Tag Archives: 21st Century

Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman

American Literature March 22, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Hired to teach at a secluded, artsy boarding school, a young widow discovers that mystery and murder roil below the bucolic surface. Review: I wanted to adore Arcadia Falls, but I only got about 80% there. I loved the atmosphere that Carol Goodman created for Arcadia, the creepy boarding school in the middle of the woods in upstate New York. The backstory was most excellent, starting with a 1920s artists’ colony founded by two lesbians, one deeply conflicted and not entirely committed to Team…

The Memory Thief by Rachel Keener

American Literature March 12, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: The lives of a runaway who burned down her trailer, and a “Holy Roller” with a shameful secret intersect with life-changing ramifications. Review: The Memory Thief started out strong, but didn’t sustain my interest throughout. Rachel Keener does a great job depicting a world very unfamiliar to my own, but at times her prose is just a bit too much, taking me out of the story. I felt like some of the plot elements were overly familiar, and the direction of the story somewhat…

Oath of Fealty by Elizabeth Moon

American Literature March 10, 2010 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: As former military hero Duke Kieri Phelan ascends the throne in half-elven Lyonya, the neighboring realm of Tsaia faces a threat from the long-forgotten blood magery of the Verrakai family. Review: Oath of Fealty follows directly after the events that concluded Elizabeth Moon‘s Deed of Paksennarion trilogy, and as such is a bit tricky to synopsize, particularly in only one sentence. And it’s clearly the first book of a series, so it’s mostly set up. That’s not to say that the book lacks action–hardly!…

Next by James Hynes

American Literature March 9, 2010 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: In Austin for the day for a job interview, a middle-aged man finds himself reflecting on loves present and past as the spectre of terrorism stalks his every turn. Review: I got kind of addicted to the prose stylings of Next, with author James Hynes weaving past and present and possible future effortlessly together to create a tapestry of need, hurt, longing, and passion. The “day in the life” gimmick really worked here–at least until the “where did that come from?” ending–because Kevin’s angsty…

Improper Relations by Janet Mullany

American Literature March 1, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Forced to marry after an indiscretion at a ball, Charlotte and Shad resign themselves to a marriage of convenience that may not be as unlively as they had assumed. Review: Improper Relations has a cute premise, and I enjoyed the little hints of decadence that author Janet Mullany threw into her Regency setting. She does a good job creating the tension between Charlotte and Shad, and throws in just enough originality in her plotting to mask the requisite predictable complications arising from assumptions and…

Mia the Magnificent by Eileen Boggess

American Literature March 1, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Having recently come out of her shell, Mia now enters her sophomore year with two goals: getting her driver’s license and getting over her cheating ex-boyfriend Tim. Review: While there were some things I admired about Mia the Magnificent, I was disappointed by other aspects of the third book in the Mia Fullerton series by Eileen Boggess. I really liked the characters, especially Mia. The girls were all bright and outspoken without being overly sassy, and the boys were a nice mix of doltish,…

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

American Literature February 16, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: In the near future, a high-functioning autistic man is presented with the opportunity to be “fixed,” causing him to wonder if he was ever really broken. Review: I first read Speed of Dark a few years ago, on the recommendation of a friend. I really enjoyed revisiting it, especially now that I’m a mom and have friends who have kids on the autism spectrum. I really loved how Elizabeth Moon made Leo a real, relatable character, to the point where I really wanted him…

The Long Way Home by Andrew Klavan

On Reading February 8, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: An amnesiac high school boy is on the run from both the US government and fundamentalist Islamic extremists. Review: I couldn’t get into The Long Way Home, despite Andrew Klavan’s stellar reputation. It had a lot of action but the plot and characters seemed too simply drawn. Many thanks to Thomas Nelson for the review copy.

School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari

American Literature February 7, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Four kids with immobilizing phobias are sent to a very special boarding school to cure them of their fears–if it doesn’t kill them first. Review: I really enjoyed Gitty Daneshvari’s wit in School of Fear. She has a dry sense of humor that really animates all the characters and elevates the book beyond what could have been just a by-the-numbers genre read. You can tell that she really cares about language and wants to put something original into the world, which is not something…

The Great Bazaar and Other Stories by Peter V. Brett

American Literature February 7, 2010 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Synopsis: A selection of deleted scenes from Peter V. Brett’s debut fantasy novel The Warded Man. Review: The Great Bazaar and Other Stories is a fun little read for fans of the world and characters created by Peter V. Brett in The Warded Man and its upcoming sequel The Desert Spear (which is so so so so so good, by the way–watch for my review and an interview with Peter in April!) I enjoyed reading a few more stories about characters I have come to…

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