Category Archives: American Literature

All Her Father’s Guns by James Warner

American Literature December 24, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A right-wing gun lover falls for a Lacanian psychoanalyst/Romanian emigrÃ© while trying to bring down his pharmaceutical-abusing ex-wife’s run for office, even as their daughter makes a decision that could destroy all of them. Review: “He had five sons by about nine different women” was the phrase that made me fall in love with the satire and humor of All Her Father’s Guns. James Warner’s ability to spin a sentence in an unexpected direction would make this book a crazy wild ride even if…

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

American Literature December 17, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When a reluctant farmer’s wife moves to a tin-roof shack in postwar rural Mississippi, her passion for her husband’s war hero brother becomes part of a web of tension that engulfs the town in hatred and violence. Review: Mudbound took me by surprise. Told from multiple points of view, the story manages to be inevitable without being predictable, with characters who all have very distinct voices. The casual, every day racism of even the most sympathetic characters is shocking to this 21st century Yankee…

11/22/63 by Stephen King

American Literature December 12, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A schoolteacher travels through a wormhole to stop Lee Harvey Oswald from assassinating JFK. Review: 11/22/63 started out really strong. I loved the premise and knew that Stephen King would do a lot more than just tell the A-story of Jake Epping, time traveler and would-be history changer. The historical aspects were really well done, particularly through the life Jake builds in small town Jodie, Texas, and the love story is poignant. However, I felt like the ending was a foregone conclusion, and I…

Willow by Julia Hoban

American Literature December 3, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: After accidentally killing her parents, a teen turns to cutting and attracts the attention of a guy who desperately wants to save her. Review: Creepiest love story I’ve read in a long time. Ick.

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, Book 3)

American Literature November 19, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: With the power of Ruin unleashed and the power of Preservation nowhere in sight, fearless allomancer Vin and the remains of her thieving crew are the ones who must save the world. Review: While I have been continually disappointed by the cardboard characters and flat dialogue in the Mistborn trilogy, I was thoroughly satisfied by the mindblowing revelations in the final book, The Hero of Ages. The action is incredible, the world-building up to the highest standards, and there’s even some fascinating theological angles.…

Ascent by Amy Kinzer (The Party Series, Book 1)

American Literature November 6, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Three teens are recruited for an elite leadership training program that will allow them to go back in time and change the moments they regret the most. Review: Wow, Ascent is a fantastic deal–only 99 cents for Kindle! You’d think that such a low price would indicate low quality, but that’s hardly the case. Amy Kinzer‘s writing can certainly compete with traditionally published authors of YA dystopian fiction. I hope she’s working on the next book, because I am a big fan!

The Secret Lives of Hoarders: True Stories of Tackling Extreme Clutter by Matt Paxton and Phaedra Hise

American Literature November 1, 2011 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: A&E’s “Extreme Cleaning Expert” Matt Paxton shares all he’s learned in the years he’s been working with hoarders. Review: I puffy heart Matt Paxton. Not only does he tackle cleaning jobs nobody else can handle, he genuinely cares about the people he works with. I loved The Secret Lives of Hoarders and hope he writes another one! Oh, and check out his podcast, Five Decisions Away. It’s only just started but already I love it.

Girl Over the Edge by Amy Kinzer

American Literature November 1, 2011 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: When two best friends take topless pictures at themselves at a party, they become social pariahs at school, their friendship fractures, and both of them begin to self-destruct. Review: Girl Over the Edge is a great bargain at only 99 cents for the Kindle. The writing is accomplished, though a tad bit vague in a few places. I was sucked into Beckett and Chloe’s dilemma. I did wonder why it was easier for Beckett than for Chloe, and that was never fully explained to…

The Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler

American Literature October 27, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A beautifully written meditation on eating simply and well. Review: Oh, how I loved The Everlasting Meal! I will be referring to this book for countless years to come. Tamar Adler is a protege of Alice Waters an believes in eating locally and seasonally, a philosophy I very much agree with. She’s also a proponent of using everything, eating meat that has lived well, and that anything, no matter how humble, can make a delicious and nourishing meal. Her chapters touch on simple things…

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

American Literature October 24, 2011 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: A semiotics-enthralled English major falls for a manic depressive scientific researcher, while being loved unrequitedly by a religious studies major for whom Mother Teresa is his last hope in a fruitless quest to find faith. Review: The best thing about The Marriage Plot is that it’s a fantastic story with characters that I connected with on a very deep level. Jeffrey Eugenides’s other two novels were good but didn’t fire up my emotions the way that this one did. Now that I’ve gotten that…

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