Monthly Archives: September 2013

Cornerstone by Peter Diamantopoulos (Touchstone Series)

American Literature

Synopsis: Tasked with protecting a vulnerable heiress pursing arcane knowledge, an elite soldier finds himself following her to an ancient city in pursuit of a madman and an object that grants ultimate power. Review: Cornerstone is a solid debut, offering a world with strong possibilities for a developed storyline. I think Peter Diamantopoulos was smart in the choices he made regarding point of view and structure, because he did keep me guessing throughout. I really hope that in the second book he develops his ideas…

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Early Decision: Based on a True Frenzy by Lucy Crawford

American Literature

Synopsis: A directionless young woman experiences a crisis of faith while tutoring wealthy high school students on their college application essays. Review: Sometimes when I’ve read books created around a specialized vocation, I get bored with the tedium of work. Too much minutia about the day to day operations gets me down. I felt that Early Decision was appropriately balanced, but still dragged a bit for me in the execution of the plot. I never really connected with Anne, the beleagured protagonist, mostly because I…

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Space Case by Dan Fiorella

American Literature

Synopsis: Another hardboiled story featuring PI Nick Flebber, whose caustic take on the world stands at odds with his romance with the daughter of Santa Claus. Review: Space Case is a light bite by comic wordsmith Dan Fiorella. He has a wonderful way of milking seemingly small moments for comic gold, and I found myself snickering frequently as I read the story. The plot and story are beside the point, but he does a great job connecting all the dots and making it look easy.…

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Bodies of Water by T. Greenwood

American Literature

Synopsis: When aging Billie receives a phone call from Johnny, once her next door neighbor’s little boy, now a grown man with problems of his own, she is forced to recall the love of her life and how it ended in tragedy. Review: Before I even discuss the actual story, I really really need you to know that Bodies of Water is so crazy good that three things happened to me: I had to stop and catch my breath three quarters of the way through…

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The Hive by Gill Hornby

British Literature

Synopsis: A new school year at St. Ambrose means fundraising for the moms, and all the concomitant social climbing, gossiping, and backstabbing. Review: The Hive was an immensely fun read, though I didn’t agree with the author’s choice to leave some key moments off the page. Structuring the story around a series of fundraising events was a great idea, because it gave the in-fighting and social machinations some shape. I felt that all the characters were well distinguished from each other, though I didn’t think…

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Night Film by Marisha Pessl

American Literature

Synopsis: When the daughter of a reclusive horror film director commits suicide, a disgraced investigative journalist sets out looking for the truth, only to find himself in a labyrinth straight out of one of the director’s “night films.” Review: The biggest hook in Night Film is Stanislas Cordova, a character who is a delectable melange of Stanley Kubrick, Roman Polanski, Michael Haneke, and Eli Roth. Descriptions of his oeuvre pepper the novel, with tantalizing plot details that made me ache to see the movies. I…

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All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

American Literature

Synopsis: Two teens travel back in time to stop their best friend from building a time machine, in the hopes that they can save the world before it is too late. Review: Breathless, I tell you, I was breathless as I sped through All Our Yesterdays. I loved it. What I most appreciated was that the love triangle wasn’t a matter of Team This vs. Team That. There was real depth to the romantic dilemma faced by Em, because the way that time travel is…

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