Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett – Book Review

the-uncommon-reader

The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett Publisher: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux Publication Date: September 30, 2008 Format: Hardcover, 128 pages “Previously she wouldn’t have cared what the maid thought or that she might have hurt her feelings, only now she did and coming back to the chair she wondered why. That this access of consideration [...]

Read more »

Perfect on Paper: The (mis)Adventures of Waverly Bryson, by Maria Murnane – Book Review

perfect-on-paper

Perfect on Paper: The (mis)Adventures of Waverly Bryson, by Maria Murnane Publisher: Winks Ink Publication Date: February 29, 2008 Format: Trade Paperback, 314 pages “Can’t face the dating scene after a bad break-up? Honey, hit the bar, and hit it hard.  Beer goggles are the lonely girl’s cupid.” Perfect on Paper by Maria Murnane is [...]

Read more »

The Reluctant Widow, Georgette Heyer – Book Review

the-reluctant-widow

The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer Publisher: Sourcebook Casablanca Publication Date: October 1, 2008 Original Publication Date: 1946 Format: Trade Paperback, 320 pages “Elinor sat up in bed, luxuriously sipping her chocolate, and wondering how many of the fantastic events of the precious day had had an existence only in her imagination. Her presence in [...]

Read more »

Silas Marner, by George Eliot – Book Review

silas-marner

Silas Marner, by George Eliot Publisher: Penguin Classics Publication Date: April 29, 2003 Original Publication Date: April 1861 Format: Trade Paperback, 272 Pages Ah! A golden oldy from the shelves.  I have had Silas Marner for so long that I don’t even remember how I first came to pick it up.  Was it for an [...]

Read more »

In The Woods, Tana French – Book Review

in-the-woods

In The Woods, by Tana French Publisher: Penguin Books Publication Date: May 27, 2008 Format: Trade Paperback, 429 pages Part mystery and part detailed character sketch and psychological portrait, In The Woods is a riveting and enjoyable read throughout. Three children disappear in the woods near their home in Dublin, Ireland in 1984, and later, [...]

Read more »

Jewel Trader of Pegu: A Novel, Jeffrey Hantover – Book Review

the-jewel-trader-of-pegu

The Jewel Trader of Pegu: A Novel, Jeffrey Hantover Publisher: William Morrow Publication Date: January 2, 2008 Format: Hardcover, 227 pages The Jewel Trader of Pegu is a delightfully descriptive and gently observed novel by Jeffrey Hantover. Told in epistolary fashion, The Jewel Trader of  Pegu follows the journey of 16th century jeweler Abraham. Abraham [...]

Read more »

Dating da Vinci, Malena Lott – Book Review

dating-da-vinci

Dating da Vinci, by Malena Lott Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca Publication Date: November 1, 2008 Format: Trade Paperback, 288 pages Ok.  Play along with me now.  Look at this cover, and now listen to what I have to say. No one was more surprised than me by the depth and consideration of this thoughtful novel about [...]

Read more »

Home Girl, Judith Matloff – Book Review

home-girl

Home Girl, Judith Matloff Publisher, Random House Publication Date: June 24, 2008 Format: Hardcover, 304 pages “To be sure, the walls were grotesquely pitted and the parlor-floor ceilings were caving in.  Pocket doors and wainscoting had been torn out.  Yet it was an unmistakable steal for a 4,860-square-foot building with a 50-by-25-foot garden.  The place [...]

Read more »