seeing all three Swedish adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest) as well as David Fincher’s Oscar-winning adaptation, I’ve felt no real need to read the books – until I kind of joined a book club and then quit after I’d already started reading the first book… and, man, I was hooked.
Living in the soot-stained darkness that was Pittsburgh in 1941, John is keen to enlist after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He doesn’t view it as a choice or an option; it’s something he has to do.
James Hookbridge has been cursed to an eternity of waging war against sharp-toothed boys in the Neverland. Wholly weary of it, he has but one desire left to him, and that is for Death to find and take him at His earliest convenience. For a permanent ceasefire; the game board cleared and put away; to…
Rachel has been accidentally reading quite a bit of non-fiction in the past couple of months, so here are some thoughts on four newish real-life releases (and one not-so-new at all).
Extremely touchy witches, bumbling spies and 1950s Paris
Duggan’s The Lady for Ransom is set in the 11th century just prior to the First Crusade. In those days a soldier could make himself a prince in the chaotic borderlands between Christendom and Islam, but the Norman mercenary Rousseul de Balliol sought only good pay, honest employers, and to retire someday rather than die on the battlefield.
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is one of those books that I think everyone’s at least heard of – if not read themselves. It’s a familiar story, with both substantial literary themes and characters that have transcended the confines of the novel. It’s both a difficult read and an easy story to follow. And I honestly did not think that I was going to love the book as much as I did.
Let me start by saying that I love Netflix’s adaptation of Orange Is the New Black – I LOVE it. As such, I was totally onboard for more of my favorite thirty-something Brooklynite WASP Piper and her highs and lows (and woes) during a fifteen-month stint at a women’s correctional facility.
I’ve been reading a lot of history lately so I decided to take a break and indulge one of my other interests: cooking. Part of the reason Sous Chef: 24 Hours On The Line caught my eye (besides being bright red and having a knife on the cover) was that it is different from your average book on the world of fine dining.
There are a few books you can choose from if you want to know more about the Boer War, but I settled on Martin Meredith’s Diamonds Gold and War. I liked this one because it’s not just about the Boer War itself but takes the reader through the whole 19th century and shows how all those events lead to the war.
This is the story of how Jim came to read Traitor’s Blade:
Michelle, after one chapter: Dude, this is basically Three Musketeers fanfiction!
Jim: Oh? Are there swords?
Michelle: Yes! And magic! Okay, that’s not very Three Musketeers, but fanfiction! And I know who’s who.
Jim: Yeah? Who’s Ara–
Michelle: Oh, no. You’re going to read it and then we’ll discuss.
Jim: *gets book that evening*…
Reviewed by Jim Eric Jager’s Blood Royal may not take place at the time of Dumas’ The Three Musketeers (in fact, it takes place 200 years before in 1407) but it would be a good choice for anyone who likes Dumas or French history. It has street fights, mystery and political intrigue. Bonus: It has…
Reviewed by Julie About the book: “Out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times – the improbable, intimate account of nine working-class boys from the American West who at the 1936 Olympics showed the world what true grit really…
Reviewed by Rachel By all accounts, Neil Gaiman’s children’s book Coraline is a strange and creepy piece of fiction. It features another set of parents for its protagonist, Coraline Jones, who live through the hallway behind the door that goes nowhere. Copies of her next door neighbors, Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, perform nightly for…
Reviewed by Jim It’s been a good spring/summer for the historical spy novel genre. A couple weeks ago David Downing’s Jack of Spies came out and now we have Alan Furst’s Midnight in Europe. Fans of Furst will immediately recognize the style and plot of this book. Christian Ferrar is a well to do Spanish…
Reviewed by Carol 4.5 Stars. Remarkable historical fiction about a Southern family’s views on slavery pre-Civil War, and the relationship between one of the daughters, Sarah Grimké, and her slave, Handful. Grimké and her sister, Angelina, become passionate about abolition, and eventually become active publicly for the cause, resulting in many life changes, some positive…
Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age – W. Bernard Carlson | Here’s the thing: I may never again want to hear the words commutator, stator or rotor, but I will very probably never get enough of Nikola Tesla. Most everyone has heard the name, but aside from his innovative work with AC and polyphase systems, how…
The Perfume Collector – Kathleen Tessaro After receiving an unexpected inheritance from a complete stranger, newlywed socialite Grace Monroe must uncover the identity of her mysterious benefactor. Weaving through the decades from 1920s New York to 1950s Monte Carlo, Paris and London, the story Grace uncovers is that of an extraordinary woman who inspired one…
Reviewed by Linda S. Excellent Historical Fiction that takes place in 1665 on an island called Great Harbor, now known as Martha’s Vineyard. A Puritan family settles on the land and the father, a minister, teaches the Native Americans the ways of the church and schools many in reading and writing. The minister’s daughter, Bethia,…
As anyone who reads a lot Asian history knows it is really hard to find a current comprehensive history of Central Asia in the middle ages. Not surprising when you consider the area encompasses about 2 million square miles, hundreds of years of history and countless cultures many of which disappeared without much trace. There…
Reviewed by Chris An engrossing biography of one of the most powerful American politicians of the 20th century. Despite never holding elected office, Moses weilded absolute power over urban planning and development in New York City from the 1920s – 1960s. Caro’s in-depth research into his subject gives the reader the context and facts necessary…
Reviewed by Rachel Fast Food Nation, a journalistic exploration into fast food – or what author Eric Schlosser terms the “dark side of the all-american meal” – turned 13 this year… and its age is showing. There’s no doubt in my mind that the book was a first of its kind, or that the information…
Reviewed by Drew Let’s face it, magic schools where callow youth learn to be wizards and accidentally end up saving the world a few times are the bacon of fantasy literature – delicious but overused. We’ve Potter’d around Hogwarts, can Kwothe the University’s motto by heart, and have sampled the Coldwater showers at Brakebills Academy…
As someone who loves the swashbuckling fiction of authors like Alexander Dumas, Rafael Sabatini and Arturo Pérez-Reverte it seemed like reading a non-fiction work on war in the period the books are set in would be a good idea. That is what brought me to Lauro Martines’ Furies: War in Europe, 1450-1700. The book came…
Under the Wide and Starry Sky is dual historical fiction biography of Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Osbourne. The story begins with Fanny arriving in Antwerp with her children fleeing her philandering husband in America. A lot of time is spent with Fanny before Stevenson is introduced in chapter ten jumping through a window in…
Like many people, my to-read pile of books sets on my dresser next to my bed (unlike most people, I hope, the finished books are on a pile on the floor next to my bed) and seems to be growing faster than I can read. In this pile are a wide range of things: fantasy,…
Reviewed by Jim I had actually been waiting for this book to be translated into English for some time. It was written by a Italian writers collective Wu Ming (aka Luther Blisett). Altai is a loose sequel to their book Q published in 1999. Because it is a translation the tone of the writing can…
“I hope we’re as good friends when you finish your book as we are now,” Ben Bradlee, the legendary former executive editor of The Washington Post, told Jeff Himmelman in March 2010. “But I don’t give a [expletive deleted] what you write about me.” No author could make this man uninteresting. Yours in Truth, begun…
I first took notice of this book when I saw the author, actor Frank Langella interviewed on The Tavis Smiley Show to discuss his memoir of the remarkable people encountered over his fifty year career. He presents them, not as they might have described themselves, but as he perceived them – a theme he emphasizes…
I am not a voracious fiction reader – romantic fiction especially. But I was taken by the cover (the muted tones, the Grace Kelly look-a-like, the English back drop) as well as the title which added a touch of melancholy. It is London, 1960. When Jennifer Stirling wakes up in the hospital, she can remember…
This book appealed to me because I’m part of its target audience – folks in their 30s or 40s who experienced MTV as teenagers – when its programming was all videos, all the time, and kids watched to see their favorite bands, learn about new music, and have something to talk about at school the…
“The year is 2032. The third Iran-Iraq war is over; the 11/11 dirty bomb attack on the port of Long Beach, California is receding into memory; Saudi Arabia has recently quelled a coup; Russians and Turks are clashing in the Caspian Basin; Iranian armored units, supported by the satellite and drone power of their Chinese…
Reviewed by Kim What would happen if the scientific community and the military got together and created a virus which essentially turned people into vampires? This is the basic premise of Justin Cronin’s third novel. Predictably, the origin of the virus has so much potential. A vampire bat virus which could make humans immortal and…