http://www.barnesandnoble.com
Okay. This is NOT the Barbra Streisand movie. It has nothing to do with the musical or stage show.
It's the story of a BBC sitcom star in the sixties, sort of a British Lucille Ball.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Funny Girl
Fiction by Nick Hornby.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
Okay. This is NOT the Barbra Streisand movie. It has nothing to do with the musical or stage show.
It's the story of a BBC sitcom star in the sixties, sort of a British Lucille Ball.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
Okay. This is NOT the Barbra Streisand movie. It has nothing to do with the musical or stage show.
It's the story of a BBC sitcom star in the sixties, sort of a British Lucille Ball.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Thursday, April 23, 2015
One Plus One
Fiction by JoJo Moyes.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
JoJo Moyes can really write characters you care about. I have loved every book of hers I've read. (see Me Before You, The Girl You Left Behind)
This one is about a software billionaire and a house cleaner/pub waitress, both of whom make possibly criminal mistakes. They are completely different mistakes, however, and with vastly disparate consequences.
Such a good book. Really.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
JoJo Moyes can really write characters you care about. I have loved every book of hers I've read. (see Me Before You, The Girl You Left Behind)
This one is about a software billionaire and a house cleaner/pub waitress, both of whom make possibly criminal mistakes. They are completely different mistakes, however, and with vastly disparate consequences.
Such a good book. Really.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Elsewhere
Nonfiction by Richard Russo.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
This is a memoir, a story about the author's mother. I've mentioned before that I think the memoir is the hardest type of book to write, and that most of them kind of stink.
Now this book did not stink. The author was able to be truly honest about himself and his mother, and that's what makes a memoir feel genuine. Still, he seemed to go on a bit too long at the end for me to give two thumbs up here. So this was a good book, but not great. It's definitely worth the read, however.
For a truly great story about the author's mother, check out The Color of Water by James McBride.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
This is a memoir, a story about the author's mother. I've mentioned before that I think the memoir is the hardest type of book to write, and that most of them kind of stink.
Now this book did not stink. The author was able to be truly honest about himself and his mother, and that's what makes a memoir feel genuine. Still, he seemed to go on a bit too long at the end for me to give two thumbs up here. So this was a good book, but not great. It's definitely worth the read, however.
For a truly great story about the author's mother, check out The Color of Water by James McBride.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Etta and Otto and Russell and James
Fiction by Emma Hooper.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
The eponymous Etta is an 83-year-old woman who takes it into her head to walk across Canada, despite the fact that she's having a bit of trouble remembering who she is at times. (If you're interested in the rest of the title, Otto is her husband, Russell is her neighbor, and James is a coyote.)
This was an odd little book, but it held my attention. The ending was a little too ambiguous.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
The eponymous Etta is an 83-year-old woman who takes it into her head to walk across Canada, despite the fact that she's having a bit of trouble remembering who she is at times. (If you're interested in the rest of the title, Otto is her husband, Russell is her neighbor, and James is a coyote.)
This was an odd little book, but it held my attention. The ending was a little too ambiguous.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
A Private Hotel for Gentle Ladies
Fiction by Ellen Cooney.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
Charlotte Heath, a young woman in the year 1900, rises from an illness her family thought might kill her to find her husband kissing another woman, and she does some unexpected things.
I'm really unsure how to rate this story. Parts of it were good and parts of it I really hated. Some of it was interesting and some not. I thought the ending was pretty good, but it left a lot unanswered.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
Charlotte Heath, a young woman in the year 1900, rises from an illness her family thought might kill her to find her husband kissing another woman, and she does some unexpected things.
I'm really unsure how to rate this story. Parts of it were good and parts of it I really hated. Some of it was interesting and some not. I thought the ending was pretty good, but it left a lot unanswered.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Saving Grace
Fiction by Jane Green.
(image from goodreads.com)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
This was a good book, but I suffered from Oh-No-I-Can't-Look Syndrome through the middle of the story.
That's when you know a main character is making a major error in judgement that's going to have huge and terrible consequences.
In this case, she allows a person into her life that you just KNOW is going to wreck it. (I don't consider that information a spoiler when the front cover of the book says "Sometimes the perfect marriage can also be the perfect target.") Still, it comes out all right in the end. Mostly.
(image from goodreads.com)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
This was a good book, but I suffered from Oh-No-I-Can't-Look Syndrome through the middle of the story.
That's when you know a main character is making a major error in judgement that's going to have huge and terrible consequences.
In this case, she allows a person into her life that you just KNOW is going to wreck it. (I don't consider that information a spoiler when the front cover of the book says "Sometimes the perfect marriage can also be the perfect target.") Still, it comes out all right in the end. Mostly.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Monday, April 6, 2015
Friday, April 3, 2015
Flight Behavior
Fiction by Barbara Kingsolver.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
This is a story of a young wife and mother stuck in a nothing town in the middle of nowhere, and an extraordinary thing that happens. It's a really good book, with believable characters I cared about. I would give this one two thumbs up, except...
There was one problem, though: I absolutely hated the ending. It was just the last few pages, but they ruined the experience of the novel. I'm pretending they didn't happen, even now. So you should skip that part.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
This is a story of a young wife and mother stuck in a nothing town in the middle of nowhere, and an extraordinary thing that happens. It's a really good book, with believable characters I cared about. I would give this one two thumbs up, except...
There was one problem, though: I absolutely hated the ending. It was just the last few pages, but they ruined the experience of the novel. I'm pretending they didn't happen, even now. So you should skip that part.