Tag Archives: Family Dynamics

Accelerated by Bronwen Hruska

American Literature

Synopsis: The father of a third grader in a prestigious NYC private school finds himself pressured to do whatever it takes to keep his son from falling behind–but at what cost? Review: When I picked up Accelerated I thought it was going to be a horror novel and I was really, really disappointed to find it was a straight-up story about the dangers of medicating children for ADHD. I found it really preachy and not that exciting, plot-wise. It just felt very dated. I did…

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The Serpent’s Bite by Warren Adler

American Literature

Synopsis: When troubled siblings head into the wilderness with their aging father, their hopes to secure their inheritance lead them to make unfathomable choices, even as their guide succumbs to alcoholism. Review: I really try to avoid posting negative reviews–when I don’t like a book, I just won’t finish reading it. But for some reason I kept reading The Serpent’s Bite even though I wasn’t really enjoying it, and since author Warren Adler has written a ton of books I think he can probably weather…

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Ten Girls to Watch by Charity Shumway

American Literature

Synopsis: Struggling writer Dawn West is barely eking out a life in Manhattan, but when a chance encounter at a party leads to a job collecting data on Charm Magazine’s 50 year anniversary of their 10 Girls to Watch Feature, Dawn finds out that getting her foot in the door is only the first step to success. Review: I absolutely fell for Ten Girls to Watch–this is chick lit at its finest. Not only was it well-written, with humor and emotional precision, but it also…

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Broken Harbor by Tana French

Irish Literature

Synopsis: Detective Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy has a spotless record of solves, but when he’s partnered with a street smart rookie on the murder of a family in a boom economy development turned recession slum outside of Dublin, the ghosts from his past threaten his ability to play by the straight and narrow. Review: I am a huge fan of Tana French and Broken Harbor definitely lived up to my expectations. First of all, her sense of mood and place is just brilliant. She sets the…

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Ninepins by Rosy Thornton

British Literature 2 Comments

Synopsis: A single mother of a troubled pre-teen takes in a 17-year-old girl with a history of arson, and finds her image of herself as a mother challenged and strengthened. Review: I loved Rosy Thornton’s Tapesty of Love so I leapt at the chance to review Ninepins. Thornton is a gorgeous writer and in Ninepins she offers a compelling situation that reads like a thriller. Laura is an academic living in the fens outside of Cambridge. Her asthmatic daughter Beth is 12 and just starting…

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Eerie by Jordan Crouch and Blake Crouch

American Literature

Synopsis: A cop and his prostitute sister find themselves trapped a a malevolent force that won’t let them leave her brownstone. Review: Eerie scared the absolute crap out of me! At one point I was too scared to even get out of bed to use the bathroom. The claustrophobic atmosphere was a big part of the power of this story–I really felt trapped in that house right along with Paige and Grant. I can’t say I was fully satisfied by the outcome of the story,…

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Grace by T. Greenwood

American Literature

Synopsis: A father takes his son out to the woods–and takes aim, calling him a monster, and only the events of the previous year can explain how things went this far. Review: In Grace, T. Greenwood returns to Two Rivers for this intimate, gut-wrenching tale of a family gone so wrong that their troubles spiral out and affect everyone around them. Elsbeth is unhappy, her only pleasure in life her six-year-old daughter Gracy. Her husband Kurt is breaking his back in fear of a looming…

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Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

American Literature 2 Comments

Synopsis: Chloe’s always admired her older sister, but when Ruby shows up with a girl who was dead the last time Chloe saw her, Chloe starts to fear that her sister can do anything–absolutely anything–she wants, no matter what Chloe or anybody else thinks about it. Review: Both Ruby and Chloe are compelling characters, for completely different reasons, and that’s what makes Imaginary Girls so successful. Ruby is obsessed with Olive, a town buried under a reservoir thanks to some eminent domain shenanigans in the…

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Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan

American Literature

Synopsis: Emma has everything going for her–success in the classroom and on the soccer field–but her home life is a nightmare of epic proportions, and she’s just trying to get by until she meets Evan and decides she deserves more out of life. Review: The love story in Reason to Breathe just blew me away. I really felt like I was falling in love myself–and I never get that feeling when I’m reading books. Romance just doesn’t do it for me in general–I’m not inclined…

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Another Kind of Paradise by Trevor Carolan, Ed.

Chinese Literature, Japanese Literature, Southeast Asian literature

Synopsis: Short Stories from the New Asia-Pacific. Review: Another Kind of Paradise is a collection of stories from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia, and more. My favorite was “Their Son” by Hong Ying from China, which takes expectations about parents and children and totally upends them. It was sad, sweet, funny, and provocative. “Third Meeting” by Mi-na Choi from Korea had a narrator that really grabbed me, even though the story was heartbreaking beyond words.

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