Nothing like a good story, one that keeps you away from everything you should be doing, especially during a busy holiday season. To that end, here are two opportunities for rich reading and great escapes. One takes place in 19th century Iceland, the other before and during The Battle of the Somme.
Category: Book Review
Where business is war
"The Navigator" is a financial thriller that takes place on Wall Street and in Washington D.C. At its heart is a trillion-dollar, private business deal that's got the attention of a U.S. senator, a former communist spy and conniving entrepreneurs. An expertly plotted debut.
A book written for one reader? Priceless
Writing a novel becomes high-stakes drama in this clever, entertaining story about a mega-selling author and a wealthy book collector.
You run the race you run
Mark Slouka's new novel takes place in the late Sixties, in a small town. Here two teenagers form a bond that becomes their salvation. Seductive, nostalgic prose, vivid, likable characters and a masterful story. It's all here.
Justice for the disappeared
Europa Editions publishes some of the best world literature, and that includes Caryl Férey’s "Mapuche." It's absorbing crime fiction that draws from Argentina's dark time of "the disappeared." Intense and gratifying.
The art of motorcycle speed
Rachel Kushner's "The Flamethrowers" is one of those novels that has all the qualities of an award-winner with its complex narrative, bold characters and creative theme. It's a uniquely written story narrated by a young girl who's an artist and motorcycle rider during the 1970s. Here's what "The Flamethrowers" is all about.
A world of crime on Martha’s Vineyard
A. X. Ahmad has created an intriguing protagonist in his first novel, “The Caretaker.” Add to that India’s nuclear capability, an American hostage in North Korea, a nervous U.S. Senator and a bunch of thugs, and you've got an exciting literary thriller.
The Longlist: What you can read now
It's that time of year -- Britain's Man Booker longlist is out. And so begins the anticipation for which books will make the shortlist, and then which one of them will win the prestigious annual prize for best novel. Being the prize is for novels by British, Irish and Commonwealth authors, including Zimbabwe, the books may or may not have been published in the U.S. So here's the longlist, with short summaries and links to their Man Booker pages, plus identification of the novels we Americans can get our hands on.
When there were monsters
Neil Gaiman is the author of more than twenty books and the recipient of numerous literary honors. His newest novel is "The Ocean at the End of the Lane."
Where lies the ulterior truth?
Poet Christian Wiman wrote an essay about despair that went viral. It explored his life in brief, specifically writer's block, falling in love, being diagnosed with an incurable cancer and faith in God. His new book, "My Bright Abyss: Meditation of a Modern Believer," grew from that essay. Here's a glimpse.
She’s got Daddy issues, with a capital “D”
Constance Schuyler is another one of Patrick McGrath's emotionally unstable characters. In this, his 10th work of fiction, he’s based the psychological twist on Constance's bad relationship with her father. Unfortunately, it creates a bit of a dull dramatic thump. Here's why.
In this Indiana, bird bird bird is the word
Here is a debut novel that's rich in setting and very fun to read. Its odd events are highly entertaining, and the narrator is a good guy with a clever sense of humor. He's tracking birds in deep forests at 5 a.m. and experiencing hilarious situations. Killer tornado included.
A story of friendship, sacrifice and loyalty
Here's a novel categorized for teens, but just like "The Hunger Games" and "The Book Thief," "Code Name Verity" is a good bet for adult readers. It's an involving story created with an unusual narrative strategy, making this Edgar Award-winner a five-star read.
Good reading: faith, passion & madness
Frances and Bernard meet at a writers' colony and thereafter begin a friendship that becomes a romance in this first novel by Carlene Bauer. It's the 1950's, and Bauer creates a small narrative gem that draws from the lives of novelist Flannery O'Connor and poet Robert Lowell.
A place that gets to know you
Mark Brazaitis' Sherman, Ohio, invites comparison to Winesburg and Knockemstiff, the small Ohio towns immortalized in fiction by Sherwood Anderson and Donald Ray Pollock. Except Sherman residents in Brazaitis’ “The Incurables” don't feel trapped, like Anderson and Pollock's characters. Far from it. Here are their stories.
The Longest Chapter 