Synopsis: When the Archbishop of Canterbury sends a canon to uncover evidence of sexual misconduct in the home of one of his bishops, a mare’s nest of scandal erupts and the canon must face hard truths about the hypocrisies in his life.
Synopsis: A collection of essays by a frequent contributor to This American Life, Details, Esquire, and more.
Synopsis: Judith Wallerstein began a long-term study of the effects of divorce on children 25 years ago, and this book presents a portrait of the history and present of 5 children of divorce, and 5 who lived in families with similar dynamics where the parents did not divorce.
Synopsis: The trials and travails of an Upper East Side nanny as the family she cares for repeatedly violates her boundaries.
Since I’m already doing the classics challenge, I might as well do this one. I’ll be reading Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone. The Superfast Reader is not intimidated by long books, but she is intimidated by long books with dense prose in genres that are not her favorite.
Synopsis: Sorcha and her six brothers have always protected each other and their home in the heart of Ireland, but when the men come under a deadly enchantment, Sorcha must complete a grueling task and endure mute exile across the sea in Britain with the hated enemies of her kin. Review: Daughter of the Forest is a retelling of a fairy tale made famous by Hans Christian Anderson. Sorcha’s six brothers have been turned into swans, and Sorcha commanded by the Lady of the Forest…
Synopsis: An elderly woman’s recollections of a love that ended in tragedy shed new light on a married woman’s illicit affair. Review: Wordpress keeps eating this review, and I don’t have the energy to write it a third time. Suffice it to say that it’s very good, with great characters, wonderful postwar detail, and a riveting story. Meanwhile, check out Sheila for a nice post about Margaret Atwood.
Synopsis: A super-stressed high school senior bombs on the SAT, blowing her chances for Harvard–until she gets a text message from someone calling himself “The Taker” and promising to get her within 150 points of perfect. Review: High concept premise that fails in the execution for a lack of emotional honesty insight. Perhaps fans of the Gossip Girls series will find The Taker meaningful, but when compared to something like Laurie Halse Anderson’s Catalyst, also about a stressed senior, it’s only as deep as a…
Synopsis: A naive young woman loses her beloved father to scoundrels in a Parisian back alley, and decides to devote her life to seeking vengeance.
Synopsis: A collection of essays by a bemused New York woman whose life might not be “Sex and the City” glamorous–but whose observations are “Seinfeld” acute.