Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey
Synopsis: Subtitled: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible’s View of Women. Review:
Tag Archives: 21st Century
Buying In by Laura Hemphill
Synopsis: When Sophie Landgraf takes a job as an analyst at an investment bank, she has no way of anticipating how the financial changes of 2007-2008 are going to change her life. Review: I am perpetually frustrated by storylines where someone is working very hard to succeed at their job, and nobody in their life seems to be supportive of them. I really hate watching fictional characters whine about how the main character is spending too much time at work and not enough time socializing.…
Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson
Synopsis: Subtitled: A History of How We Cook and Eat. Review: Consider the Fork combines two of my loves: history and cooking. I picked it up after hearing author Bee Wilson interviewed on America’s Test Kitchen and I was not disappointed by the breadth and depth she brought to her explanations of how cooking has developed over the eons. I particularly loved the discussion on the art of spit roasting, and the interlude on the quirky missteps in egg-beater developments was fun to read. This…
A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett
Synopsis: When she is kidnapped in Somalia by Muslim extremists, an aspiring photojournalist sends her mind to a peaceful “house in the sky” to keep her soul intact during the brutalities of her year-long captivity. Review: After reading A House in the Sky, when my older daughter said she wanted to go to “all the countries” and learn “all the languages,” I was like, “NOOOOOO!” Amanda Lindhout’s journey began with her insatiable wanderlust, as a backpacker for whom no country was too rough. She attempted…
Harrowgate by Kate Maruyama
Synopsis: When Michael comes home to meet his infant son for the first time, his wife Sarah doesn’t seem like herself, refusing to leave the apartment and spending all her time with an older postpartum doula known only as Greta. Review: So creepy! Harrowgate had a lot going for it–claustrophobic atmosphere, eerie premise, and menacing secondary characters. It’s no spoiler to tell you that Sarah isn’t all there, but this is a ghost story with an agenda beyond delivering scares. As spooky as it is,…
Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker
Synopsis: When an escort goes missing after a call with a john out on Long Island, the bodies of four other escorts are found on the beach, and the odd nature of the community seems to prevent a successful investigation. Review: Although Lost Girls doesn’t offer closure for the mystery at hand, the book is still a gripping, worthwhile read. Kolker delves into the personal history of the four confirmed victims, prostitutes whose bodies were found wrapped in burlap on a deserted stretch of beach…
The Dinner by Herman Koch
Synopsis: Two brothers and their wives get together over dinner at an upscale restaurant to discuss what to do about a shocking act committed by their sons. Review: The Dinner is a relentlessly twisty novel with a secretive narrative. What’s not to love? As the absurdly hoity-toity meal unfolds, the complex layers of the narrator’s life unfold in devastating ways. He is a calm man, not given to excess, who possesses a deep admiration for his wife. His brother is campaigning for prime minister in…
The Different Girl by Gordon Dahlquist
Synopsis: Veronika and the three other girls who live with her on an isolated island are mostly the same except for their hair color, but when plane crash victim May washes up on shore, Veronika begins to think in ways she’s never thought before, even as May pushes her to wake up to a truth she’s not equipped to face. Review: Gordon Dahlquist’s background as a playwright is evident throughout The Different Girl. He’s not afraid to come at things sideways, and trusts the reader…
Josie and Jack by Kelly Braffet
Synopsis: An isolated but brilliant girl grows up under the thrall of her charismatic older brother, and when he leaves home the choice to follow him may be her undoing. Review: The dark, psychological thriller may possibly be my very favorite genre to read, and Josie and Jack was a gem-perfect example. These days I just don’t have a lot of time to read, between homeschooling my two kids, seeing private practice clients as a lactation consultant, and devouring Breaking Bad. But this book made…
Dr. Sleep by Stephen King
Synopsis: Danny Torrance from The Shining is now a grown man, an alcoholic that the demons inside him are no match for the demons driving the highways of America, looking for psychic kids so that they can torture them and steal their essence, and a young girl with whom he has a mysterious connection is their next target. Review: Of course I always read a Stephen King novel the minute it comes out, but I harbored trepidation about Dr. Sleep. In the afterword, King astutely…