Category Archives: American Literature

James Beard’s American Cookery by James Beard

American Literature October 25, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Oh, yum. Review: James Beard’s American Cookery is my favorite kind of cookbook. Light on pictures, and heavy on techniques like “cut off a piece of the fat, melt it down, and combine it with butter.” I love to cook, and traditional American home cooking is probably my favorite mode. I am so excited to add this book to my collection, so that I can have Bittman vs. Beard face-offs on a near-nightly basis. For example, I looked up “beets.” Both had me cook…

The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold

American Literature October 24, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: After flunking the physical portion of his battle school exams, Miles Vorkosigan heads off looking for glory and winds up the admiral of a fleet of mercenaries, making it look like he’s about to declare war on the emperor. Review: I am a huge fan of Lois McMaster Bujold’s fantasy, and many people have recommended the Vorkosigan saga to me. I figured I’d start with The Warrior’s Apprentice, since it’s the one that started it all, if not first chronologically. Space opera is pretty…

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

American Literature October 20, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: An anorexic girl gets recruited by Death to be one of his horsemen. Review: Hunger had a fabulous concept marred by some uneven execution. I was really invested in Lisabeth’s emotional journey, but felt like the story took a weird turn and moved away from that story into something more epic, and it didn’t work for me. It wasn’t that I minded the fantasy elements, more that I didn’t think that story worked as well on an emotional level. That said, I admired the…

Love in the Time of Dragons by Katie MacAlister

American Literature October 17, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A mom studying to be a mage wakes up and finds herself imprisoned by people who insist that they are dragons–and that she is one, too. Review: Love in the Time of Dragons is just what the title suggests–a romance novel with dragons. The dragons themselves are shapeshifters who often take human form. The dragons holding Tully tell her she’s an ancient dragon named Ysolde, and her dreams are beginning to reveal that they may be right. But her memories of her present life…

Purple Jesus by Ron Cooper

American Literature October 14, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A rollicking southern Gothic feast. Review: With inventive prose and eccentric characters, Purple Jesus has a lot going for it. For me, I never really connected with the characters, though I did admire what Ron Cooper has accomplished. I would like to see this book, published by a small, independent publisher, find an audience, so please check it out if you like Flannery O’Connor, Walker Percy, or John Kennedy Toole. You’ll find a lot to enjoy in this rich book.

The Painted Darkness by Brian James Freeman

American Literature October 6, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: There’s something in the basement… and Henry is home alone. Review: The Painted Darkness is a slim book with a big debt to Stephen King, plumbing the same sorts of externalized inner horror that he specializes in. That’s not to say that the book is derivative, merely that it wears its influences proudly. Henry is home alone in the middle of a snowstorm, and has to go check the boiler. While down there, he discovers that he is not exactly alone. He then remembers…

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

American Literature October 5, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: The anti-love story of an American marriage. Review: Freedom is a terribly generic name for a totally original novel. I’d prefer “Songs for Walter” or even “Mistakes Were Made.” I’m really not sure how that one slipped by. Anyway. Thoroughly engrossing read about people making each other miserable. It reminded me a lot of Revolutionary Road, a favorite of mine (despite the suckitatious movie). The psychological torture that the characters inflict on one another is exquisite and acute, but somehow hopelessly romantic, too. Franzen…

The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold

American Literature October 4, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Infected with the spirit of a wolf, an otherwise ordinary man finds himself at the center of a kingmaking conspiracy that requires him to become a shaman or lose his soul forever. Review: The Hallowed Hunt is Lois McMaster Bujold’s third novel set in a world ruled by five capricious and demanding gods. As in the other two books, Bujold melds epic fantasy with a forensic plot and more than a trace of magery for an utterly suspenseful and compelling read. This one also…

Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten

American Literature September 28, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When her autistic son is accused of murder, a lawyer takes the law into her own hands, convinced of his innocence despite the rampant evidence against him. Review: I really don’t think that many parents of autistic children are going to be pleased with Saving Max, which preys on the common fear that autistic children are unmanageable and unable to love. Combine that with parental anxiety over watching your vulnerable little boy grow into a strong man, and you have the roots of the…

Another Pan by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

American Literature September 23, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When Peter Pan and his Lost Boys descend on a chic Manhattan boarding school, a brother and sister become embroiled in his plan to reclaim 5 ancient mummies who hold the secret to eternal life. Review: In the interest of full disclosure, I sometimes work with Daniel Nayeri, and have even had him and his lovely wife over to my house for dinner. So please don’t expect anything resembling objectivity. I’m a big fan of Daniel and his sister Dina’s unique brand of classic…

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