Controversies in the world of literature and articles on authors and their books.
The Calamity Club, Katherine Stockett–Remember The Help? How could one forget it? Now Katherine Stockett has another book–this time set in Oxford, Mississippi, during the Great Depression. Three unique and strong-willed female characters form a club so that mutual support can steer them through hard times and societal pressures. Reviewers praise Stockett’s writing and character development; but, more than that, they stress the entertainment value
Some really good books don’t appeal to large numbers of readers. These books are either too specific or too detailed or even about an obscure subject that few people are interested enough to read about. Many of the books still deserve notice, however, so I am going to list a few that sound incredibly good. I’m not saying that I’ll read them all, but I
The weather warmed up before I could get this post out to readers. Maybe we should rename it “Books to Read on a Sunny Porch.” Anyway, the books below are ‘so-called’ cozy books people are beginning to talk about. Too much real stuff to handle means we don’t want to read more real or even pretend stuff that we don’t want to think about. So,
The Jilted Countess by Loretta Ellsworth is the story of an American GI named Joe and an aristocratic ballet dancer named Roza. They meet druing World War II and have a love affair. Joe promises he will marry Roza if she comes to Minnesota after the war. After saving up for two years, Roza arrives in the U.S. only to find that Joe is now
It is always interesting and informative to read a book set in another country. I have come across several books lately set in distant lands, and I thought the following four might appeal to you. I haven’t read any of them, but I will try to give enough information on each so you can decide for yourself. The Butterfly Thief by Walter Marsh is a
The Power and the Glory–Jonathan Wilson Even if you are not a soccer fan, you have surely been seeing articles surrounding the World Cup coming up this summer and how expensive the tickets are. I certainly cannot comment on that specific topic exept to say that I would not go to it unless I had a grandson playing in a game!! But the book featured
First of all, literary fiction is a genre used by publishers and book stores to classify books. I have heard people say, “oh, this is just a ‘beach read’” or “this book is so depressing.” Well, in a way, one could say that literary fiction IS very serious—deep ideas, complicated characters, and themes that explore the human condition. And, no. The story doesn’t always have
Try reading some of Tim Sullivan’s books. Sullivan is also a screenwriter and director. He is perhaps best known, however, for his series of books about a detective named George Cross. Sullivan says he wanted to create a character who was good at his job mainly because of his neurodivergence. Even though George Cross is sometimes awkward, he is able to tackle a case from
So many books, as I have noted, dwell on a horrifyingly possible future or horrifying things that have happened in the past or horrifying things that are happening now. In case you want to read something that makes you feel good, I have a few suggestions, most of which I have read!! I just finished reading The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans. It is one of
I have a friend who doesn’t think a person should write a memoir unless that person is old. “A twenty-something hasn’t earned the right to write a memoir,” she says. “They aren’t old enough. They haven’t lived their entire life yet.” She has a point, however, plenty of people write memoirs before they are old. Jen Hatmaker, an author and podcaster, wrote Awake after a
