Synopsis:
Accused of murder, a troubled young woman tries to piece together the odd facets of her life, starting with her supposed immaculate conception.
Review:
The chapters in Madapple alternate between a teasingly opaque courtroom case, and defendant Aslaug’s reminiscences about life with her disturbed mother and eventual reunion with her long lost aunt and cousins. Nothing [...]
Popularity: 23% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
Synopsis:
A spirited young woman takes on the all-male secret society at her boarding school, and not just because her boyfriend’s one of the leaders.
Review:
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks reminded me a lot of Rushmore, and that’s a good thing. It’s quirky and offbeat, combining intelligence and heart within a clever, original plot. [...]
Popularity: 18% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
Synopsis:
An autobiography of a promiscuous life.
Review:
The most striking thing about Kerry Cohen’s Loose Girl is the inevitability of her misbehavior. Cohen’s parents divorced when she was a preteen, and neither one seems able to practice any kind of responsible or involved parenting. Her dad is the kind of guy who asks for a [...]
Popularity: 23% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
Synopsis:
A retelling of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast.
Review:
I suppose it’s because of all the babysitting I’ve done, but I just couldn’t shake the image of Belle in her big yellow dress as I read Robin McKinley’s Beauty. But setting that aside, I would have loved this when I [...]
Popularity: 50% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
April 10th, 2008 · 1 Comment
My dear friend Anna Broadway’s book Sexless in the City is coming out on Tuesday, April 15th.
I’m so thrilled for Anna, who met the editor who bought her book in my very living room! I’ve read some sections of it and it’s just great.
So how do you win a copy? Easy–just blog [...]
Popularity: 34% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
My friendly neighborhood humor writer Jen LiMarzi has published her first novel, Making Dead Ends Meet. I had a chance to read the manuscript & I’m really proud of her!
Popularity: 25% [?]
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Popularity: 25% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
Synopsis:
A young woman discovers her destiny among a cadre of psychic dragons, and hatches a radical plan to save her planet from a deadly threat using time travel.
Review:
I wish I had discovered Pern when I was in high school. Dragonflight, one of Anne McCaffrey’s books set in the dragon-strewn world, is perfect YA sci [...]
Popularity: 45% [?]
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Tags: On Reading
Synopsis:
Deanna’s lived under a dark cloud ever since her dad caught her having sex when she was just 13, and her dreams of getting out just might expire under the weight of his disapproval.
Review:
I’m a latecomer getting to Sara Zarr’s National Book Award Finalist novel Story of a Girl, though it’s been on my radar [...]
Popularity: 54% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
Synopsis:
The concluding adventures of Gemma Doyle, proper Victorian debutante and keeper of the magic of a mystical world called the realms, which is threatened by intruders from the ominous Winterlands.
Review:
The Sweet Far Thing ends the trilogy that began with A Great and Terrible Beauty, followed by Rebel Angels. Gemma Doyle and her friends are [...]
Popularity: 60% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
February 26th, 2008 · 4 Comments
Synopsis:
When introverted teen Natalie discovers that she has inherited her mother’s gift for invisibility, she’s caught between her desire to use her powers for good and her fears that her mother will find out.
Review:
Visibility was written when Sarah Neufeld was only 19, and it’s an impressive debut. She’s crafted a fresh take on the [...]
Popularity: 56% [?]
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Tags: American Literature