Tag Archives: Oprah/Lifetime

The Midwife’s Confession by Diane Chamberlain

American Literature

Synopsis: After the suicide of their friend, an underground home birth midwife, best friends Tara and Emerson discover a mare’s nest of secrets that threaten the happiness they’ve worked so hard to create. Review: I found no surprises in The Midwife’s Confession, which is a decent but not great read. I found the whole thing a little frustrating, waiting for the characters to catch up with me. But it was nice to see home birth portrayed as a safe and reasonable option, rather than an…

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I Don’t Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson

British Literature 4 Comments

Synopsis: A working mother of two finds her life teetering out of balance as she struggles to succeed in finance without feeling guilty that the nanny is raising her kids. Review: I sometimes have anxiety dreams where I’m working. I’m either behind the counter at the video store I clerked at in grad school, or posting things in Moveable Type for my work blog, or reenacting a specific job (like an event I’ve planned) in what feels like real time. While the dream is going…

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Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

American Literature 2 Comments

Synopsis: When a dead baby is discovered in an Amish barn, a Plain girl finds herself on trial for murder. She says she can’t remember… then all she wants to do is confess. But is she actually guilty–and of what? Review: This is the book I was referring to yesterday when I said I was reading a salty book with no umami. The main reason I don’t like courtroom books is that they’re so formulaic. No matter how intriguing the setup or tantalizing the scenario,…

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Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen

American Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: A woman flees from her abusive husband, building a new life while constantly looking over her shoulder. Gee, I wonder what’s going to happen? Review: This book was an Oprah book AND the movie (with Mary Stuart Masterson) was just on Lifetime the other night. I read this while on jury duty this morning. It passed the time. Stephen King’s Rose Madder was better.

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Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

French Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: Bored with her marriage to a dull country doctor, Emma Bovary spins fantasy into adultery and rampant overspending. Review: Ooh-la-la! What a great read! I must say I was surprised at how contemporary this novel felt. Written in 1857, Madame Bovary is a psychological tour-de-force. Emma’s story is about much more than adultery, and it’s far more than just a cautionary tale. When Flaubert said, “Who is Emma Bovary? I am Emma Bovary,” he was speaking for all of us. The book shows how…

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Carsickness

On Reading

I finished a book on the subway this morning for my reading job. The only place in the world I can’t read is in the car. Train–fine. Subway–fine. Plane, bus, boat–no problem. But if I’m in the car and I spend more than 10 minutes looking at any kind of words, even on a map, I’m down for the count. When I was a kid, I figured out that I wouldn’t get sick as long as I couldn’t see out the window, so I would…

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How to Skim–and Why

On Reading 5 Comments

I have a fun little job where I get to read books before they are published. I won’t be blogging about them for various ethical reasons, but since I want to post every time I read a book, I think I’ll take the opportunity to write about reading. In these posts, I’ll also be listing the books on my bookshelf one at a time in the order they appear. I get asked a lot about my speed-reading. The most frequest question is, “Do you really…

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