Category Archives: American Literature

Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card

American Literature

Synopsis: The seventh son of a seventh son, Alvin Miller is destined for greatness if he can only survive the plots of the Unmaker who stalks him. Review: I loved the alternate America created by Orson Scott Card in Seventh Son, where folk magic abounds and George Washington had himself executed as a traitor after liberating the colonies. The American Indian tribes are the seventh state in the compact creating America, and the French are nowhere to be found. It’s lovely to read a work…

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Just An Ordinary Day by Shirley Jackson

American Literature

Synopsis: A collection of unpublished and previously uncollected short stories by the reigning queen of gothic Americana. Review: Short stories are not usually my cup of tea, because they’re over far too quickly. But I’ll read anything that Shirley Jackson writes, and I really enjoyed the stories found in Just An Ordinary Day, which I’ve been reading in fits and starts for several months. Oddly enough, my favorites were among the unpublished pieces. In particular, I greatly enjoyed “My Recollections of S.B. Fairchild,” about a…

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Lisey’s Story by Stephen King

American Literature

Synopsis: Two years after the death of her famous writer husband, Lisey Landon must return to the other world where he both drew his inspiration and unearthed his demons in order to defeat a madman and put her husband’s legacy to rest for good. Review: I listened to the audiobook of Lisey’s Story, narrated by the incomparable Mare Winningham, and this was actually my second encounter with the book, which I have read once before. It’s one of King’s most ambitiously intimate stories, delving deep…

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Just Grace and the Snack Attack by Charise Mericle Harper

American Literature 2 Comments

Synopsis: An energetic, intelligent, and thoughtful third-grader embarks on a class project to learn all about the potato chip, and along the way learns how to make a zine and deals with some conflict with her best friend. Review: I definitely fell in love with the titular protagonist of Just Grace and the Snack Attack. She’s just a great kid–and author Charise Mericle Harper brings her to life by filling the book with Grace’s lists, drawings, musings, and adorable humor. I loved the way it…

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Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

American Literature 3 Comments

Synopsis: The true story of a young man who gave up everything to live off the land in Alaska, only to die a painful death by starvation. Review: Into the Wild was a quick, fast-paced read that left me both satisfied and wanting to know more. Christopher McCandless’s decision to go his own iconoclastic way towards a wanton death seems crazy to most of us, yet author Jon Krakauer paints such a full picture of his personality that there doesn’t seem to be anything more…

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The Surrogate by Kathryn Mackel

American Literature 2 Comments

Synopsis: A childless couple contracts with a lonely drifter to carry their sole remaining embryo, but little do they know that the baggage she brings includes criminal connections and demonic possession. Review: The Surrogate was simply terrible. Cardboard characters, overstuffed plotting, and an implausible storyline just really got on my nerves.

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College Girl by Patricia Weitz

American Literature 3 Comments

Synopsis: UConn transfer student Natalie finds that her lack of worldly experience can’t stand up to the pressures of a hot frat brother. Review: College Girl is really just a poor woman’s I Am Charlotte Simmons. I didn’t get sucked into Natalie’s story the way I had hoped to, because I usually love these kinds of tales, and I found myself frustrated with her relentless passivity (which she shares with Charlotte, but Wolfe made this almost an heroic quality in his heroine). Believe it or…

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Just After Sunset by Stephen King

American Literature 2 Comments

Synopsis: A collection of short stories. Review: Just After Sunset offers a lackluster selection of short stories, hardly any of which really grabbed me by the collar. Many of them had a fancy twist ending that could be spotted a mile away (“The Mute”), while others were just deadly dull (“The Things They Left Behind”). I did enjoy “N,” which evoked the same creepy unease that I so loved in Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves. However, once it reached the final section it had…

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Going Under by Kathe Koja

American Literature

Synopsis: A psychologically entwined brother and sister are manipulated by a therapist claiming to want to help them. Review: At least, I think that’s what Going Under is about. It’s a slim little volume with very short chapters, more of a poetic novella than anything else, and I was completely unsatisfied by the read. I wanted so much more of these intriguing characters than just a taste.

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The Gospel-Driven Life by Michael Horton

American Literature

Synopsis: An in-depth explanation of the Christian gospel, intended to teach believers what they believe and why the believe it. Review: The Gospel-Driven Life is a companion piece to Michael Horton’s paradigm-shifting Christless Christianity. Where the latter offers a critique of the sorry state of nominally Christian churches, The Gospel-Driven Life gives believers the meat and potatoes of real, saving faith in Christ. I deeply heart Michael Horton. I am an obsessive listener of his podcast, The White Horse Inn, and just subscribed to his…

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