Sunday, April 28, 2013

K Blows Top by Peter Carlson




This may be the funniest, weirdest, most interesting book ever.  

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

A Murder at Rosamund's Gate by Susanna Calkins




I really wanted to like this because I love historical fiction, but it just didn't come together.  A few instances of really lame dialogue, a few overly-modern opinions, and a few plot implausibilities made this one mediocre.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Table for Seven by Whitney Gaskell




OK, so this isn't great literature, but it was a fun, light read.  If you are in the mood for a little romantic book, this is a good choice.  I liked what she did with the characters.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Drunk Tank Pink by Adam Alter




Interesting.  (Although kind of disappointing that there was some overlap with Outliers and Thinking Fast and Slow.)

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The Liberator by Alex Kershaw




Holy cow.  This was fabulous.

Friday, April 12, 2013

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout




This was so lame.  Why are so many critics loving all over it?  What's wrong with people?

Tuesday, April 09, 2013

The Perfect Ghost by Linda Barnes




The book engaged me, but was ultimately unsatisfying, I think because there were lots of things the protagonist did that just did not seem to fit her character.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Midnight at Marble Arch by Anne Perry




So I picked this up expecting a standard fluffy mystery riding the Downton Abbey coattails.  Instead, the book was full of compelling ruminations on the psychology of reactions (and not just the late 19th century ones) to rape.  But then the ending of the book was beyond byzantine.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Little Way of Ruthie Leming by Rod Dreher




I was completely bowled over by this book; I can't remember the last time I was quite so moved by something I read.  That said, the title is lame and misleading.  The book is much, much more complicated than that.  I recommend this one for book groups.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Friday, April 05, 2013

Thursday, April 04, 2013

Bristol House by Beverly Swerling




This book was sort of Dan Brownish:  modern academics, ancient relics, religious conspiracies, some lame writing (but not as bad as Dan Brown), and even ghosts.  So I'm sort of embarrassed to tell you that I really enjoyed it.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Tuesday, April 02, 2013

A Spoonful of Sugar by Brenda Ashford




Oh my gosh, I can't even tell you how much I adored this book.  It was the perfect blend of Downton Abbey and Mary Poppins with a bunch of fascinating data points on parenting norms, family structure, class, nutrition, homemaking, and British history.  And I haven't even gotten to the fabulous voice of the crotchety-but-somehow-loving British uber-nanny.  Seriously, you need to read this one.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher.

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