Five Great Books I Meant To Review
A farewell to my readers, with five must-read books of 2014.
Dec 30th, 2014
An Incredible Debut Novel
Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist, is a terrific mystery ala Jane Eyre set in 17th century Amsterdam.
Dec 16th, 2014
The Man With No Face
A National Book Award winner, Wolf in White Van is a frightening, achingly beautiful first novel.
Dec 5th, 2014
Give the Gift of Reading
Whether you’re buying for friends or family, young or old, there’s a great book to buy for them.
Nov 28th, 2014
The Enduring Artistry of Margaret Atwood
If you’ve never read her, Atwood’s wonderful new book of short stories is a great place to start.
Nov 21st, 2014
Back to the Future
Ben Lerner’s 10:04 is a poetic novel where change is constant and the future ever beckons.
Nov 13th, 2014
Jane Smiley’s New Epic Novel
Pulitzer Prize-winning author begins a new trilogy -- and beautifully -- in Some Luck.
Nov 7th, 2014
The Wisdom Of Solomon
In Ian McEwen’s powerful new novel, The Children Act, a compassionate judge faces tough social issues not easy to solve.
Oct 31st, 2014
Iowa Is/Isn’t For Lovers
Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist Marilynne Robinson returns to her fictional town of Gilead, Iowa, for an unusual romance story.
Oct 28th, 2014
The Enigma of Haruki Murakami
The world-famous Japanese novelist’s latest book offers another strange and mysterious tale.
Oct 17th, 2014
A Fabulous Journey Through the 1940s
Amy Bloom’s Lucky Us is a big, rambling old fashioned novel that’s a ton of fun.
Oct 10th, 2014
A Dentist’s Descent Into Darkness
In an acclaimed novel by Joshua Ferris, a rabid atheist confronts a cosmic case of identity theft.
Oct 4th, 2014
“It’s the End of the World as We Know It”
In the post-apocalyptic novel, civilization has collapsed, but culture and beauty survive.
Sep 23rd, 2014
“The Magic Will Not End”
The final part of Lev Grossman’s epic trilogy is worth your attention, even if you missed the first two.
Sep 11th, 2014
In Old San Francisco
Frog Music offers a murder mystery -- and a gritty historical narrative -- set in Frisco in 1876.
Sep 4th, 2014
Midnight on the Continent of Good and (Super) Evil
A new Spanish Civil War-era spy novel from Alan Furst transports readers to a simpler time…when no one can be trusted.
Aug 15th, 2014
Lives of the Immigrants
Cristina Henriquez’s new novel offers poignant stories of newcomers and those who resent them.
Aug 7th, 2014
The Iraqi War Blues
Redeployment offers an ex-Marine’s powerful short stories about life in a war zone.
Jul 31st, 2014
J.K. Rowling Meets Philip Marlowe
Harry Potter creator publishes second book in her adult mystery series. Raymond Chandler might approve.
Jul 24th, 2014
The Greatest Cartoon Editor Living Today
Two great books from New Yorker cartoonists Bob Mankoff and Roz Chast offer life lessons with the laughs.
Jul 18th, 2014
Stories of the Old West
Larry McMurtry’s The Last Kind Words Saloon offers a wonderful summation of his writings on frontier life.
Jun 26th, 2014
The Mystery of Our Parents’ Divorce
In Mona Simpson’s novel, Casebook, teen boys do a Hardy Boys style investigation of parental problems.
Jun 20th, 2014
Brooklyn, Brooklyn Take Me In
Michael Cunningam’s The Snow Queen is a magical story about the search for meaning by three city people.
Jun 5th, 2014
Paris When It Sizzled
Francise Prose’s new novel captures the romance and decadence of the City of Light in 1930s.
May 30th, 2014
Playing Poker Poorly
Novelist Colson Whitehead tries to become a professional gambler in this funny true-life tale.
May 22nd, 2014
The Life of a Book Seller
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is a funny sad novel about books, a book shop owner, and the baby he raises.
May 15th, 2014
Love Songs of Wisconsin
A debut novel by Wisconsin writer Nicholas Butler is already optioned as a movie.
May 8th, 2014
Black and White and Beautiful
A young British writer transforms the Snow White fable into a beautiful novel about race relations.
May 5th, 2014
Masters of Poetry
Six new books of poetry include one by a local writer and one by a Hollywood star.
Apr 24th, 2014
A World Full of Spies
The Cairo Affair is a masterfully plotted espionage novel.
Apr 17th, 2014
Chronicles of a Chinese-Canadian Family
Kim Fu’s much acclaimed debut novel is filled with great characters.
Apr 10th, 2014
How Monsters Eat the Town of Ealing, Iowa
Grasshopper Jungle is a teen fiction book with sex, drugs, rock’n’roll-- and giant praying mantises.
Apr 4th, 2014
The Ultimate Prison Novel
The Enchanted is a first novel that magically captures the horror and humanity of prisons.
Mar 27th, 2014
Science With a Side of Humor
Michio Kaku’s The Future of the Mind deftly explores the brain, adding speculation and witty asides.
Mar 20th, 2014
Let’s Go Watch the Rapture
The Last Days of California is a road trip novel featuring a Fundamentalist Christian family.
Mar 14th, 2014
End of the Universe?
New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert makes the unthinkable entertaining in The Sixth Extinction.
Mar 6th, 2014
The Return of Armistead Maupin
Celebrated author of Tales of the City returns with new novel based on his West Coast characters.
Feb 28th, 2014
A First Novel Tries to Capture a Continent
Ishmael Beah’s Radiance of Tomorrow shines a light on the problems and potential of Africa.
Feb 21st, 2014
How the Brits Get Into Books
British culture really encourages reading. We could learn from it.
Feb 14th, 2014
Novelist Sue Monk Kidd Comes to Town
Author of best-seller The Secret Life of Bees will give a reading at the downtown library.
Feb 6th, 2014
Malcolm Gladwell Comes to Town
The New Yorker writer’s style is delightful, but does he overplay his hand?
Jan 30th, 2014
Change How You Read in 2014
Some suggested resolutions for a year’s worth of interesting reading.
Jan 3rd, 2014
Favorites of 2013
I won’t claim they’re the best, but they’ll make for good reading.
Dec 20th, 2013
The 12 Books of Christmas
Give the gift of books: 12 selections for every kind of reader.
Dec 13th, 2013
New Column Explores Books, Author Readings & More
Our new column, Booked Up, explores a variety of books, author readings and more.
Dec 6th, 2013
