Category Archives: American Literature

No Book but the World by Leah Hager Cohen

American Literature July 12, 2014 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When Ava discovers that her autistic brother has been arrested for an unspeakable crime, she delves into her memories of their unusual upbringing by their father, an educator dedicated to radical unschooling. Review: No Book but the World had me flipping pages like a madwoman, even as I couldn’t shake the sneaking feeling that something was really hinky. The book was so well-written that the lapses really stood out, and when they culminated in a twist ending I didn’t feel surprise or relief, just…

Pointe by Brandy Colbert

American Literature July 2, 2014 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Aspiring ballerina Theo’s best friend was kidnapped four years ago, and his miraculous return and the arrest of his abductor triggers Theo’s eating disorder because of a secret she’s keeping that may have been responsible for what happened. Review: Pointe is really, really powerful, not so much because of the issues it deals with (eating disorders, sex crimes against children), but because it has a plot independent of Theo’s inner journey. We’re not just watching Theo suffer, we’re caught up in the suspense over…

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

American Literature June 16, 2014 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A recently retired detective finds his suicidal urges lifting when he receives a taunting letter from someone claiming to be the man who drove a stolen Mercedes into a crowd of job seekers, killing many of them, including a baby. Review: I really don’t have much to say about Mr. Mercedes, except that I really wish Stephen King would stop writing black characters who like to talk like racist caricatures on purpose, only to have their white liberal friends laugh knowingly. I am really…

Shirley: A Novel by Susan Scarf Merrell

American Literature June 12, 2014 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A young couple spends a year at Bennington College living with gothic writer Shirley Jackson and her philandering husband. Review: George and Martha from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? have nothing on Shirley and Stanley, in real life (as chronicled in the wonderful biography Private Demons), and Shirley: A Novel delivers every ounce of juice you would hope for. Even better–the plot and characters are nothing short of excellent. Author Susan Scarf Merrell uses a thriller structure, and the plot is filled with allusions,…

Ann Rule Presents- Final Exams: True Crime Cases by Cyril Wecht and Dawna Kaufmann

American Literature May 30, 2014 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: An analysis of four notable cases by famed forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht. Review: While the cases in Final Exams aren’t as twisty and turny or psychologically intricate as the cases that Ann Rule chooses for her books, but that doesn’t mean they’re not interesting on their own terms. As a forensic pathologist, Cyril Wecht sees things in the human body that others don’t think to look for. In the first case in the book, he uses the particulars of some knife wounds to put…

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

American Literature May 23, 2014 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: An unhappy heiress spends summers on her unhappy family’s private island, but after an accident gives her amnesia, she can’t remember how everything finally fell apart and what she may have had to do with it. Review: I was a big fan of Lockhart’s The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and We Were Liars showed the same deft hand with characterization. However, the author let the melodrama get the better of her by trying a bit too hard to capture the excesses of teenage…

Authority by Jeff VanderMeer (The Southern Reach Trilogy)

American Literature May 21, 2014 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: An operative is assigned to investigate an anomaly in the latest investigation into dangerous, mysterious, paradoxical Area X, but the truth seems to lie on the other side of insanity. Review: Authority is the second in the trilogy that began with Annihilation, a story that promises the kind of enigmatic secrets that make your skin crawl. We’re talking Blair Witch stuff. House of Leaves. I’m such a sucker for this genre and when it’s as well written as these books are, I do a…

Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

American Literature May 13, 2014 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When her wealthy college roommate invites her for an idyllic summer at her family’s rustic compound, shy Mabel fears that the secret she’s hiding will destroy all her hopes for a lifetime of happiness and security. Review: Bittersweet was a thoroughly engrossing read and it just swept me away. The descriptive passages were so well done that I wanted to visit Winloch myself. I loved the depth and intricacy of the relationships between the characters, especially as communicated through Mabel’s limited point of view.…

Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb (Fitz and the Fool, Book 1)

American Literature May 3, 2014 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: After bringing dragons back to the world in the thrilling conclusion of the Tawny Man trilogy, past-haunted bastard Catalyst Fitz has now retired to a quiet life under an assumed name, but when his post-menopausal wife claims she is pregnant, and a pale messenger with an ominous message dies in his holdfast, Fitz wonders if the wheel of history is bringing his beloved Fool back into his life–for better or for worse. Review: Count me among those who had a major freakout upon realizing…

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

American Literature April 20, 2014 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: Bernadette doesn’t fit in with the other private school moms, but when her life falls apart while planning a family trip to Antarctica, her daughter learns that her mom is basically a mad genius, and hopefully it’s not too late to save her from herself. Review: Where’d You Go Bernadette is the next book you want to read, especially if you’re looking to get your book club out of a rut or if you’re tapping your fingernails on the table waiting for the Gone…

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