Synopsis: When a dead baby is discovered in an Amish barn, a Plain girl finds herself on trial for murder. She says she can’t remember… then all she wants to do is confess. But is she actually guilty–and of what? Review: This is the book I was referring to yesterday when I said I was reading a salty book with no umami. The main reason I don’t like courtroom books is that they’re so formulaic. No matter how intriguing the setup or tantalizing the scenario,…
Read a book tonight for work, actually a novella, and for discretion’s sake I won’t blog about it. Instead you get some thoughts on reading, and the next on my bookshelf. Click the “On Reading” tag in the sidebar if you want to see what else is on my shelf. I like old books. I’m not talking about the publication date, but about when the copy in my hands was printed, and how many hands have held it before mine. I like the idea that…
Synopsis: A Christian how-to book focused on understanding God’s grace & freeing yourself from the tyranny of legalism.
Synopsis: A woman flees from her abusive husband, building a new life while constantly looking over her shoulder. Gee, I wonder what’s going to happen? Review: This book was an Oprah book AND the movie (with Mary Stuart Masterson) was just on Lifetime the other night. I read this while on jury duty this morning. It passed the time. Stephen King’s Rose Madder was better.
Synopsis: A con man, an obsessive-compulsive, and a closeted Member of Parliament become locked together by circumstance and lies.
Synopsis: Bored with her marriage to a dull country doctor, Emma Bovary spins fantasy into adultery and rampant overspending. Review: Ooh-la-la! What a great read! I must say I was surprised at how contemporary this novel felt. Written in 1857, Madame Bovary is a psychological tour-de-force. Emma’s story is about much more than adultery, and it’s far more than just a cautionary tale. When Flaubert said, “Who is Emma Bovary? I am Emma Bovary,” he was speaking for all of us. The book shows how…
Synopsis: First in a crime-solving series starring Harry Dresden, a wizard living in Chicago. He finds lost objects, investigates paranormal activities, and advises the police whenever a crime scene looks like magic was involved.
Synopsis: A memoir of a young schizophrenic woman, with a subsequent interpretation of her symptoms by her doctor, Marguerite Sechehaye.
Synopsis: In a world of Sameness, a young man who can see colors is chosen to be the Receiver and bear all emotion and memory for his community. As he trains, he begins to see the monstrousness of a world without feeling.
Synopsis: When a true-crime writer comes to Faith Severn asking for corroboration of the details he’s unearthed about her murderess aunt, Faith’s reminiscences build a very different portrait of the family that has been both dear and alien to her over the years, casting new light on very old secrets. Review: I have read several books by Barbara Vine and her alter ego Ruth Rendell, and this is by far my favorite. She excels at characterization; none of her creations can be neatly encapsulated by…