fiction

In The Book of Heaven, Patricia Storace creates the mythology of an alternate universe, but one the reader recognizes, as if through a veil, from its allusions to Greek legends and Old Testament stories. It is different from anything I’ve read and therefore hard to describe. Although the sections hinge on central themes, such as of the oppression of women and the nature of God and of love, they can be read in isolation. Each section presents the tale of a different woman, eulogized in the stars themselves in this world Storace creates. Her writing is contemplative; reading it is a meditation

Brett Bohlinger is devastated. Not only has her beloved mother passed away, but she is shocked to learn she won't become president of the family's cosmetics firm. To make matters worse, her sister-in-law is appointed president in the will, and Brett is fired from the company. While Brett's two brothers receive millions from their mother, Brett cannot receive an inheritance until she completes a 'life list' she composed when she was 14... and she needs to complete all items in only a year! She doesn't see any way she can finish the list since it includes items like buy a horse, have a baby

Beautiful ruins is a remarkable love story that spans decades and two continents. Pasquale, a young Italian who is trying to make his family's humble hotel marketable to American tourists, is struck by a beautiful American tourist who comes to stay. Her name is Dee Moray and she has been diagnosed with stomach cancer while filming Cleopatra and has been sent to Porto Vergogna - Pasquale's small fishing village - to rest before going for treatment in Switzerland. She is waiting for another man to come take care of her but finds a much-needed friend and confidante in Pasquale. A friendship that

Maud, in her eighties and suffering from dementia, can't find her dear friend Elizabeth. She knows Elizabeth is missing because her phone calls go unanswered, she's never home when Maud visits, and Maud has left herself notes in her pockets and throughout the house to remind herself that Elizabeth is missing. 

Maud retains the ability to recall details of her past with unfailing clarity. She often forgets what has happened five minutes ago, but constantly brings up details surrounding her sister Sukey's disappearance years ago. 

Maud tries to figure out the two mysteries, Sukey's

David Eyam, former head of the Joint Intelligence Committee, has apparently been killed by a bomb in Colombia. The Bell Ringers unfolds against a backdrop of the emerging security state intended to prevent terrorism against the rights of the citizen to have a private life. Slowly, this tale gains steam in present day Britain when Kate Lockhart returns to London for Eyam's funeral only to find out she is his sole heir! She meets people (the Bell Ringers- ordinary folk who are the true patriots going about their business) at the funeral who tell her alarming things.  She senses that she is being

Most zombie stories have more to do with braaaaains than heart, but Isaac Marion’s Warm Bodies is different—quirky, poetic by spells, and lovely.

R has been shambling around as a zombie for an indeterminate amount of time—not that it matters how long since little matters to the undead. One day, R devours the brains of a young man named Perry and gets full memories, more powerful than any he’s experienced before during the course of devouring brains—including memories of the lovely Julie. R makes the decision to save Julie from the ambush, protect her, and eventually love her, bringing

Single mom Jess is having a hard time of it. Working by day as a cleaner and by night as a barmaid, she is doing her best to support her young daughter, Tanzie, and stepson, Nicky—not to mention Norman the dog. But it’s not just making ends meet that is the problem. Jess’ husband, Marty, is living with his mother while recovering from a breakdown and seems to have forgotten that he has a family to support. One of Jess’ cleaning clients, Ed, is a software genius running his own company with pal Ronan.  But Ed has just made the biggest mistake of his career, a mistake that is threatening to send

A few years after losing his wife and daughter in an automobile accident, Michael Reed finds himself working at a university for a nameless humanities department with a specialty so vague it’s impossible to imagine what he does for income, if anything.  Not that Mr. Reed isn’t busy.  His insights into humanity’s rougher edges are realized by a relentless labor of the mind. He’s strenuously alert to the injustices of middle age, the sublime beauty of reckless youth and the absence of the two people who once defined his life.

Acute physiological awareness is something author Denis Johnson does

I am generous with 4 star ratings, but I don't give out a lot of 5 stars; I reserve those for the most exceptional books. This was an exceptional book!

Cadence Sinclair is the oldest granddaughter in the wealthy Sinclair family. The grandfather owns a private island where the family gathers each summer. Four of the teenagers refer to themselves as The Liars and are especially close. Cadence is one of the Liars and the main character of this story. The summer Cadence turned 15, a tragedy occurred; she was found on the beach alone, in her underwear, nearly drowned with a head injury. She can't

Despite the blurbs on the back cover, Bret Anthony Johnston’s debut novel, Remember Me Like This, is not a thriller in the traditional sense. The elements are all here: a kidnapping, a possible murder, a family in turmoil. But to Johnston’s credit,  his novel is partly about  thwarting expectations—mostly the reader’s, and not always in ways that we’re accustomed to.

The story begins in noir mode with the happenstance discovery of a floating body in Corpus Christi, Texas, and its possible connection to a long-forgotten kidnapping. It soon becomes apparent, however, that Johnston is not

Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley may have been born a slave, but she was not destined to remain one.  Her exceptional skill as a seamstress won for her both freedom and the acquaintance of many of society's elite, the most notable of these, Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln.  The focus of Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker is on Elizabeth's life and that of her family, then turns to the relationship between she and Mrs. Lincoln as they navigate the stormy waters of Lincoln's presidency.  An up close and personal look at the White House and behind-the-scenes dealings while the Lincolns were in residence, this book is

Another beautiful, intelligent, sensitive teenager has killed her self. The media blames the bullies at Emma Putnam's new school that refused to accept her, that kept her on the fringe. The used words like slut and whore, they left notes and signs on her locker, they found her on social media...they drove her to suicide.

But that is just one side of the story.

Sara Wharton's life came crashing down the day Emma committed suicide. Identified as one of the bullies, Sara faces some very serious charges in court. But it wasn't her fault, Emma wasn't exactly nice to her, and even though Sara and

Jonathan Miles crafts three separate stories in this novel of loss and desire. Micah and Talmadge are freegan lovers who invite an old friend into their New York City squat and their dumpster diving lifestyle.  Dr. Elwin Cross wants his wife back, wants his father to be whole again and swims through his grief with 100 extra pounds and a compassionate heart.  And Dave Masoli gathers debt and repels the love of his trophy wife Sarah and her wounded daughter.       Along the way Miles masterfully weaves in minor characters and memories with such ease the reader desires both the beaten path and

The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories: Volume I is a creative, charming compilation of 1-5 sentence stories, poems, and artwork. The dainty book features 67 of the more than 8500 contributions originally submitted for the volume. Some made me laugh, others made me pause and reflect, and I kept flipping back to certain illustrations just to savor them a little longer. My favorite tiny story:

One day before breakfast, an
orange rolled off the counter
and escaped its fate, bounding
happily through the kitchen door.

Filled with hope,
the egg followed.

You can thumb through it in a matter of minutes

Josh Bell, known as Filthy McNasty to those on the court, is one of top two players on his middle school basketball team. The other player is his twin brother, Jordan. The two are expected to become big stars as their father was an amazing basketball player before he retired, known to his fans as Da Man!

Filthy and Jordan are ready for an epic year on their team, taking them all the way to playoffs, when things are complicated by a new girl, who captures Jordan's eye and their father's heart problems. 

This book is an amazing example of poetry crossing all the boundaries! What a

In the age of tumblr, fanfiction and fanart, Cath is a relatable character for any teen who has geeked out over a book, tv show or movie. Starting her freshman year of college, Cath is facing several new obstacles. Her twin sister Wren doesn't want to room with her so “they can meet other people.” She is dealing with her father’s mental illness. And college has taken time away from completing her epic online fanfiction Carry On written in the world of Simon Snow (a character reminiscent Harry Potter). On top of it all, Cath might be falling in love with her roommate's boyfriend.

A tender

Imagine having your worst moments caught on film, and your best moments edited out. When he was five years old Gerald Faust’s mother auditioned the family for Network Nanny, a reality tv show. In one-hour on network TV, Gerald became a national phenomenon for taking a dump on the family’s kitchen table. Twelve years later, Gerald is still haunted by the actions of his five-year-old-self. Ostracized at school, bullied by his older sister and left alone by his parents, Gerald attempts to control his anger through boxing workouts and trips to Gersday (an imaginary land where everything is made of

Ronan Truelove's mom may be a bit eccentric, always signing him up for outdoor survival classes, judo lessons, self-defense workshops, always keeping him busy. But she has crossed a line when she grabs him from school one day and tells him she is part of an ancient group called the Blood Guard and that his father has been kidnapped and they are under attack. After watching her perform impossible acts to get away from bad guys in suits, she gives Ronan a ticket for a train to DC and tells him to meet with her Blood Guard contact there. 

But trouble follows Ronan into the train station, where

If you like country music this is a great summer read.  Bailey and her sister Julie have been singing together as long as she can remember.  But now, Bailey has been relegated to playing back-up to costumed country singer impersonators at the mall while her sister and parents are off promoting Julie's solo career.  But, country music is in Bailey's blood and she'll play any gig she can get, as long as her parents don't find out.  They're afraid she might steal the limelight from Julie.  When Bailey meets Sam he invites her to join his band.  Sam has big goals and dreams and he wants Bailey to

Growing up on one of the South Carolina outerbanks islands, Eleanor was a wild child who knew no fear and who loved to play the piano.  Her sister was the beauty queen.  Now in her 30's, Eleanor lives with her sister, brother-in-law and mother in a small house on the mainland.  Eleanor works in an office and moonlights as a piano player in a bar to help make ends meet.  When Eleanor is offered extra work by her boss to be a companion to his elderly aunt that lives on the island she grew up on Eleanor snaps up the opportunity not only to make more money but to get out of the house and away from

Shotgun Lovesongs​ revolves around Lee, Hank, Kip, and Ronny—four small-town friends in Little Wing, Michigan. They did everything together as kids and remained in each other's lives as adults, although they lead very different lives. Hank stays in Little Wing, marries his high school sweetheart, and takes over his family's farm. Ronny struggles with alcoholism, and an accident changes his life forever. Kip flees to Chicago to live the high life as a broker, but returns to Little Wing with his fiancée and buys the town mill. And Lee makes it as a successful singer, traveling the globe yet

An unconventional telling of Jesus' forty days in the wilderness, Quarantine grips the reader in a mysterious world of deception and dream. We follow six characters' sojourn in the desert: a merchant and his wife, a wealthy but barren Jewish woman, an elderly Jewish man suffering from a tumor, a madman from the east, a philosophical young Greek, and Jesus the Galilean. It is a believable work of historical fiction with a twist of suspense. At the end the reader is left to interpret the meaning of events.

Crace's writing holds nothing back, exposing his characters' raw and unflattering motives

Lili DeLuca set aside her plans for grad school and took over managing her family’s Italian restaurant when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Now that her mother has completed her treatment, Lili, bullied as a child because she was heavy, still has a hard time believing that she should pursue her photography career instead of continuing to manage the failing family restaurant.  When she discovers Jack Kilroy, famous chef, has picked her father’s restaurant to be the showcase for his new television series pitting Jack against Lili’s father in a cooking contest. Lili finds things

Asterios Polyp is a self-assured, domineering, wind-bag of a paper architect. A paper architect being one “whose reputation rests on his designs, rather than on the buildings constructed from them. In fact, none of his designs had ever been built.”

When we meet Asterios, his Manhattan apartment, where he wallows in self-pity while riding out a mid-life crisis, has just burned to the ground. So he takes the last of his money, hops on a bus, and “give[s] up on the one thing [he] thought defined him.” And it “prove[s] to be a lot less difficult than [he] could have imagined.”

Asterious Polyp is

If ever there were an author who could squeeze the most meaning out of the least amount of writing, it is Australian author David Malouf. In a spare 150 pages, Malouf tells the story of an exiled Roman poet living among “barbarians” who discovers a boy alone in the wilderness.  He convinces the tribe’s leader to capture the boy so that he can teach him to live as a man.  The task is fraught with attacks from wives and grandmothers who believe the boy is possessed by an animal spirit that will infect their families. Infection occurs, but of what kind . . . and why?

Malouf is exceptional at

Friday crisscrosses Australia with her mother, hearing tales of how her female ancestors have all died of drowning on auspicious Saturdays. Her mother has a knack with weaving tales, and Friday Brown is caught in her web...until her mother is diagnosed with cancer. Friday watches her mother waste away to nothing, until she dies quietly in the night, her lungs filled with fluid.

Friday sets out on her own, heading into the city, looking for a father she never knew. Instead she finds a different family in a group of squatters lead by the fearless Arden. Friday doesn't feel comfortable in the

The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911.  Morton has taken the facts and created a very entertaining story to fit the circumstances.  We do know that a man named Peruggia who had worked at the Louvre, stole the painting and Morton adds a rich cast of characters and an interesting plot to the theft.  Paris at the turn of the century is a character itself!  In Morton’s story,  Valfierno is the chief architect of the theft and its elaborate con. Beautiful women, beautiful women who are pickpockets, and famous artists who paint beautiful women populate this book making it a fun read!

John Green writes novels for young adults, but you don't have to be young to enjoy them.  I'm forty-three, and he's one of my favorite contemporary authors.  I became a fan of Green not by reading his books but by watching videos on his amazing YouTube channels CrashCourse, Mental Floss, and Vlogbrothers.  I thought I was too sophisticated and mature to read a young-adult novel, but I love Green so much I gave him a shot.  Most fans of John Green that I know love his book The Fault in Our Stars the best, but my favorite John Green novel is Looking for Alaska.  It’s the story of a 16-year-old

In the days before Hurricane Katrina is to hit Bois Savage, Mississippi, families are preparing their homes for the event as they’ve always done. Young Esch and her brothers have been left to their own devices since their mother’s death as their father is usually too drunk to care for them. One brother struggles to win a coveted scholarship to basketball camp, one dotes on his Pit Bull who has just birthed a liter of valuable puppies, Esch reaches a startling and unwelcome epiphany, and the youngest just gets in everyone’s way.

This is a very difficult book to read, and thus this review isn’t

Poor Doug Parker. At 29, he’s living a life he never anticipated. And it's great. Surprisingly great. Great, until his wife Haley goes off and dies, leaving him alone to deal with his 16-year-old stepson, Haley's beefed-up ex-husband, and a crushing sadness that prevents him from really living.

Tropper has a gift for realistically portraying emotion. In the titles I’ve sampled, Tropper’s main characters are stuck in a suspended state, whether it be grief, or shock, surprise, bewilderment, or all of the above. And there is always a caste of wonderful characters, mostly dysfunctional family