Writers borrow heavily from each other. There is nothing new under the sun, after all. There is a tipping point, though, where some language and ideas are overused. I notice this especially in the suspense category. So in the interest of keeping things sparkly, I have compiled a watch list of sorts. The ideas hereContinue reading “Ready to Retire”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
The Liane Canon
Of the many reasons to read, few pull to me quite as often as the desire to break up a monotonous afternoon. There is a whole genre of books published to entertain away a boring Saturday. Perhaps because I read them regularly, I am often struck by their lack of originality. In fact I haveContinue reading “The Liane Canon”
Learning to read
I only learned how to read a few years ago. Before that I was stuck in a contentious battle between my own particular preferences and a greater sense of obligation to read many books that I did not like, always assuming that the fault lay with me. I’m not entirely to blame for this. IContinue reading “Learning to read”
The Death of the Handsell
A group of strangers board a flight unaware that it is doomed to crash. Before it does we learn the backstories of ten of them. No, I am not talking about the hit show Lost. Instead it is the premise of Dear Edward, my first crack at a Read with Jenna selection (Jenna being JennaContinue reading “The Death of the Handsell”
Emily the Strange
I love to be transported by a novel, both to foreign places and unfamiliar psychological spaces. Alexis Schaitkin’s Saint X does both. An affluent couple take their two daughters for a New Year’s vacation to a tropical island. The older girl, a Princeton first year, attracts the attention of many men, both locals and visitorsContinue reading “Emily the Strange”
American Publishing
A few weeks ago, on the strength of a single glowing review and numerous high profile endorsements, I bought a copy of Jeanine Cummins’ American Dirt. After I had read the first ten percent, I got curious and Googled the author. If you have heard of the book, you know happened next. A few keywordsContinue reading “American Publishing”
Gold Dust Women
The collective publishing rejection heap must be piled high with fiction efforts that fail to execute what Taylor Jenkins Reid achieves in Daisy Jones and the Six. In an industry that strives for original voices, there is no story more predictable than that of a rock star. If you’ve ever seen Behind the Music, youContinue reading “Gold Dust Women”
Reese’s Pieces
I currently have at least four Reese Witherspoon book club picks on my Kindle. The only one I’ve finished is Ruth Ware’s The Lying Game. It was a logical first choice as I had read the author’s previous The Woman in Cabin 10, a derivative but enjoyable suspense story. What exactly compelled Reese Witherspoon toContinue reading “Reese’s Pieces”
Dear Diary
Have you ever read a novel written in diary form? By my estimate, there aren’t too many of them. It’s a peculiar choice for an author, an offshoot of the epistolary novel. Instead of writing to another, the protagonist is writing to himself. And how does it serve the story to frame the events thisContinue reading “Dear Diary”
Fly Girls
What is one job you are certain you would be bad at? For me, the answer is easy: flight attendant. I don’t like to fly, I would look terrible in a uniform, and I have no idea how they stay so fresh looking over long hauls. Somehow I still associate glamour with the job, aContinue reading “Fly Girls”
Books Smitten 