Patrick Ryan has written a book that New York Times reviewer Jess Walter calls an old-fashioned American novel. That book is Buckeye, and the publisher has really hyped this novel set in a fictional town in Ohio. From all accounts, Buckeye lives up to its promise–well worth reading and more than. The author introduces us to two families brought together by the war and then
The 45 events of this year’s festival will take place at the Dock Street Theatre. People from around Charleston simply say The Dock Street! Having scoured the events thoroughly, and knowing how difficult it is to go to all of them, we have pointed out a few authors and their books that are of special interest to us. Tim Bouverie, author of Allies At War–November
Sometimes it pays to have a second look at the celebrity book club picks. Here are three that caught my eye: Culpability by Bruce Holsinger Ron Charles, writing in the Washington Post, says, “If you want an engaging novel sure to spark great discussion about that thorny AI future, this is it,” Well, who doesn’t want to discuss AI? I know I do! I especially
Booker Prize longlist July 29, 20259:00 AM ET Andrew Limbong The Booker Prize is a prestigious award given to fiction written in English and published in the U.K. and Ireland. The winner receives £50,000 (about $66,000). The winner will be announced on Nov. 10 at a livestreamed ceremony in London. Here’s the full list:
The first father is Arthur Candlewick. He and his family live a privileged life in the Cotswolds. After suffering a near-death experience, Arthur decides to give away all of his worldly goods. The book follows him and his family as they deal with this very unexpected turn of events. Next, we have Vic Kemp, a famous artist who has just moved to an Italian villa,
It’s true! Overstory is making a comeback. Four of my blog readers have contacted me to tell me they recently either read the book or they are in the midst of reading it. I just checked it out from the library. I have read the first story so far. Why? Because I need to do more ‘deep reading’ and I want to go on to
*about women You have no doubt heard about each of these three women, but you may not know much about who they really are. Maybe preconceived ideas about Kate Spade and questions such as “who’s Octavia Butler.” You may decide you want to get to know them better, and the following books will be a good starting point: Dawn Staley is almost a legend in
We will begin this section with the Sandcastle Book List for 2025-26 September 8: Last Twilight in Paris (Pam Jenoff) A necklace found in a second-hand shop leads the main character back to Paris to uncover a World War II mystery. October 13: The Briar’s Club (Kate Quinn) A group of women bond at a boarding house, each of them having their own secrets that
When rebutting David Brooks’ assertions about the state of the American novel, Ann Patchett, author and bookstore owner, pointed out many books that she thinks prove that the great American novel is NOT dead. Below is a list of some she mentioned. I have read James, Demon Copperhead and Trust. I would like to read Overstory. How many have you read, and what do you
While the title The Carpool Detectives sounds like a humorous set-up, this book by Chuck Hogan will not be humorous, but it will be a ‘fun’ read for those who like crime stories. Hogan is a seasoned author of true crime. Some may know him for his previous books: The Town and Devils in Exile. Normally, I do now like crime novels if they are
