Category Archives: American Literature

My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

American Literature January 28, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Kaylee is a bean sidhe, a soul screamer who thinks she can save lives–until she discovers that some souls–like a talented pop star–are beyond saving because they’ve made a deal with the Netherworld. Review: My Soul To Save is a quirky read with an interesting concept, albeit one that never quite came together for me. I had difficulty grasping the worldview behind the notion of soul screamers and grim reapers (all attractive teens, of course), and so it was hard for me to connect…

Lost to the West by Lars Brownworth

American Literature January 26, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Subtitled: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire that Rescued Western Civilization. Review: I was first introduced to Lars Brownworth’s Lost to the West thanks to his outstanding podcast 12 Byzantine Rulers. He presented tangled, complicated history so compellingly that I just had to read the book. The book is a fantastic read. The history is clearly presented with an eye to both the big picture and the little details that bring it all to life. The way he tells it, Byzantine history casts new light on…

Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller

American Literature January 24, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Subtitled: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters. Review: Counterfeit Gods is a slim little volume that must have been taken from a sermon series by Timothy Keller, pastor of New York City’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church. I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Pastor Keller speak on a number of occasions, as the church I’ve gone to for the past 15 years is in the same family as Redeemer. While I didn’t feel like I learned anything astonishingly…

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

American Literature January 19, 2010 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: A psychiatrist takes on a recalcitrant painter who attempted to stab a painting in the National Gallery, and his fruitless attempt to get the man to talk lead the doctor to investigate the artist’s life and loves–and obsessions. Review: There’s a solidly compelling mystery at the heart of The Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova’s latest jaunt through history and memory. Nothing supernatural here, but it still has an otherworldy air about it that makes the experience of reading the book haunting and delicious. For the…

The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris

American Literature January 18, 2010 Superfast Reader 4 Comments

Synopsis: A successful lawyer is stricken by a mysterious illness that makes him walk, walk, walk, unable to slow down or stop until his body collapses from exhaustion miles from home. Review: The Unnamed is soaked in misery, both the mysterious and the more pedestrian. Tim’s walking fits threaten his job, his marriage, his security, and even his physical integrity, and he’s powerless to stop. Author Joshua Ferris wisely avoids using Tim’s condition as a literal metaphor, as easy as that might be. If anything,…

Finding Inner Peace During Troubled Times by William Moss

American Literature January 16, 2010 Superfast Reader 4 Comments

Synopsis: An essay about the practice of Christian meditation. Review: I really should stop saying yes when asked if I want to review books like Finding Inner Peace During Troubled Times, because I just keep finding theological bones to pick with foundation suppositions. But I really am interested in the topic of Christian meditation because I think we have a lot to learn about the discipline of focusing our minds on God. Sadly, this slim volume (really just an essay, and not even a very…

Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale and Nathan Hale

American Literature January 12, 2010 Superfast Reader 4 Comments

Synopsis: In a steampunk fairyland, a charming criminal mastermind dogged by bad luck ends up battling a beanstalk of epic proportions. Review: Calamity Jack is a graphic novel sure to delight brainy teens in search of a cool story with fun characters. The illustrations, by Nathan Hale, have whimsy and solidity in marrying pixies and steel beams, yielding an anachronistic delight. The story, by Shannon Hale and husband Dean, has all the wit, emotional depth, and creativity that you’d expect from her. I don’t really…

Roses by Leila Meacham

American Literature January 9, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: The rise and fall of a Texas cotton family cursed with success and tragedy in equal measures. Review: I was SO excited to dig into Roses. I love me a good epic melodrama, and I was hoping for something along the lines of Douglas Sirk’s Written on the Wind, a favorite movie of mine. Sadly, I was disappointed and gave up about 175 pages into it for lack of interest. There wasn’t enough drama or sweep or passion or grandeur. I wanted more society…

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

American Literature January 7, 2010 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: After getting her heart broken by her childhood love, Penny Lane takes inspiration from her parents’ favorite band and forms a “Lonely Hearts Club” that takes her high school by storm. Review: The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg is peppy, feisty, altogether modern, and a really fun teen read. The concept isn’t the freshest I’ve encountered, but Eulberg’s fine execution more than makes up for it. Though the book wouldn’t be considered edgy by most definitions, I felt like Penny and her friends…

Don’t Sleep There Are Snakes by Daniel L. Everett

American Literature January 5, 2010 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Synopsis: The account of a missionary and linguist who has devoted his life to studying the language and culture of the Piraha in the Amazon, a people who have no numbers, colors, origin story, or perception of anything outside the immediate. Review: Don’t Sleep There Are Snakes is a fascinating first person account that looks at a culture that is so utterly alien to our own that it’s hard to believe we could ever have anything in common with them. The Piraha people live in…

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