Monthly Archives: February 2009

Sophomore Undercover by Ben Esch

American Literature 2 Comments

Synopsis: When wannabe journalist Dixie Nguyen stumbles into the story of a lifetime in the boys’ locker room, he risks everything, including his place on the football team, to bring down an albino drug lord–who happens to be another high school student. Review: Sophomore Undercover is written in a breezy, comic style that will definitely appeal to readers, especially boys. I wasn’t so into it myself, because I found the plot really frustrating from the get-go. Dixie makes some assumptions that send him down the…

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The Year the Swallows Came Early–Blog Tour Wrap Up

American Literature 5 Comments

It’s been so much fun being a part of the blog tour for Kathryn Fitzmaurice’s The Year the Swallows Came Early. All the other participants have written great stuff so I thought I’d highlight some of my favorites. Noel at Neverjamtoday names some books that reminded her of Swallows–great recommendations if you liked it as much as she did. Marie at Fireside Musings has an interview in a few parts with author Kathryn Fitzmaurice. I wish I’d had time to talk to her, because I…

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The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice

American Literature 9 Comments

Synopsis: When 13-year-old Capistrano native Groovy’s father gets arrested, she has to face the devastating truth about her family and look for the courage to forgive. Review: In The Year the Swallows Came Early, debut novelist Kathryn Fitzmaurice gives us a winning protagonist in Groovy (nee Eleanor), named by her ne’er-do-well father because as a toddler she loved to dance. Now Groovy’s beloved dad has been hauled off to prison, and her salon-owner mother won’t give her a straight answer as to why. What I…

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The Year the Swallows Came Early ~ Book Tour

American Literature 3 Comments

I am very excited to be part of the blog tour for The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice. This is Kathryn’s first YA book and she’s blogging all about it here. It’s so fun to see her enthusiasm for receiving her first copy of the real book–what a dream come true! Check back here tomorrow for my review, and in the meantime please visit the other bloggers on the tour: A Christian Worldview of Fiction All About Children’s Books Becky’s Book Reviews…

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Point of Hopes by Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett

American Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: A host of missing children prompts an investigation led by Adjunct Pointsman Rathe, in a world reminiscent of 17th Century Europe where astrology is the governing religion and worldview. Review: Point of Hopes was a refreshing change of pace from the fantasy I’ve been reading lately. Instead of an epic tale spanning the whole of the human experience in the midst of catastrophic upheaval, Point of Hopes is a simple police procedural set among the ordinary middle class. Within the genre, it’s a fairly…

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Everything You Know by Zoe Heller

British Literature

Synopsis: After the suicide of his troubled daughter, a British journalist heads out to recuperate in Mexico and flee the ghosts that still linger even after he was acquitted of the murder of his wife. Review: Everything You Know is a much better book than its title would indicate. Author Zoe Heller is well-known for Notes on a Scandal, which became a great movie with Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett. Everything You Know lacks that book’s tawdrily catchy premise, but goes much deeper into its…

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The Tree of Hands by Ruth Rendell

British Literature

Synopsis: A bereft woman’s mother’s desperate act triggers a violent spiral affecting a whole community. Review: The Tree of Hands was lesser Ruth Rendell. It dates back to 1986 and she’s really grown as a writer since then. It definitely has her trademark nuanced characterizations but the story wasn’t as gripping as later works like The Rottweiler have been.

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