Monthly Archives: December 2013

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

American Literature

Synopsis: Subtitled “Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.” Review: In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell reframes many underdog stories, some famous, some obscure, to reveal that there’s more to coming from behind than just luck and good fortune. The underdogs in his stories, including Huguenots hiding Jews in Vichy France, black children facing police dogs in Birmingham, Alabama, a scrappy basketball team comprised of short girls from nerdy families, Br’er Rabbit, and of course, David, the shepherd boy who became a king, won…

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The Circle by Dave Eggers

American Literature

Synopsis: When Mae gets a job at The Circle, the greatest tech company in the history of the world, she tries to reserve a little bit of privacy for herself, but The Circle is an all-consuming fire of connectivity and transparency. Review: I’ll blog about The Circle, but please do not like, share, or tweet this post. I certainly do not want you taking a selfie with this blog post, applying a sepia filter, and posting it to your stream. Please just read this book…

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The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan

Scottish Literature

Synopsis: Anais has never known a family, having spent her entire life in the foster system, and now it seems she’ll be trading the small bit of freedom she still has for a jail sentence. Review: The Panopticon‘s marketing copy would have you believe that it’s another dystopian YA story. If you write it off because you’re weary of the genre, then you’ll be missing out. Anais is one of the most alive characters I’ve ever experienced in a book. For all her vulgarity and…

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The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

British Literature

Synopsis: When a childhood friend asks PI Cormoran Strike to investigate the suspicious-looking suicide of his supermodel sister, Strike battles personal demons in order to revive his career and prevent the killer from striking again. Review: I am really, really picky when it comes to crime novels. I don’t love the genre in its own right, and I’m not generally a fan of recurring detectives. However, I’m desperately hoping that JK Rowling is planning to write more murder mysteries featuring Cormoran Strike because I just…

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Buying In by Laura Hemphill

American Literature

Synopsis: When Sophie Landgraf takes a job as an analyst at an investment bank, she has no way of anticipating how the financial changes of 2007-2008 are going to change her life. Review: I am perpetually frustrated by storylines where someone is working very hard to succeed at their job, and nobody in their life seems to be supportive of them. I really hate watching fictional characters whine about how the main character is spending too much time at work and not enough time socializing.…

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Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson

British Literature

Synopsis: Subtitled: A History of How We Cook and Eat. Review: Consider the Fork combines two of my loves: history and cooking. I picked it up after hearing author Bee Wilson interviewed on America’s Test Kitchen and I was not disappointed by the breadth and depth she brought to her explanations of how cooking has developed over the eons. I particularly loved the discussion on the art of spit roasting, and the interlude on the quirky missteps in egg-beater developments was fun to read. This…

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