The Overstory A powerful novel of environmental concepts. During the decade before I retired, I often taught “Environmental Literature,” a capstone course for graduating seniors.
The Grande Dame and Hitler’s Twin A Comedy of Errors and more. Sally Patterson Tubach subtitled her novel “A Comedy of Errors.” In truth, The
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie One historical event, two points of view. Marie Benedict’s novel, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, demonstrates for the reader
The Peacock Emporium Jojo Moyes gives light bending depth to her characters. Sometimes, when reading a novel, I try to envision a single word that
Broken Verses, Pakistani thinkers and talkers. Kamila Shamsie’s enigmatic novel, Broken Verses, explores a number of thematic issues that are specific to Pakistan but equally
The Second Home, a Cape Cod cottage claimed by three. Some authors deploy setting almost as an additional character in their novels; Charles Dickens’s London,
Pelosi, a spectacularly successful politician. Molly Ball focuses her reporting on Nancy Pelosi, the politician, rather than Nancy Pelosi, the wife, mother, grandmother, and loyal
All the Light We Cannot See, the 2015 Pulitzer Prize Winner Four years ago I reviewed Anthony Doerr’s Four Seasons in Rome for “Bookin’ with
A Perfect Explanation for a most dytsfunctional family Talk about a dysfunctional family!!! Sybil, Joan and Enid and Douglas, Fagus and Finetta and Ian, stumbling
A Marriage Out West The Romance of Anthropology. Subtitled “Theresa and Frank Russell’s Explorations in Arizona, 1900-1903,” A Marriage Out West analyzes the Russell’s 1900
The Forgotten Room as remembered by three romance novelists. When three gifted romance writers decide to write a single novel, The Forgotten Room, together, the
DUTTON’S DIRTY DIGGERS, GIRL SCOUT ARCHEOLOGISTS ON THE MOVE. Anyone who fondly remembers Girl Scout camping days will relish the reminiscences to be found in
Missing American, African mystery untangled by Ghanian private detective Emma Djan If I were to summarize The Missing American in a single couplet, I would
Always – Love with a twist As one might surmise, Sarah Jio’s novel, Always, is a book about love. It’s love with a heart-wrenching twist,
Unsheltered, to see ourselves more clearly In the middle of Barbara Kingsolver’s novel, Unsheltered, two of her characters talk about the unusual word she uses
The Long Call, detective Venn in Ann Cleeves’ new Twin River mystery series. In the first chapter of Ann Cleeves’s North Devon murder mystery, The
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