This study of shifting family dynamics will challenge your sympathies for the characters as it unfolds - whose side will you be on? Sea Lovers Posted by David Kenvyn on 19 September A wonderful, beautifully written series of short stories about what it is like to be a woman.
Two stories refer to mythical creatures - a mermaid and a centaur - but all of them are about how we survive our lives, about the subterfuges that we have to take in order to preserve our privacy, our dignity and our self-respect. And especially about how women have to do these things in what is a patriarchal society. Not easy, but very worthwhile. Under the Udala Trees Posted by Richard Ashman on 05 September A deft balance between love and war, this is a compellingly stylistic depiction of a politically brutal suppression of same-sex relationships, interspersed with allegory, folklore and intransigent religiosity.
The dizzying tale powerfully interweaves the internal turmoil and competing societal forces that means choosing between heart and tradition. Determined and daring in the face of hatred and persecution. This isn't an adventure of a lifetime - more a matter of survival. While the book is easy to read, I found the subject matter of loneliness, sadness and death difficult and upsetting.
Don't read this book if you're not 'in a good place'. Whilst haunting and bleak, the book did contain elements of hope and kindness and love to another living being. Quite a lot, as these two novellas show: But their destiny will startle and move you in very different ways. I can say no more without spoiling your enjoyment!
This is a beautifully written novel about the redemptive power of compassion and love. Although I was intrigued by the supernatural elements of the story, scenes of sexual violence against women and children made for a read which pushed me to the limits of my endurance. Lunatics, Lovers and Poets Posted by Wendy Smith on 08 August A well written short story can be more satisfying to the reader than an overblown novel and there are several in this commemorative anthology that hit the spot.
Infused with international flavours, there's no need to swot up on Shakespeare or Cervantes to enjoy this literary mezze. Physical Posted by Ruth Ng on 01 August Written without punctuation, or adhering to traditional structure, these poems vary from humorous observations to moving descriptions. Mostly about masculinity and what it means to be a man, there are moments of social observation and, as the title indicates, the poems are very physical in nature with strong, powerful imagery.
Although the style is initially challenging the language is easy to read, and the experience of doing so is rewarding. Throw in dysfunctional upbringing on both sides and a disastrous meet-the-in-laws visit with the future hypochondriac mother-in-law from hell — and the relationship looks doomed. If you are into screwball comedy and like squirrels, you will enjoy this.
It was easy to empathise with the characters in Gaza, especially Nazmiyeh, a strong woman with a wicked tongue, but I struggled with the character of Nur, an abused Palestinian girl raised in the USA and whose story felt, to me, a little contrived. Nevertheless, I learned a lot from this moving and poetic novel. The House of Shattered Wings Posted by Andrew Fitch on 11 July A Paris in the fallout of war between rival magicians' Houses, angels regularly falling out of heaven, a dragon realm under the Seine, addiction to angel essence clearly replacing narcotics and their associated gangland crime.
There are so many elements here to grapple with as the author invites you to join her in welding together this gripping fantasy, crime, thriller mash up. A Book of Death and Fish Posted by Linda Corrigan on 04 July An amazing book following the self-told story of a young man growing up in the Hebrides in the s through to his death in the new millennium.
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Remember it is a novel! The past and present converge throughout; tantalising the reader with parts of a puzzle. The complexity of the plot requires concentration as each character tells their own story. I embraced the role of amateur sleuth; attempting to draw correlations between an illustrated copy of Tennyson's poetry and an unnamed skeleton. These young lovers are not young. They should know better. When the whole town is lusting after possible buried treasure in an old church, trouble looms.
The man, an author, cannot resist playing God. He even argues with God about who's fault that is. So a cycle of killing and revenge leads to tragedy. Very Shakespearean More details Tagged: He Wants Posted by Rosemary Bullimore on 13 June Lewis is 70, his life still bounded by the same town and the same people: Just when I thought I knew, this very unsettling novel proved me wrong again. And just when I thought I knew what he had done - or would do - wrong again! Engrossingly like life - and real people. Just step aboard the Wayfarer! Whether you enjoy big ideas, strong emotions or a beautifully imagined world, you'll soon be loath to return to Earth.
The Beginning of the End Posted by Richard Ashman on 30 May Lurking underneath the shock of explicit excesses and persistent pessimism is a unique novel that is brave in subject matter and assured in style. The spare and functional prose suits the loneliness and isolation of the main character and yet the unflinching description is balanced by a sense of dark comedy making this a thought-provoking book although not a cosy read. When an executive gets accidentally involved in a workers' strike, his American training stands him in surprisingly good stead.
By turns funny, disturbing and surreal, the story takes him on a journey of self-discovery. Will he emerge a new man? Frog Posted by Wendy Smith on 16 May An epistolary narrative drives this meandering story about the affect of China's one child policy on a rural community.
Though acts of brutality take place, they are tempered by episodes of black comedy. A challenging reading experience which surprised and shocked in unexpected ways. Whispers Through a Megaphone Posted by Michelle Jenkins on 09 May Ralph and Miriam meet by chance during a period of personal transition in both their lives. They are two perfect strangers looking for answers to questions neither of them know how to ask.
These lost souls are brought together by fate, and as the reader you join them on their journey of discovery. Expect the ride to be bumpy, revealing and thoroughly entertaining all the way. For once, however, the central character is an African, who has been away from his home for a very long time. He has been living in New York for years - and he has not become rich. So he decides to steal a statue of the god Ngene from its shrine in his home village, to achieve his dream in his adopted country.
Expect consequences - lots of them. Achebe would love this book. How to Fight Islamist Terror from the Missionary Position Posted by Rosemary Bullimore on 25 April Recently divorced and teaching at Aarhus University, the unnamed narrator, a lapsed Muslim, is much more interested in his Hindoo friend Ravi's ability to improve their social lives, than he is in the comings and goings of their deeply religious Muslim landlord. When he begins to take notice, be prepared for some fundamental surprises in this witty, perceptive, really quite amazing novel.
The Man I Became Posted by Fiona Edwards on 18 April I usually avoid stories with talking animals but this one is something that is both special and unique. The narrator a gorilla by birth tells a tale that is moving and heart-warming in spite of the bleak vision of the world he inhabits. A short book, simply written, to read in one sitting but it packs some punch. Will leave you buzzing with questions about human motivation and what lengths we will go to for entertainment.
However, the real spirit of the novel is the rural landscape and the disconnection of modern man with nature, folklore and the old country ways - a moving elegy to a fast disappearing way of life. I felt like I could see and hear the characters spit their lines at each other. The writing felt real and dirty - and visual like a movie. Sometimes I took my eyes from the page to wince because the images hit so hard - but I couldn't wait to be engrossed in the next short story. Niki, a Serbian refugee book shop assistant, is employed by Gorsky, a Russian oligarch, to buy Gorsky's personal library.
Atmospheric descriptions of the Chelsea and Knightsbridge districts and of the lavish lifestyle of the London super rich combine to deliver an entertaining novel with shades of 'The Great Gatsby'. This is moving, funny, thought-provoking story-telling that reminds us that the miraculous is only a step away from the mundane. A terrifyingly realistic view of a dreadful time in terms of both history and growing up that is nevertheless often very funny.
Birth of a Bridge Posted by Dot Cameron on 07 March An unusual novel where the main character is a bridge rather than any of the people who flock to work on building it. The visionary Mayor of Coca, an imaginary town in California, wants to transform it into a city to rival Dubai, but it needs a new and spectacular bridge. The progress of the building work interspersed with vignettes of the workers and the author's unusual prose style make this novel an intriguing, sometimes comic read.
Now, in this short novel, the reader learns who the unnamed Arab actually was through the voice of his troubled brother, Harun. Kimjongilia Posted by David Kenvyn on 22 February This is a world of deceit, lies, idealism, commitment, self-serving, death, murder, invasion, resistance and sex - China and Korea from the Japanese invasion of the s onwards.
With Kim-il-Sung as one of the central characters, this is not sweetness and light. But you will want some people to survive. And it leaves you with a question: Unless it's not Chin Ho The Mark and the Void Posted by Anne Jones on 15 February A funny, at times absurdly funny, look at events in a small bank's Dublin arm on the cusp of the financial crash.
Yes, as seen through Claude a naive philosopher and employee, exploited by a shady writer There's a void at the heart of the tale because his relationships are as unreal as the bank's cash. You have to ask who's fooling who? Turn the very last page, and you may find out. Yet amongst the confusion, the writing is emotionally powerful and beautiful, as it moves gracefully from moments of sexual intimacy and violence to vivid travelogues.
Difficult, but well worth the effort. But despite the 'life lived as art' ethos, I felt like the only guest without a drink, wondering how soon things would turn ugly. And though I did not warm to any of the characters, I was moved by this fascinating story about people whose lives were a mystery to me. Chewing Gum Posted by Anne Jones on 25 January A satirical narrator relates the tale of a mythic hero who attracts academic interest and a down-to-earth heroine who goes her own way.
Libya comes to life across the centuries through the story of a Tripoli park. Families live their lives, often scandalous, whatever changes occur and everyone chews gum. This is not a book about recent Libyan regimes - or is it? I'm just beginning to understand it. Definitely worth a second read. The Looking-Glass Sisters Posted by Fiona Edwards on 18 January What a read - events in the story are shocking, even repulsive yet the words it uses to describe them are so beautiful.
Sympathy rebounds from one sister to the other. Who is the victim and who the aggressor? I changed my mind frequently. Claustrophobia and isolation in lives and landscape create a dreamlike quality which lurches into nightmare. I can't say I exactly enjoyed it but it pulled me back in each time I took a break. As these teenage rebels teeter on the brink of adulthood, the innocence of youth is shattered by the realities of urban life in Germany. A tried and tested plot formulae, I found the familiarity of the storyline both comforting and gripping.
The Incarnations Posted by Ruth Ng on 04 January Good for a wild ride through ancient and modern China, this reads a little like a short story collection although there is an overriding story arc concerning who is sending Wang mysterious letters and why. Yet the unpredictable nature of the narrative is intriguing, and it is certainly a powerful story.
Ove is 59, solitary and a bit of a curmudgeon, everything has to be just so and he is very intolerant of life in general. When his beloved wife dies and he loses his job, he decides he has nothing left to live for. However, his new neighbours have other ideas Lovely characters and a completely unexpected delight. The Visionist Posted by Sandra Turner on 21 December A haunting, gripping story set in a farming community in Massachusetts, The story is told by three of the characters who are inexorably drawn together. A beautifully written narrative that explores the blurred boundaries of good and evil in a closed Shaker community and the men and women of the 'world' outside.
What Ends Posted by Anne Jones on 14 December We witness the demise of hope, a community and a family, as neighbours then siblings leave Trevor to care for declining parents and a failing business on a remote island. Told from the family's points of view the strains imposed on them in bleak conditions couldn't fail to move me.
I rooted for Trevor, but I knew he had to move on to learn to live. An elegiac tribute to islanders who have struggled to maintain their way of life. Song for an Approaching Storm Posted by Richard Ashman on 07 December A love triangle that vibrantly portrays the transition from poetic daydreamer to brutal despot. This sweat-stained novel vividly encapsulates the Cambodian political intrigue resulting in a legacy of trauma in an evocative atmosphere that makes your blood run cold.
The three distinct voices tell a strikingly human tale that is both mysterious and frightening. An assortment of memories provide an intimate insight into various different characters, whilst the use of colloquial dialect lends an honesty and authenticity to each poem. Everyday lives are recounted with grit and realism and I was captivated by the personal voice resonating throughout. Fishnet Posted by David Kenvyn on 23 November This is a disturbing book, mainly because the subject - prostitution - leaves people very uncomfortable, especially men.
It is also a revelatory book, written with understanding, compassion and sense. Fiona, through searching for her sister, is led into the world of sex workers, and comes to understand the workings of the industry. It makes you think. And the story is gripping. It describes the saucy adventures of a young French woman who decides to hire herself out as a reader to people in their own homes.
But what do her clients really want — and how far will she go? Apart from the eroticism, there is also is plenty to delight the serious bibliophile, even one unfamiliar with French literature. Here are lives of quiet desperation with flashes of humour and humanity, such as are lived everywhere. But this is a cold, cold place where, in living memory, people were once interned for their beliefs It as good as announces itself with full headlights and blaring horn. The only question is, what sort of karma it might deliver.
The writing here has the power to make the reader live every decision and keep asking the question: The Fishermen Posted by Franes Bell on 26 October Why did the lives of the 'perfect' Nigerian family disintegrate into violence and misery? Was it witchcraft, mental illness or parental absence? The poetic style of the writing which initially seems old-fashioned and traditional, exaggerates the extraordinary and horrific events. Told in the words of Ben, one of five brothers who is nine years old at the start of the story, this is a totally absorbing debut novel.
Definitely one to watch. Ostrich Posted by Dot Cameron on 19 October If you want a book which makes you laugh and cry at the same time, this is it. Alex is 12 and has a brain tumour. He tells his story in typical teenage style as he struggles to understand what is happening to him. With the aid of a friend he tries to solve the mystery of his parents' odd behaviour. Are they getting divorced? And why does his beloved hamster seem thinner? Bursting with humour but you will need tissues at the end.
This story revels in modern South African life, gently poking fun at the insanity of racists, while allowing them humanity. My Biggest Lie Posted by Paul Doyle on 05 October Let yourself by whisked along by a novel that is at times a heady, intoxicating blur and at others, funny, honest and charming. It follows Liam as he escapes to Buenos Aires, far away from the mess he's made of both his relationship and his job with a London publisher not a good idea to be held responsible for the death of your most celebrated author. But in spite of all his mistakes it's hard not to end up rooting for Liam.
The Way Inn Posted by Rosemary Bullimore on 28 September This book morphs engrossingly from a slyly humourous look at the world of interchangeable business conferences and trade fairs into a nightmare scenario, where literally nothing is as it seems - or is it? Dept of Speculation Posted by Anne Horton-Smith on 21 September Written in a blog diary style, these are bittersweet dispatches from life on the frontline of a failing marriage. Don't Try This at Home Posted by Fiona Edwards on 14 September This amazing collection defies definition but the overwhelming feeling on finishing is one of awe.
The stories are subversive, beautifully weird, melancholy and suffused with a strange and joyful magic. The characters - both human and otherwise - are brave survivors and hugely memorable. Dip in - then take time to allow each individual story to sink into your consciousness before you return for your next fix. And return you will - it's addictive. Daimones Posted by Karen Pugh on 07 September I'm a science fiction 'virgin' and really wasn't looking forward to reading this book. But boy, am I glad I did. Original plot and easy to read, I romped through in days. I found it a frightening experience, not frightening in the sense of BOO!
I don't think I'll look forward to going to bed next time it's a windy night - you never know what you'll wake up to or with whom! The Axeman's Jazz Posted by Andrew Fitch on 31 August Yes there's a good cop and a bad cop, you suspect that the young Lewis Armstrong finding his jazz voice will feel like tokenism, you always know the modest heroine will nail the big baddy, that New Orleans will suffer one of its catastrophic inundations, and that the Axeman will have some moral justification.
But it never feels like formula; every element has an authentic, historical, dynamic pulse in the perfect storm of a jazz thriller. Weathering Posted by Nicole Cornell on 24 August Flowing, frozen, vaporised, water shapes the lives of a woman, her daughter and her mother in an isolated house in the country. What could have been a ghost story is instead the tender, moving and life-affirming tale of their struggles towards self-realisation. It worked on me like a spell and left me unwilling to surface. The Limits of the World Posted by Nicole Cornell on 17 August This is a truly scary book, but it is one that offers a glimmer of hope because people are prepared to defy a totalitarian state for the pleasure of reading.
You may think that you know what is going to happen because of the references to '' but you will be surprised. This is an adventure story with a bite, a tale of political morality that cuts deep into your soul. Andrew Raymond Drennan is definitely an author to follow. Children of the Jacaranda Tree Posted by Michelle Jenkins on 10 August I was deeply moved by the portrayal of two generations of Iranian citizens at the mercy of a tyrannical political regime.
A story of humanity and suffering at a time of unrest, the author paints a bleak picture of the punishment metered out to anyone daring to voice an opinion. The story is intimate; following first the parents and then their grownup children as history repeats itself with the bittersweet aftershocks felt for years to come.
The Restoration of Otto Laird Posted by Richard Ashman on 03 August An endearing, thought-provoking and life-affirming tale with quirky yet likeable characters. A real feeling of the passing of time makes this a poignant retrospective shot through with the symbiosis of memory and place. This is a very human story where regrets and reconciliation result in feelings of hope.
The Texture of Shadows Posted by David Kenvyn on 27 July Mandla Langa gives a no-holds-barred insight into the horrors of the war waged by the apartheid state on its own people, and of the psychological consequences to both sides. Langa does not seek to present one side as angels and the others as devils because he is far too honest for that. This is what gives the book its resonance, and makes it a must-read for anyone who does not see violence as anything other than the last resort.
Starvation forces a woman to leave her dying husband and go in search of food with her two young children. Along the way, she encounters the best and worst of humanity. Relentlessly bleak, this short tale of self-sacrifice and hope packs an almighty punch and demands of its reader a strong constitution. Loveable and longing-to-be-hip young writer Kitab and his dashing daredevil brother Aziz discover their doppelgangers in cyberspace.
But what's going to happen when they all get together in meatspace? If you, like me, have no idea what this means, you need to read this! It's hilariously funny and very rude - and finally, sad and surprisingly sweet. Mireille has a golden life, a happy marriage and a beautiful young son and she thinks she has everything The quality of the writing is superb and the pace moves along at a terrific speed. Once read this won't be easily forgotten. The Exit Posted by Anne Horton-Smith on 29 June Rose, a feisty 82 year old struggling with dementia, is convinced that something sinister is going on in room 7 of her care home.
Catherine is the self-obsessed young care aide that Rose must convince to take action, before they are both in danger of a fate not only worse than death, but horrifyingly deadly. This chilling but compulsive mix of psychological suspense, horror and black humour leads to a shocking climax that will leave you stunned.
The Street Sweeper Posted by Julie Hird on 22 June This is epic and bold storytelling featuring the relationship and life struggles of an African American janitor and a Jewish academic. The lives of closely researched and interlinked characters from the holocaust to the American Civil Rights movement emerge in a passionate powerful and memorable testimony that recollects cruelty, heroism, kindness and love.
This mixture of sometimes harrowing fact and hopeful fiction lives long in the memory. Then there's their stern old Grandma to contend with and her traditional Chinese ideas on bringing up kids. I found myself rooting for brave, lovable Xing and desperately hoping things would work out for her. A quirky, easy read which tackles some big issues with humour and compassion. Motherland Fatherland Homelandsexuals Posted by Richard Ashman on 08 June Rhetorically audacious and aching with imagination, these poignant, rough, raw and often offensive poems are outrageous and designed to shock.
Nothing is off limits as we view the world through a disquieting metaphor. Written with a traumatised, searing voice, this whirlwind collection of poetry will both disturb and amuse. This is Lydia's fate, she must be a popular all-American girl destined for medical school to satisfy her parents. Her disappearance triggers a retelling of their mixed Chinese American family story. The longings and feelings her parents brother and sister kept to themselves over years, burst out at last. A sad, haunting story it's also a mystery that kept me guessing to the end.
The founder of the society disappears in an indoor snowstorm, words rearrange themselves in books and no-one wants to talk about the boy rumoured to be the original tenth member. This intriguing book is a very grown up fantasy about writing and reality. The Absent Therapist Posted by Paul Doyle on 18 May Reading this was akin to playing a game of pacman but without the pursuing critters. At first there is an ever changing narrative of sharp right angled jerks as one story - some as short as one line - veers off to another that is completely different.
Like the game you become accustomed to these movements, but to the end they keep the reader on their toes. Sedition Posted by Anne Horton-Smith on 11 May Like a darker, Gothic version of Jane Austen's social commentaries on women's marriage prospects, this bawdy excursion into the sexual politics of bourgeois matchmaking in Georgian London subverts our expectations. Echoing the social upheavals of the French Revolution, taboo themes of transgressive sex, seduction, violence, incest and rape provide plenty of material for book clubs to explore.
I could not condone the actions of a postman who steams open the letters he intercepts. But my unease was swept away by the beautiful haiku and tanka that form part of the story - simply sublime. The Poisoning Angel Posted by Michelle Jenkins on 27 April Helene Jegado was no ordinary child and her evil doings continue as she passes into adulthood. She has an unsavoury taste for death and uses her skills as a cook to poison her unsuspecting victims.
One by one they fall in this macabre tale of murder most vile. It's unusual to have no compassion for a female protagonist but this was certainly the case here. Helene's story left behind a bitter aftertaste yet was strangely addictive too. Beastings Posted by Fiona Edwards on 20 April This brutal novel packs a hard punch punctuated by occasional flashes of black humour.
It's a story of primal urges and the base human instinct for survival. The main characters - all without names - ought to be 2-dimensional and distant but instead they are deep, rounded and unforgettable. The Cumbrian fells heave with life and radiate with beauty yet churn with foreboding and danger. Its richly poetic style brings nature to life in various guises and the characters' voices vividly portray their culture and identity. The raw and complex beauty of this book will capture your imagination whilst also delivering a message of loneliness and loss.
Fun Parts Posted by Rosemary Bullimore on 06 April Truly black tragicomedy can be found in these stories, which are not so much of born losers as of those fated not even to compete. Its contents open a can of very nasty worms and the idealistic young civil servant is soon running for her life. An authentic, convincing read and more than a bit scary. Flight Posted by Paul Doyle on 16 March As the title would suggest this book is about people and places in transit. Largely set in Ireland in four lives are brought together, each of them at a point of change in their lives - at one of life's junctions.
The stories of two families and the women within them creates the canvass for the bigger picture of change in society. It is a quietly effective story, elegantly told, always nudging the reader to read on. Persevere and be rewarded with a view of a world I for one had no conception of. If I thought of South Korean women at all I imagined them as emancipated as their Western sisters, but learnt that women's poetry needed to break free, and this collection shows how it can be done.
Try it and have your eyes opened too. Notes and appendix were essential to my understanding. One More Thing Posted by Rosemary Bullimore on 02 March Recommended not only for the many fans of the author and stand-up comedian, but also for those who enjoy earlier Woody Allen films. Plus those who want stories to make them laugh and make them think - but who sometimes only have time to read one page or less. Lolito Posted by Richard Ashman on 23 February A light-hearted yet credible depiction of a controversial theme successfully captures feelings of loneliness and despair together with empathy and compassion.
In this contradictory world of banalities and perceived slights, infidelities assume comic and magnified proportions as the characters behave with ageless im maturity all described with stylistic aplomb. Animals Posted by Rush Ng on 16 February Vulgar, intense, fast and funny this is a hedonistic tale of friendship, drink, drugs and sex. I struggled with the hold that Tyler has over Laura, but found it to be an interesting look at love, growing up at thirty, and what happens when girls behave badly.
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One Hundred Apocalypses and Other Apocalypses Posted by Anne Horton-Smith on 09 February Comprising three short stories and one hundred examples of flash fiction, this collection of cautionary tales and dystopian allegories describe an absurdist version of apocalypse now, then and future, where the everyday world is seen through a warped lens darkly. To be recommended for the adventurous reader who likes prose poetry with attitude. The Last Word Posted by Andrew Fitch on 02 February A mischievous satire which pokes fun at the luvvies and pretensions of the literary world.
If you need to like the characters you may find this a challenging read. Clearly you are meant to find their amorality repulsive as well as funny, their predatory sexuality hypocritical compared to their liberal credentials. So, if you are feeling cynical about big name authors and the aura of publishing, this may be for you. Race, dispossession, identity and loss are brought to vivid life through the tragic, ambivalent love affair between a rich white Brazilian boy and a poor Guarani Indian girl.
No easy answers to the big questions here, but lots of food for thought. But accept it I did and surprisingly, I enjoyed it. Not always easy, I had to re-read some passages, but worth it. The narrator is Goalie who I liked very much. He's a trusting fella, far too trusting and for this reason his friends take full advantage. The moral of the story shows that having a good heart doesn't necessarily reap rewards.
Half-human, half-ancillary, Breq is a multidimensional character who introduces the reader to various different adversaries and allies along the way.
This leap into a fantastical world may at first seem farfetched, but the nub of the story is one of conflict and unrest between different rival factions, making it an instantly recognisable and contemporary plot. Love and Fallout Posted by Richard Ashman on 15 December An evocative insight into life on Greenham Common and its aftermath portrayed in a sensitive and compelling novel.
Great character observations; sometimes excruciating, often heartbreakingly sad, frequently funny. Good Kings, Bad Kings Posted by Anne Jones on 08 December This book has it all; pain, laughter, love, grief, friendship, betrayal, humour, tragedy. But it's the characters who bring it to life, a collection of people many of whom I'd like to meet. All connected in some way with the questionable American care system for disabled children, patients and staff tell a sometimes brutal story in their unique voices.
And the story is, 'We're just like you, good and bad. Ignore the disabilities please!
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How Should a Person Be? Posted by Wendy Smith on 01 December This novel breaks the mould. At the centre is a friendship between two young women who want to become artists. The whole is raw, shocking, sexually very graphic and compelling. You have been warned! Moss Witch and Other Stories Posted by Sandra Turner on 24 November A ground-breaking collection of short stories evolving through conversations with scientists. Each one is a fusion of narrative and science. I found them a stimulating mix of natural history, geology, physics, medicine and astronomy with contemporary fiction, myth and folklore.
The scientists complement each story with a scientific analysis including their reactions to the author's creative interpretations. Will appeal to the curious reader. She and her family subsist in a greyness of perpetual grief; ostracised and persecuted by their local church. Then, 17 years later, a stranger arrives. This story feels like reading a painting - shaded with mystery, loss, racial prejudice, and gay love - experiencing with Ava and her family a rediscovery of the vivid colours of life.
Deaf at Spiral Park Posted by Alison Hedley on 10 November A original, surreal and philosophical debut novel exploring what it is that makes us human. A bear leaves his forest home and takes a series of jobs in an unnamed city. We meet a diverse and bizarre cast of characters who get drawn into his complex world including a recruitment consultant who suffers from recurring death! Some very disturbing scenes but also some very funny ones in particular those involving the absurdities of office life!
Girl with all the Gifts Posted by Michelle Jenkins on 03 November Post-apocalyptic England is a disturbing place overrun with infected monsters, the grimly named Hungries. As the last remaining humans tread their dangerous course home, there is one central complication to their group dynamic: I fell in love with this little hybrid girl who is part monster yet with a very human heart. Thrilling, disturbing and heartbreaking in equal measure, it kept me thinking long after the final page was turned.
I couldn't get into it for a long time and then it gradually started to make sense. Think stream-of-consciousness written as a music score or a play with narrative mixed in. Highly original in style, challenging and different from anything I've ever read before. It's certainly weird; whether it's also wonderful is for you to decide. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves Posted by Anne Horton-Smith on 20 October This tale of family dynamics begins with comic undertones which are jolted by a shift in perception a quarter of the way in.
The silence, self-delusion and guilt of family life find echoes in dysfunctional relationships between humans and animals. If I Close My Eyes Now Posted by Richard Ashman on 13 October Filtered through childhood eyes, this story of incest, exploitation and corruption in high places is told in deceptively simple prose. The back story of Brazil as it lurches into the developing world permeates the whole book and provides a haunting back-drop to unlikely friendships in a time of innocence and hope.
Mr Loverman Posted by Michelle Jenkins on 06 October A funny and touching love story of two men whose lifelong secret affair is shared with the reader. Barrington 'Barry' Walker and his partner Morris are two lovable characters who seized my attention from the very first page. Beneath Barry's swagger lies a serious undercurrent of racial and sexual prejudice which shapes his character and makes his battles ever more poignant and heartfelt.
However, this book took me right there whether I wanted or imagined it or not. I was gripped from start to finish. The Machine Posted by Anne Horton-Smith on 22 September Is it possible to reprogramme a brain that has been damaged by dementia or post traumatic stress disorder? This modern Gothic tale is a chilling warning of might go wrong when we attempt to 'play God' with the mind. The claustrophobic and ominous background of a society breaking down through the effects of global warming helps to make this an emotionally charged reading experience.
The shock ending will make you want to read this novel twice. Rustication Posted by Catherine Stansfield on 15 September Although graphic and explicit at times this is nevertheless a compelling Victorian gothic style novel. A gloomy winter countryside is the atmospheric setting for a story of increasing intrigue and suspicions with lurid letters and gruesome acts culminating in a particularly nasty murder.
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It's a bit like a dope fiend stealing Harry Potter's invisibility cloak or bungee jumping through time portals from one completely insane world to another. Ken Russell, we need you to make this book into a film. Norwegian by Night Posted by Geraldine Glover on 01 September Sheldon Horowitz is a grumpy 82 year old ex-marine, haunted by his past, who moves from New York to Oslo to live with his granddaughter.
When he rescues a young Balkan boy from a murder scene, they go on the run from the killer. Take a Scandi-noir chase novel, add in crisp deadpan humour, nostalgia, grief, dementia and a touch of Huckleberry Finn. Out comes a compelling, multilayered, rich and haunting thriller about age, regret and survival.
Butterflies in November Posted by Rush Ng on 25 August A woman, dumped by her husband whose mistress is pregnant, takes a road trip around Iceland with the four year old deaf son of her friend. The protagonist is engaging and the relationship she builds with the child is endearing.
This is an unusual road trip story, funny and sweet and charmingly odd! Navada Posted by Michelle Jenkins on 18 August This straight-talking portrayal of Maria's life as a transsexual is set against the backdrop of drugs and stereotypes in New York city. We meet her during a period of transition; playing witness to her inner struggles to accept her new identity as a woman. My eyes were opened to the endless turmoil faced by transsexual men and women and their daily fight to gain acceptance from others in order to find peace with who they truly are.
Sworn Virgin Posted by Richard Ashman on 11 August This fascinating insight into Albanian culture is a gripping, metamorphic tale. The themes of culture, gender, identity and family are explored with real understanding and piercing authenticity in this tender and arrestingly original novel. How is it possible to find humour in this situation? Amazingly, this book does. Aimed at young adults, but not exclusively. All ages will get something from it. A very sad but also a very funny and optimistic read. Eat My Heart Out Posted by Anne Horton-Smith on 28 July In this darkly comic, post-feminist satire on women behaving badly, Pilger uses deliberately offensive and cringe-worthy scenes to show how so-called 'empowered', yet self-harming female media icons make it difficult for girls to find positive role models, leaving them caught between the housewife and the whore.
Ignore the misleading cover illustration, this is not a tale of SM eroticism, but a hard hitting antidote to saccharine chick lit. Seoul Survivors Posted by Anne Jones on 21 July Seoul may be one of the few places on earth to escape an asteroid speeding towards us, but life there is far from safe. Genetic engineering on an horrific scale, drugs, deceit, perverted sex, this frenetic account is not for the squeamish. Most characters are deeply unpleasant, and deserve all they get, but I did feel for those innocents who though they may escape Lucifer's Hammer, are snared unwittingly in a deadly trap.
Bombora Posted by Richard Ashman on 14 July Angst-filled tangle of gay love, loss, reunion, reconciliation and forgiveness, but also a tale of loyalty and relationships within families. Written with dry humour and passages of lyrical prose, the first person narrative is shared between the three main characters keeping the reader focussed on the consequence of actions and decisions which is often complex and intense.
This is a must read for anyone who wants to understand masculinity, Scotland and the way out of the traps that men sometimes let themselves fall into because they have to prove that they are 'real men' - whatever that means. Samuel Best's writing is perceptive, enthralling and stylish.
I cannot wait for his next novel. Claire of the Sea Light Posted by Wendy Smith on 30 June The focus of these lyrical, inter-linked stories shifts from a missing girl to individual members of a community who become drawn into the search for her. She Rises Posted by Frances Bell on 23 June An 18th century seafaring adventure with a great deal of nautical detail and 'on board' brutality.
On land, there's romance, intrigue and tragedy and eventually the two strands collide to form one personality. Brilliantly descriptive of the port of Harwich. An atmospheric and intriguing debut. Back to Back Posted by Karen Pugh on 16 June Certain words sprang to mind when I finished this story - vulgar, sad, angry and disturbed. It makes no difference where a child is born or under what circumstances - all children need a mother's love.
Ella, Thomas and the twins didn't. They had Kathe, a mother who was selfish, political and unloving. Yes, life was difficult in East Germany but made more so with Kathe's coldness to her children which led to a tragic ending. It's The Stars Will Be Our Lamps Posted by Paul Doyle on 09 June With the all seeing, omnipresent Puca as our guide, this story - a modern retelling of an ancient Irish tale - weaves a mystical and vivid path, meeting along the way a miscellany of characters.
There's danger fused with dark humour, sentences dripping colour and manages to be both wicked and fun at the same time. At first I couldn't believe that eleven year old's could think and act so politically, so strategically, but the horror grew and engulfed my disbelief. We know that children can be cruel but the calculation behind the dark cruelty of these incipient serial killers was especially chilling. A tough haunting read. The Hunger and the Howling of Killian Lone Posted by Nicole Cornell on 26 May Obsession, bullying and self-harm are daily ingredients in the rise of a young chef in a London restaurant.
Add a touch of black magic and I don't mean pepper Guaranteed to leave a strong after-taste! Revenge Posted by David Kenvyn on 19 May A series of lyrical and beautiful interlinked stories that are simply a joy to read. The skill with which the stories are interwoven, so that preceding stories become fiction in the later stories creates a beauty that is truly enthralling. The tranquillity of the writing adds to the disturbing nature of the stories.
This is a book not to be missed. The Distance Posted by Fiona Edwards on 12 May An authentic thriller of multiple layers which reveal unexpected connections in a very satisfying way. But what makes this debut novel leap from the genre shelves is the central lead Karla, or is it Charlotte? Karla is a superb creation - written so convincingly that you can't get her out of your head and will gladly follow her anywhere. The whole is a terrifying, tension-fuelled race against time that will grip you by the throat. It captures the inner tensions of rural hardship, isolation and the survival of those that live solely off the land.
A memorable read, but certainly no amusing countryside idyll. The traumatic experience is made even more tragic by the loss of the widow's brain damaged son somewhere on the trek from their home in India to the newly established Pakistan. Beautifully and movingly written by an award winning poet. Definitely one to read again and again. A detective with baggage, enemies and a charming sidekick. A twisting plot, breathless conclusion. We've been here before surely? Well no, because this is Nairobi, memories of the US Embassy bomb still fresh, in the grip of a violent election, tribal and racial rivalries erupting.
Add child trafficking and female genital mutilation and things are different. Not your usual whodunit, but one I needed to get to the bottom of. The Dead Lake Posted by Fiona Edwards on 14 April A really curious mixture of the magic and mischief of Russian fairytale with the stark every day reality of a family living and working in a tiny, isolated community, chosen as the location for nuclear testing.
Yerzhan's story - his musical gift, his love for his beautiful cousin and the irreversible act of bravado which delivers dark and twisted consequences - will haunt you long after you finish this short but perfectly executed tale. Referring to herself as 'Our Woman' and her dull clod of a husband as 'Himself', this middle-aged Irish farmer's wife has her resilience worn away by grief and disappointment, tripping the narrative over into much darker and surreal territory. Dot Posted by Karen Pugh on 31 March One family, three women of different ages with different personalities doesn't lead to a very conducive home life for daughter, Dot - but she muddles through.
A sad but strangely enchanting story with each chapter moving through life and time. The chapters help us to understand why the family, their lovers and friends behave, react and adapt to the circumstances they face. Really nice read with a heart-stopping conclusion. His world changes suddenly when his mother is raped on their reservation.
Although overwhelming at times, the story is lifted by warm humour, brilliant characters and strong friendships. I learnt a lot about the plight of contemporary Native Americans. He takes the lives of young men in Umlozi, one of Durban's roughest townships and, in beautiful, sympathetic prose, he makes us understand what it is that drives young men like Sipho, Vusi and Musa into a life of crime.
And he makes us understand the dreadful consequences if they are not able to break free and take their lives into their own hands. Paradises Posted by Wendy Smith on 10 March What struck me most about this story set in present day Buenos Aires was the passivity of its young female narrator whose life appears to be a series of interactions with characters from the fringes of society.
Yet this is not a depressing read; I was drawn to a woman who, though lacking any moral compass, could make me smile with her wryly humorous observations. The Lemon Grove Posted by Fiona Edwards on 03 March This one packs one punch after another - intense, bruising and teetering on the edge. It's impossible to remain impartial - but whom can you trust? Expect oscillating sympathies, a tortured twist of emotion and expectation - and lots of sex. What's more, I didn't see that final fatal blow coming at all. There is invention, fun and exuberance in abundance.
What sets out as an apparent mystery centred on the enigmatic Will Self Club and the death of Sylvie, soon heads off on its bizarre journey. If nothing else you have to admire the verve of this book. And not just for fans of Will Self. Almost English Posted by Anne Jones on 17 February If you were embarrassed by your family as a teenager then spare a thought for Marina driven to a disastrous experiment by her rather pathetic mother and a host of elderly Hungarian relatives. Funny and touching on one level, but at another this is an exploration of secrecy and the damage it can do to a family.
Each member has her secrets - what might their unraveling bring? I was left wanting to know. Chasing the King of Hearts Posted by Ian Baillie on 10 February Written in a series of brief, headed chapters, this is a novel of the Warsaw Ghetto in , and its aftermath. Izolda is Jewish but doesn't look it, and expends a lot of effort trying to conceal her identity.
Her husband is caught by the Gestapo and sent to Auschwitz, and Izolda sets out to find and release him, but eventually also ends up in the camp. The author manages to convey the horrors of that time, but in a superbly understated way. Narrated from the offbeat perspective of the adolescent Orestes, one of seven siblings fighting for his share of the meagre food rations, this picaresque coming-of-age story goes from the absurdist to the totally surreal, engaging the reader without sentimentality.
Be prepared for strong language. Isabel's Skin Posted by Sue Bone on 27 January A quiet London book-valuer visits rural Somerset, and makes a nightmarish discovery that immediately alters his life. This is a quirky, psychological, gothic novel that has enough suspense to make your skin crawl, although unusually short for this descriptive style of genre. The Son Posted by Wendy Smith on 20 January A three-strand narrative drives this epic novel about a Texan family dynasty, cutting to and fro across five generations.
Initially I found the different viewpoints jarred, interrupting an otherwise fascinating story, but I soon became absorbed. Graphically recounted scenes of rape, murder and torture make a strong constitution essential to read this story. The Ghost Bride Posted by Celia Jenkins on 13 January I really enjoyed this book and its enthralling mix of history, culture, and the supernatural. Set in 's Malaya modern day Malaysia the vividly described places and characters drew me in to the story and I felt as if I was journeying with the main character, Li Lan, as she tries to navigate life not just in the real world, but also in the spirit world.
The resulting adventure was both thrilling and ingenious. A Tale for the Time Being Posted by David Kenvyn on 06 January A Zen novel about quantum mechanics, travelling across time, experience, geographical locations, and a whole range of ethical questions which will make you pause for thought more than once. If only so that you can be sure that you understand what is going on. But if you stick with this story, you will learn something about the world in which you live, and the possibilities that may arise from the decisions that you take on a daily basis.
Some will find it shocking, others refreshing. Though not what her minders want to hear, Mary tells her own story and that of her son in a short powerful narrative, intense and compelling. I was deeply moved, even more so as the mother of a son. I was also prompted to think about truth - is my truth your fiction? The first half is set in Zimbabwe unnamed , but when the narrator, Darling, moves to America to live with her aunt, the writing seems to gain a fresh intensity.
In Detroit, Darling struggles with her feelings for her native land as she adapts to life in the USA. This latter part of the book is very moving indeed. The Luminaries Posted by Frances Bell on 16 December Set in New Zealand during the Gold Rush, this is an intricately plotted and intensely atmospheric novel with a huge cast, who each tell their own stories. A perfect format with a writing style which accurately reflects the period.
Built round an astrological calendar, expect a murder mystery, an adventure story and a romance to keep you intrigued to the end when all is revealed. Winner of the Man Booker Prize. The Man Who Rained Posted by Nicole Cornell on 09 December Poetic, heart-breaking and life-affirming, this timeless fairy tale asks what makes us who we are.
Is love possible when a storm lives within you? Her visit to a sex doll factory provides a future-forward glance at the race to capitalize on this fascinating and lucrative niche market An immensely absorbing and provocative book. He clearly illuminates both the promise and the peril of driverless vehicles An invigorating bit of future-trend prognosticating, generally positive, if warning direly of global gridlock if trends continue.
Urban planners, architects, and transportation activists will definitely want to take note. Previous biographies came from past lovers and friends, and each seemed to have an agenda, often salacious. Griffin goes a long way toward rectifying this issue, casting a respectful light on some fresh as well as familiar details. Throughout, [Griffin] provides a balanced, multifaceted view of his subject Despite a colorful cast of characters that ranges from Hollywood royalty to Newport Beach party boys, Hudson himself remains a cipher. Positive Publishers Weekly Kate Granger, the heroine of this well-crafted supernatural thriller from Webb Well-delineated characters and a suspenseful plot make this a winner.
Simultaneously melancholy and sweet at its core. Positive Publishers Weekly Well-researched and fast-paced Groom effectively synergizes the interactions of personalities and policies to make a persuasive case This is an excellent history. Not Groom at his best but certainly serviceable for readers without much background in the history of the era. Positive Publishers Weekly Readers unfamiliar with Israeli author and public intellectual Oz will find this collection of three essays, adapted from a series of lectures, a good introduction to his nuanced perspective Oz examines zealotry in general terms, noting that it predates Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and is not currently limited to radical Islam The author makes it clear that these female kings could be as tough, and sometimes as sanguinary, as their male counterparts; if forgotten, most were also skillful.
The most famous, Cleopatra, was an exception, for Cooney reckons her a failure, having tied her fortunes too closely to a man Cooney provides welcome insights into pharaonic politics while bringing numerous little-known Egyptian women to the fore. Attempting to draw parallels between the pharaohs and contemporary rock stars and politicians, Cooney occasionally asks too much of her narrative.
In an era of McCarthy-ite redbaiting and witch-hunting, how could scientists with leftist affiliations keep on working on classified projects related to that struggle against the Communist bloc? A strong contribution to the history of modern science. She writes informatively about the political events and issues that influenced American policymakers, among them the Soviet launch of Sputnik and the debate over atomic weapons proliferation.
Wolfe also focuses on how, as the Cold War progressed, the CIA, in service to using the American scientific community as a weapon of propaganda, became increasingly involved in influencing or controlling the exchange of scientific information between scientists in the U. While the suspense is thin, Sise offers an astute glimpse into tragic loss, the innermost lives of women, and the highs and lows and societal expectations of motherhood Though melodramatic, this compelling character study will resonate.
Rave Kirkus A highly detailed account The interplay of personal stories with the broader strategic picture makes the book especially illuminating, and the author also provides a few pages of helpful diagrams and maps A fascinating must-read for World War II aficionados. Positive Kirkus Follows an intriguing premise A novel and wide-ranging examination of the conclusion of the war once solemnly declared to be the one to end all wars.
Rave Publishers Weekly The Weavers Detailed and smartly reported, this work marvelously captures the four voices in a complex era that influenced pop-folk bands that followed. Positive Kirkus Jarnow delivers a by-the-numbers biography of a band whose popular songs and covers earned them plenty of attention during the Red Scare and a place on the blacklist There are also interesting cameos sprinkled throughout this colorful tale A well-researched music biography best read with some traditional American folk songs playing in the background.
A whimsical story collection from a gifted writer with a keen eye and a playful sense of humor. Funny without collapsing into wackiness, these eccentric, beguiling stories are reminiscent of Haruki Murakami and Kafka. Positive Kirkus Tremblingly earnest The real power of the book, though, lies not in its philosophizing but in the unsteady tenderness between its characters A book that attempts to walk the thin line between the trite and the profound—and sometimes succeeds. Positive Kirkus The borders between the animal, human, and spirit worlds are constantly breached in these creepy magical realist tales of grief and obsession Brief, macabre stories that twist our obsessions with animals and our own thoughts.
Like Poe for the new millennium. Rave Kirkus In the first half of the book, Brothers focuses on Duke Ellington and his many collaborators, most notably the composer Billy Strayhorn The Beatles were another story Brothers frames his analysis in smooth, relatable prose that anyone familiar with the music of Ellington and the Beatles can understand.
Along the way, the author provides a sweeping history of 20th-century popular music, the rich backdrop against which the incredible music of Ellington and the Beatles was composed—music that is incredible primarily because of the cooperative spirit that brought it to life A fresh blend of scholarly musical analysis and provocative ideas about creativity and how composers create great art.
Rave Publishers Weekly Duke University musicologist Brothers explores the collaborative nature of two massively influential 20th-century songwriting pairs in this probing study of pop-music collaboration Listeners of Wait Wait. The book——part memoir, part advice column——is both entertaining and poignant.
A four-person character study—here as always, Hadley is a master of interpersonal dynamics—the novel captures the complexity of loss. Their grief is not only for Zachary; it is for the lives they thought they knew. Hadley is a writer of the first order, and this novel gives her the opportunity to explore, with profound incisiveness and depth, the inevitable changes inherent to long-lasting marriages.
Positive Kirkus A mistress of the sweeping family saga, bestselling author Trigiani A heartfelt tale of love too stubborn to surrender to human frailties. Positive Publishers Weekly Trigiani Packed with melodies, memories, humor, and love and loss, this effortlessly plotted novel is an emotional page-turner. Positive Kirkus Reina, as translated from the Spanish by Nelson The book is wonderfully paced and suitably tense without ever drifting into melodrama.
It reads like a cozy, middle-grade fantasy novel, but for an adult audience. An enjoyable, finely written fantasy tale. Edited by June Eric-Udorie. Positive Kirkus In an eloquent and searing introduction, debut editor Eric-Udorie Murrow and perhaps not enough practical resistance, the author rightly points out how the media brought some of the trouble on themselves by allowing Trump all the oxygen in the room—which can be fixed.
In this brief yet vigorous broadside, Kalb concludes that the media must shoulder the burden of checking the authoritarian impulse at work today: Pan Kirkus This novella originally appeared in , as one of the contributions to Millennial Women Rave Kirkus This short novel, which could probably be read with equal pleasure by any intelligent person between the ages of 14 and 90, is a paradox of sorts: In a mode light-years away from the recent Malafrena or most of her previous fantasy or science fiction, Le Guin achieves miracles of tact and lucidity; the allegorical implications of the story are touched on with an understated sweetness that can only be described as masterly.
An impeccable parable--and some of the best work ever by a humane, high-minded, underappreciated novelist. Mick Cornett with Jayson White. It will appeal to planners and residents of such areas. Valuable lessons for students of urban design and planning as well as local governance. The action scenes will fill your nose with the acrid smell of gunpowder, and leave your tongue with the metallic taste of blood. Carrasco gives Alma all kinds of appetites—for sex, mischief, power, and more—then feeds them with one lusty chapter after another.
Society may push Alma into a liminal space, but she is absolutely living it up. Positive Crime Reads Richly detailed Rave Publishers Weekly Carrasco succeeds in coupling a feminist historical that maintains period plausibility with an exploratory queer narrative rarely seen in the crime genre. Breath-catching pacing, tantalizingly rough-and-tumble characters who are somehow both distasteful and deeply relatable, palpable erotic energy, and powerful storytelling make this a standout.
If Trump is no more real than the reality TV that created the monster, then Shields clearly believes that the era of polite discourse is over and that the brutal truth is the only truth there is. A compelling book offering something to offend nearly anyone. Mixed Publishers Weekly Shields brings a cynical outlook and collage style to psychoanalyzing President Donald Trump and American culture in this idiosyncratic cultural critique Mixed Kirkus Notably lacking is a clear, technical explanation of fracking—though maps of the shales are helpful—and McLean writes to an audience familiar with the jargon of industry and finance.
All but overlooking the environmental impact of the extraction method, the author tracks the billions of dollars made, invested, and lost in corporate fracking transactions, most of them an order of magnitude or so above the common experience. The business-minded should appreciate the focus and precision of this brisk overview, while readers in search of more informative conceptual arguments about the industry and its geopolitical implications should look elsewhere.
A good writer as well as a specialist in black holes, Impey works hard and mostly successfully to illuminate complex phenomena without resorting to the TV documentary magic show entertainment trumping explanation and includes plenty of personal anecdotes, imaginative analogies, and useful illustrations. Readers who remember freshman college physics or astronomy will have an easier time, but few will regret encountering such irresistible astrophysical wonders. Positive Publishers Weekly Science writer and astrophysicist Impey With clarity and enthusiasm, Impey describes the work of scientists In subjects including the supermassive black holes at the center of every galaxy and primordial black holes, Impey gives readers a good sense of how these phenomena have gone from astronomical curiosity to intellectual touchstones that fascinate and challenge researchers.
Eric Dezenhall and Gus Russo. This is an informative and exciting history for the general reader and for the espionage expert alike. Positive Kirkus A rollicking tale of Cold War espionage An unusual, entertaining story of steadfast friendship amid governmental treachery. Positive Publishers Weekly Short but persuasive Mixed Kirkus Half history, half polemic As it is, his strongest cases for breaking up Google are tucked into dry concluding policy prescriptions Positive Publishers Weekly Davis, a professor of immunology at Manchester University, provides health-conscious readers with a broad overview of his specialty.
His book concentrates on two main tasks: This is a world-ranging book of sharp juxtapositions and surprises As good a comparative survey of religion as there is and a pleasure to contemplate. Austeur [the governesses employer] Positive Kirkus Each sentence evokes a dream logic both languid and circuitous as the governesses move through a fever of domesticity and sexual abandon.
Serre works in fairy-tale archetypes, but she subverts them, too This is a fascinating fable about marriage, longing, and sexual awakening—about what can happen within the walls of a house when the barriers between nature and domesticity are stretched to their breaking points. A sensualist, surrealist romp. Rave Publishers Weekly Poet Miguel De Cervantes and Ilan Stavans.
Mixed Publishers Weekly Writer Stavans However, poor word balloon placement and other technical errors detract from the reading experience. Mixed Publishers Weekly Fletcher He starts intriguingly, by grounding the project in human vanity Rave Kirkus A veteran science journalist builds a fascinating narrative With stakes this high and writing this lucid, readers will be drawn into the narrative as easily as matter being drawn toward the event horizon itself.
The author also includes a helpful guide to acronyms and abbreviations and a cast of characters. This work may be of more interest to those concerned about the manosphere than those seeking feminist readings of classical texts. The novel centers on Evan Whitesky, a young father to two children living on a reservation in northern Canada who is attempting to relearn and maintain the traditional ways in a world where society has collapsed and electricity, cell phones, land lines, and satellites have all disappeared This slow-burning thriller is also a powerful story of survival and will leave readers breathless.
Rave Publishers Weekly An almost unheard-of diversity of tales absolutely sing in this superlative anthology of short speculative stories. Encompassing a wide range of styles and perspectives, the book swings gracefully from thoughtful superhero SF Most of these authors express that theme as the battle for bodily and spiritual autonomy Jones, in which rebellious cyborgs masquerading as a spacefaring restaurant must cannibalize themselves for entrees. Sometimes one must transform to escape, but the essence remains The stories in this collection will leave the reader mournful, angry, and inspired.
Decker restores depth and context to an author much maligned in his own time and much misinterpreted by later eras. Rave Publishers Weekly [A] brilliant sequel full of deeply developed characters Positive Publishers Weekly Lucid and informed Graeber gives readers a basis for both understanding the challenges involved and for cautious optimism that a cure can be found. Mixed Kirkus Though sometimes clumsily written, the book offers hope for more effective treatments in the near future A readable survey of the emerging field of immunotherapy in cancer treatment.
Arnold van de Laar, Trans. Rave Publishers Weekly Amsterdam surgeon Van de Laar devotes his first book to vivid descriptions of notable surgeries, from ancient times to the present. Trial, error, and gore fill these lively accounts of professionals and a few amateurs wielding the scalpel to remedy bodily affliction Fast-paced and lucid, this is medical history not for those with weak stomachs.
A well-rendered, harrowing book about dire circumstances. Meijer is an expert at worldbuilding, and the narrative she spins is fractured across fairy tale, mythology, and the occult. Broken into lines, the story becomes even more propulsive and strange While Meijer is sometimes stronger at creating an overall effect than at landing individual lines, the result is still memorable, strange, and haunting Passages crackle with breathtakingly fresh images Positive Publishers Weekly Charming, confident The portrayal of groups of normal people falling into mob violence and hatred of the other groups is genuinely unnerving, and Tanzer resists simplistic moral takes.
Some elements of the plot are a touch predictable, but the overall effect is delightful. At the suggestion of a newspaper editor acquaintance, Dexter gets in touch with Bob Fleming Smooth prose compensates only in part for a familiar plot. The daughter of refugees fighting for a free South Africa, her earliest memories centered around other exiles tied to the African National Congress A candidly intimate tale of a journey toward self-identity.
Only the heavy-handed conclusion mars this high-voltage psychological thriller. Readers will be riveted until then. Now, with The Future is Female! Ain , both from And that is the case—to a point The selection of pulp stories is somewhat questionable. These issues aside, make no mistake: The quality of the stories here is unassailable The Future is Female!: Positive Publishers Weekly These 25 distinguished short SF stories from the s to the s evince the important early contributions made to the genre by women authors, who were intrigued by its openness to hitherto unexplored experiences An elegant work of suggestion and misdirection.
For fans and newcomers alike, this is Modiano at his very best. Positive Publishers Weekly Wells follows the classically tight adventure pacing of All Systems Red with a slightly disorienting shift to self-exploration Sounds like a rollicking time—which it is, but not in the way one might expect Positive Kirkus Murderbot is the narrator of the novella and its voice is tremendously engaging, dripping with sarcasm Cue hilarious moments when two robots try to learn ways for Murderbot to behave like a person would—snags and all Mixed Kirkus Retired U.
Tata brings back Jake Mahegan for another realistic, high-stakes military adventure While some of the details of this plot are a little vague, the general direction of the narrative is believable, and the main characters, while lacking development, get into copious amounts of action A very readable and contemporary military action story.
Camilla clashes with her male boss, who sidelines her and dictates her approach to stories. It makes for a dramatic opening, but Soria has to spend the rest of the book filling in the background This is a thrilling adventure story. It would be twice as thrilling if it were split in two. Rave Publishers Weekly Austrian author Beer makes her English-language debut with this outstanding series launch set in Vienna Rave Nudge Beer is clearly a talented crime novelist because this debut, the first in a new historical detective series, both thrills and charms.
They are characters that readers will come to love as the series progresses. There is a rich vein of Austrian crime fiction in translation but most of it is set in a contemporary environment. The Second Rider is excellently translation by Tim Mohr. Mixed Kirkus Ghodsee sums up her thesis in the introduction: Using her years living in Bulgaria as fodder for the narrative, along with decades of research, she makes the case that there are lessons capitalist countries can and should learn from socialism Ghodsee makes a convincing case, though she fails to investigate how socialism addresses LGBTQ and people of color.
While the title is the literary version of click-bait, the book is chock-full of hard-hitting real talk. Rave Publishers Weekly Eastern European studies professor Ghodsee expands her viral New York Times op-ed into a passionate but reasoned feminist socialist manifesto for the 21st century. Positive The Guardian Jonathan Coe, in his expansive and often very funny Middle England , is the first author to address our current crisis of national identity using the form that feels most suited to the task While we want everything we read at the moment to speak with the voice of our own particular echo chamber, Coe — a writer of uncommon decency — reminds us that the way out of this mess is through moderation, through compromise, through that age-old English ability to laugh at ourselves.
New, inventive, different — we should be reading more Japanese crime fiction. Newcomer is just as clever, with the structure itself leading to so many red herrings. Rave Quill and Quire Brimming with the fantastic and strange Leroux is a fearless writer who invokes fable with sure-footed confidence A number of the Victorias are defined as arrows pointing north. A testament to the power of fable and myth, Madame Victoria is a triumphant feat of storytelling.
Parker fans will look forward to seeing what Lupica does with Sunny in her next outing. An enjoyable read for Clancy fans. Mixed Publishers Weekly So-so The main action builds to an extremely clever twist. Meanwhile, in random interludes, President Ryan deals with an attack on the American embassy in Cameroon and the attempted assassination of a political rival. Maybe, once Ryan has finished his term in office and can do more than sit resolute behind a desk, he will again excite readers.
Positive Publishers Weekly Expertly revealing Miller seamlessly weaves in the stories of other unmarried women connected to the case, illuminating how and why, by the s, attitudes about women and sexuality were changing enough to give Pollard a chance at victory. Good, timely history for the MeToo moment.
Mixed The Economist In bygone eras, a powerless American woman wronged by a powerful man had little prospect of redress. A thin hope, established by a case in Massachusetts in , allowed a jilted woman to sue for breach of promise. That precedent sets the stage for Bringing Down the Colonel , in which Patricia Miller chronicles an explosive but largely forgotten episode in the annals of sexual politics Ms Miller shows how the scandal laid open previously taboo topics—adultery, illicit pregnancies, abortion and sexual hypocrisy. Rave Publishers Weekly Harvey weaves a dazzling tapestry around loss and confession in lateth-century England in this breathtaking novel The lush period details and acute psychological insight will thrill fans of literary mysteries and historical fiction.
This is an utterly engrossing novel. Positive Kirkus Harvey has subtly crafted a complex narrative A dazzling, challenging read but one worth taking on. Positive Kirkus Fans will appreciate early sections recounting the search for obscure albums and the necessity of playing dilapidated venues The introduction, moreover, is discordantly jokey. Sincerity is what bolsters this book. Tweedy writes movingly about his parents, his wife and children, and his desire to find an artistic home for his band Thoughtful, earnest reflections on family, creative integrity, and a life in music.
Positive Publishers Weekly [A] sincere, affable memoir Tweedy tells a wonderfully unassuming story of a music-filled life. Sergey and Marina Dyachenko, Trans. Rave Kirkus Vacationing at the beach with her mom, year-old Sasha Samokhina reacts with terror when a mysterious man in dark sunglasses starts following her around and staring at her. There, Sasha and her fellow students must memorize long passages of gibberish, solve koanlike math problems, and listen to deadening recordings of silence, all without a single error or misstep, or the people they love will die Although it fits squarely in the popular school-for-magicians genre, this dark, ambitious, and intellectually strenuous novel will feel like a fresh revelation to fantasy readers glutted with Western wish-fulfillment narratives.
According to Shell, Americans as a people must change their way of determining what constitutes a good job and even upend the concept of work as they know it. Rave Kirkus Moving beyond the standard courtroom drama, Somerset Maugham Award winner Thompson painstakingly details the life and death of Edith Thompson, an Essex woman who gained notoriety in as she and her lover stood trial for the murder of her husband This meticulously researched account of a fatal love affair carefully questions the nature of guilt and capital punishment in polite society, offering up a more profound lesson than is likely to be found in a typical true crime novel.
Rave Kirkus As in his Stockholm Noir trilogy, Lapidus plots on an epic scale; if you think one plotline is beginning to flag, just wait for new details about his double-crossing gangsters, his two-faced socialites, and his hard-used heroine and her unlikely swain. Even better, he produces a climactic surprise that really does tie many of the strands of this untidy saga together.
Part sequel, part rehash of unfinished business from Stockholm Delete. Lapidus overdoes the melodrama at times as the various stories converge on the somewhat contrived ending, but his picture of Swedish social debilitation is powerful stuff. Mixed The Economist Sentine , an exhaustive account of the origins of the Statue of Liberty, takes the reader back to a time—almost impossible to imagine now—when the great green lady did not preside over New York Harbour It is an early indication that Sentinel could have done with some energetic editing, and not only because the book does not earn its page length.
A sharper focus would have better served her bid to uncover the motives of the men who made Liberty stand tall at the southern tip of Manhattan island. Her intriguing text moves organically Applied Ballardianism begins, and fitfully continues, as a book about writing a PhD thesis, from first enthusiasms to ultimate failures: This is a book of critical epistemology, of questioning what it is we know, what it is we can know, about and through literary texts.
The refracted fluorescence of our own critical passions and compulsions visits us outlandishly, like lights in the sky. Still, those with a taste for creepy suspense will be rewarded. He immediately finds that his new home is barely survivable: The street is overrun with vermin and garbage, stink pervades the air, his job is suddenly postponed, and his only suitcase is stolen as soon as he hits town. He receives no explanation, and nobody there or at home is looking out for his welfare.
Then things really start to go wrong Lively and intelligent reading. Iain Dey and Douglas Buck. Their detailed account depicts a man whose interest in how things work dated to childhood Since no autopsy was ever performed, such a hypothesis is unfounded by facts. Positive Publishers Weekly Farfetched Mixed Kirkus An action-packed treat for conspiracy theorists that more skeptical readers may find hard to swallow.
Callaghan skillfully balances both the intricacies of the 17th-century Dutch art world and the religious persecution of the time, making this a dextrously woven and engrossing historical novel. Positive Kirkus An irreverent, quasi-clinical narrative thick with witty anecdotes and hilarious asides Mixed Publishers Weekly Explores the history and treatment of hangovers with humor and an amiable style, hindered by disorganization and gratuitous length Winword writes with authoritative enthusiasm Focusing on the personalities behind these epochal bands, the author stays more on the surface than other recent assessments, but his knowing humor will appeal to younger fans and those who were there A savvy reminiscence of the era when punk finally paid its debt to society.
Positive Publishers Weekly Energetic Tales of the macabre existed long before the war, but the author argues that the war remains the true wellspring of the modern genre. His evidence makes a persuasive case, up to a point A mixed bag studded with insights and flaws. Poole, who tends to conflate his personal tastes with high art, fires pre-emptive strikes against critics dismissive of the horror genre, but he fails to accept the legitimate reasons why these judgments hold sway.
Mixed Publishers Weekly In this thoroughly engrossing cultural study, Poole, a history professor at the College of Charleston, persuasively argues that the birth of horror as a genre is rooted in the unprecedented destruction and carnage of WWI In fact, the suspects nearly had to take a number at police headquarters.
She, in fact, is one of the many suspects because she is identified by a local resident as running from the scene of the crime Hacking his way through a tangle of conflicting stories is a tough job, but the introspective detective is up to the task. Only the most careful readers, undistracted by his satire, will figure out whodunit. The narrative flows along at a good clip, with eddies of philosophy and humor. The witty dialogue perfectly matches the multifaceted characters.
Those fond of CSI gadgetry will have to look elsewhere. While fascinated with the Bogles, Butterfield never loses sight of a significant question: Why is the intergenerational transmission of violence so powerful in countless specific families? The occasional shoehorning of academic theories into the Bogle narrative barely mars an outstanding book of sociology and criminology.
Butterfield convincingly argues that mass incarceration becomes a vicious cycle in this insightful and moving group biography. Positive Kirkus There is much that is overlapping and repetitive There are so many bizarre turns to this ongoing saga that Abramson fears the truth will take many years to come to light.
A solid work of social history, full of insight into how empire shaped Anglo-Indian culture. Rave Harlequin Junkie A deeply moving, poignant novel of a couple falling in love at the wrong time in their lives, Every Breath was another reminder of just why Nicholas Sparks remains a popular voice in romance today Every Breath was touching and achingly romantic, heartbreaking and ultimately filled with joy. Rave Publishers Weekly Bestseller Sparks returns from a two-year hiatus with a heart-wrenching tale of fate and circumstance The rich setting helps bring life to their story, making this a worthwhile venture for romance readers despite the cookie-cutter protagonists.
Sparks fans will not be disappointed. A support group misfit, Eleanor begins to keep a private blog as a therapeutic gesture. Her observations about the intersections of cancer culture and the rom-com ideology of a certain kind of 21st-century feminism are so keen as to draw blood Narrated by a cybercentury Wife of Bath, this bawdy tale suspends both our disbelief and our scruples. Told in a series of blog posts though at times the conceit is hard to believe , the narrative races and stumbles from one darkly hilarious pratfall to the next, and is recommended for readers who can laugh while cringing.
Rave Publishers Weekly Richly imaginative and quietly devastating Walker jolts the narrative with surprising twists, ensuring it keeps its energy until the end. This is a skillful, complex, and thoroughly satisfying novel about a community in peril. Positive Kirkus [A] science-fiction fairy tale What is the nature of an epidemic? What is the nature of consciousness? What mix of loyalty and love binds individuals together? These are a few of the questions Walker raises in her provocative, hypnotic tale.
Ghaffari delves into her characters with sensitivity for their positions and differences. An evocative and deeply felt narrative portrait. Positive Publishers Weekly Acerbic and surprisingly moving Magical realism works great for some authors, but Lipsyte ends up closer to the ending of the television show Lost than to any substantial prosecution of contemporary society. Ultimately, Burstein delivers page-turning suspense that gains resonance through its relevance to contemporary Israel. Positive Kirkus A skillful memoir and account of groundbreaking research The author also delivers a portrait of the ribosome that will satisfy even undemanding readers.
An entertaining account of a peripatetic career, academic infighting, and the colorful, charismatic, or eccentric mentors, colleagues, and competitors the author encountered as well as an often cynical view of the scientific establishment. Mixed Publishers Weekly Ramakrishnan He describes the process and challenges of mapping the ribosome He is at his best reflecting upon the nature of the scientific enterprise Rave Kirkus This massive selection of writings by the late Gass Literature is finally catching up with him, and this compendious, literary extravaganza should spark a Gass revival.
Smith continues to bring joy to his readers through his insights into the human heart. Positive Kirkus Readers familiar with this venerable series Positive Publishers Weekly Norman In this thorough book, Norman hits all the important notes, and Clapton emerges as a person more comfortable with his fretboard than with other people. Positive Publishers Weekly Requiring of readers no prior knowledge of the period or the players, this fascinating history illuminates rifts that still plague the country today.
Still, the approach has virtues in making for a neat, character-driven history of the sort that nonspecialist readers like to read, in the manner of Douglas Brinkley, Steven Ambrose, and other popularizers. A lesser work from Brands but a solid introduction to a post-revolutionary generation whose members, great and small, are little remembered today.
Positive Kirkus Journalist and historian Pomerantz A moving, maddening look at a storied partnership that might have been a beautiful friendship as well. Other stories by less well-known authors also shine A thoroughly enjoyable assemblage of old-time science fiction.
Positive Publishers Weekly Editor Ashley Readers fond of classic science fiction imbued with romance, exotic settings, and whimsical scenarios will treasure these evocative stories.
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Positive Kirkus In this entertaining and colorful new book, fiction writer and biographer Daugherty He also offers a generous glimpse into the political and personal life of Lyndon Johnson An engrossing, well-documented biography of a largely forgotten writer and his place within a quickly changing period of the 20th century.
Although generous to Bellow, Leader shows the highly flawed person existing alongside the great writer. The book depicts a man caught up in mid-century notions of masculinity, displaying a volatile temper, expecting women to wait on him, and flaunting his dominance Yet Leader has a talent for finding the redeeming details that humanize Bellow Leader succeeds because his book never bogs down: Bellow matched talent, after all, with an impressive work ethic. Less cheering are his relationships with children, lovers, and spouses, all of which involved considerable drama and, even on his deathbed, shouting and recriminations.
His cantankerousness punctuates almost every page Always hard at work and always in battle mode, Bellow emerges as a brilliant writer who never minded being disliked—and offered many reasons to do so. Though sometimes overly detailed, this is a top-notch exploration of one of the most important midcentury writers. Positive Kirkus Wert glances over some key moments: Diverse character studies that give a broad view of the sweeping economic revolutions of the era.
Positive Publishers Weekly Engrossing Readers will be deeply moved. Maybe not a book to take along on a flight, though. Positive The Smart Set In her groundbreaking s series, Dirty Plotte , Doucet delineated an aesthetic that was brazen, clever, funny, and broke taboos like they were cheap ceramic plates. Reading her comics, you could be excused for wishing you had an ounce of her fearlessness, at least when it came to putting ink on paper Her panels are always bustling with activity and clutter; every object on the street or in her apartment seems capable of coming to life and does in one particular comic That sense of playfulness extends to her general amusement with the human body, particularly genitalia Doucet frequently crosses gender barriers herself in her stories, imagining herself as a man But if her attitude towards male anatomy is amused, her attitude towards men in general is decidedly less positive.
Positive Publishers Weekly This momentous volume from Bassani All are suffused with grief, dread, and a desperate ambivalence. Bassani masterfully conveys a creeping moral rot Bassani uses his intimate knowledge of Ferrara to build a memorial composed of equal parts grief, affection, frustration, and muted but palpable fury. This is not to say that all Mr.
Many of the anecdotes are hilarious. The prose is stunning: A moving and graceful novella of overcoming sorrow. Nevertheless, the book succeeds in creating a portrait—if not an indictment—of the anxious times in which it was written. The closer the book approaches the two contestants, the more wooden and sapless the prose becomes. Some passages are so desiccated they might be termed fire hazards Wedded to romantic notions, Mr. Chess has become a domain where problem-solving machines impress us not merely with their efficiency and thoroughness but also with their ability to isolate and blazon beauty.
Rave Kirkus A bravura performance by the author, who recognizes that if more people cared about that championship, this would have been a very different book. An entertaining book that contains everything you never imagined you wanted to know about chess. Positive Publishers Weekly A surprising and exciting break from form Positive Kirkus An elegant meditation on what might have been.
He vividly describes the rivalries and lack of coordination among British intelligence branches Corera succeeds in bringing a virtually unknown chapter of the war to life and pays tribute to the ordinary people who risked their lives to resist the Nazis. A capable, readable look at a little-known corner of history.
A section about the exploration of a newly reaccessible world falls into a tired mode as old computers reboot and a meeting with a degraded remnant of the population feels like alien first contact, but the story brightens again when the shipbound avatar of an old king breezes in to do historical exposition. This novel sits perfectly in its second-book role, leaving the reader deeply invested in the developing story, with plenty left to tell. Pan Publishers Weekly Sacrifices depth for a rapid, lackluster jaunt through the complications of Somali immigrants in contemporary Norway Readers of all kinds, and particularly fans of detective stories and puzzles, will enjoy grappling with the numerous questions raised by this stellar work.
Positive Publishers Weekly Thrillingly probes the ways technology and its sometimes alarming possibilities shape a Palo Alto, Calif. Adroit and perceptive, Schulman weaves a deeply felt meditation on the anxiety and complexity of modern relationships. Rave Kirkus Thoroughly researched and gracefully told Although Eisenberg is admiring of the founders, he also recognizes—and highlights—their weaknesses Although the author provides some details about some key games and iconic players like Red Grange, Marion Motley, and Sam Huff , the narrative is not a rehearsal of games but of the history of a game, a business, and five men who took a chance, lost money, and then found great success.
An engaging and informative cultural history, on and off the gridiron. The full complement of macabre motives lurks in the shadows. Fans of dark tales of familial and marital discord will be satisfied. Most of all, [Groskop] advocates reading for fun, and for oneself—a life lesson, indeed. His image stuck with her, and when his decomposing body was found in an unoccupied office in the building where Brottman lives, an obsession was born Mixing fascinating investigation and macabre memoir, this is a dark ride with substance.
Rave Asymptote Journal Het vogelhuis —called Bird Cottage in English—is both an engaging story about the life of an unusual woman and a work that raises philosophical, ethical, and scientific questions about animal, specifically avian, communication and consciousness This delicacy is often present in the dialogue, too, especially in the earlier chapters, in which Len is portrayed as a child and young woman.
Churchwell sometimes relies on tenuous connections to and between her yarns. Yet this book is timely and instructive. Churchwell demonstrates a lively intellect That knowledge is, of course, ultimately unknowable. Patrice Maniglier and Dork Zabunyan Trans. Positive Publishers Weekly Maniglier This work is a bit slight, but, as Foucault would undoubtedly be the first to admit, so was his writing on film.
Reimagining Freedom in the 21st Century Barbara Ransby makes the case that these disparate events are woven together in a tableau of systemic and institutionalized racism. Ransby highlights the aspects of black feminist thought that mark Black Lives Matter as distinct from earlier movements, but she is hard-pressed to explain the challenges to these ideological underpinnings that have arisen within the movement This perceptive resource on radical black liberation movements in the 21st century can inform anyone wanting to better understand why these movements sprang up or how to make social change.
Armchair travelers will relish this collective look at Marrakech through the eyes of those who know its people and culture well. The first a reader might notice is the interplay of words and images, something many writers attempt but not always with such success. Glimmerglass Girl uses classic and vintage fairy tale images to give the book an aura of innocence and nostalgia This dichotomy of delicate and strong, girl and woman, power and power distorted comes through beautifully in this debut chapbook of illustrated poems.
Pagels is a controversial figure in Christianity, heralded by many scholars and modernists yet derided by traditionalists, and her approach to God—amorphous and skeptical—will either offend or resonate with particular readers. The story of her grief, however, will touch all. A meaningful tale of pain and hope on the edges of faith. Pagels treats readers to the examined life behind her intellectual feats with extreme grace and depth. This luminous memoir strips religion to its elementary particles: She is consistently, sometimes hilariously humble.
She mentions that she started reading Greek the way one of us might mention that we started watching Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Her controversial professional triumphs and critical discoveries are recounted with head-spinning speed As she speaks of profound spiritual and religious matters, I pined for a more poetic and contemplative style, something along the order of Marilynne Robinson or Christian Wiman One gets the impression that studying herself in the crucible of grief was often the lone activity that kept her sane Pagels is as fearless as she is candid.
In the depths of her sorrow, she recalls uncanny coincidences, acts of precognition, ghostly visitations and even a confrontation with a demon one night in the hospital. These episodes are never submitted as factual evidence of supernatural intervention. Instead, Pagels offers her subjective experiences to demonstrate the way our lives are molded by ancient stories, consciously and unconsciously As in Cat out of Hell , Truss piles up ingenious plot twists, preposterous coincidences, snarky asides, and characters out of P.
Readers who can suspend their disbelief are in for quite a workout. Rave Publishers Weekly British author Truss makes her crime fiction debut with this hilarious series launch Truss successfully combines wry humor with a fair-play mystery. Rave Publishers Weekly Powerful and mind-expanding stories Those who only know Jemisin for her groundbreaking novels will be impressed all over again by her short fiction, and it serves as an excellent introduction for those unfamiliar with her work.
Rave Kirkus Passionately felt themes Positive Geekly Inc The premise of this novel is incredibly original but uses a common theme to anchor the reader: The way the author gradually moves the characters consciousness from point to point is done delicately and tastefully. I like that the author stayed away from the usual tropes, yet the imagery is beautifully gruesome The writing was beautifully crafted, meticulously well thought out.
A seriously weird—and impressively inventive—story that, while flawed, is delightfully disturbing. Often told in the first person, the stories tease the reader with echoes of historical fact and biography that slowly unfold into sociopolitical commentary.
In some tales, this cultural consciousness is overt Of note, however, is the fact that the author uses racially insensitive language which, while historically accurate and appropriate to the voices of his characters, is not his to speak. Occasionally, the author loses his way in the maze of his references, and the stories suffer from a tendency to ramble, but even the most gabby of these tales has the power to startle the reader into realizations about their own time and place that are only possible when seen through the lens of make-believe A rare book that blends fun with fury and tomfoolery with social consciousness.
This is a raucous, fantastical treat. Her students, mostly from Syria but also North Africa, range from adults to children, encompassing giggling tomboys and wistful artists alike At its root, though, Drawn to Berlin is a tale about faith Like their teacher, the refugees in the book are driven by faith—only, in their case, in a new city and a new beginning Fitzgerald adopts a complex, ambiguous style.
The people she sketches are often closed-off and hard to read. But her drawings are remarkably layered considering that she eschews grays, conveying depth and energy through thick, supple strokes of black. The anxiety-fueled story is filled with violence, darkness, and the ghosts living at the edge of reality Although Carey has his own built-in audience, this title is of a different breed; suggest it to fans of other tension-driven psychological thrillers that lap at the shore of horror.
Rave Publisher Weekly A single mother battles the seduction of her dark side in this gripping and easily devoured novel from Carey This intense thriller shows human nature in all its grimness and glory. Carey, whose boundless imagination is in fine form, explores domestic violence, its aftermath, and the transformative power of love and hate with equal aplomb.
Refreshingly, Carey resists the urge to instantly transform Liz from meek mom to brave avenger, but when Liz finally finds her footing, watch out, and the savvy but vulnerable Fran is a revelation This wonderfully strange and creepy tale is a thrilling, genre-defying treat. He has a legion of loyal fans for good reason The narrative is gritty, bleak and full of black humour. Although the 14th in the series it can be read as a standalone.
Positive Publishers Weekly Powered by nonstop action and acerbic wit Readers who can get past the decidedly nonlinear and at times downright muddled narrative will find a deeply flawed but endear- ing character whose suffering is both tragic and transformative. Positive Kirkus A tough, tender, sorrowful tour of the Bruen aquarium, with all manner of fantastic creatures swimming in close proximity and touching only the fellow creatures they want to devour. Rave Library Journal With pitch-perfect writing, McCarthy gives us a new slant on Western history, illuminating the extensive role of Irish immigrants in the U.
Army in the s. Positive Kirkus Absorbing, dark Positive Publishers Weekly A historically rich blend of mystery, morality, and brutal frontier warfare between the U. Army and the Sioux Though not for the squeamish, this is a riveting and propulsive mystery. Rave Publisher Weekly Those who read this delightfully entertaining and scientifically enlightening book about the thousands of creatures who live alongside humans will never think about their homes in the same way again.
As Dunn, an ecologist at North Carolina State University, demonstrates via his own fascinating research, houses abound with nonhuman life Throughout, he makes a compelling case for the value of biodiversity, while also conveying the excitement of scientific investigation, demonstrating that important discoveries can be made very close to home. Rave Kirkus Dunn reports on an impressively wide variety of fascinating creatures all over the world.
For example, your hot water heater is home to the same thermal-loving bacteria found in hot springs. That cricket in the basement lives a meager existence, mostly eating dead stuff. The showerhead in your bathroom is a perfect biofilm sheltering bacteria not killed by chlorination. The learning quotient is high in this fact-filled text, but there are also opportunities for learning more, since, as the author notes, specialists tend to study exotic bugs in faraway places, ignoring what is literally underfoot For a change of pace, Dunn provides a chapter on the fermenting bacteria and yeasts that give us beer, wine, and foods like kimchi and sourdough bread.
The surprise is that long-time preparers of these foods impart unique flavor to the products because their hands acquire some of the same fermenting species not normally found on skin. Of course we must chlorinate our water, wash our hands, get vaccinated, and so on, Dunn argues persuasively and entertainingly. But we also need to relax and cultivate biodiversity for the good of all life on Earth.
Rave Publishers Weekly A momentous allegorical tale of power and lust from that remains relevant in Positive Kirkus Haunting and timeless A lusciously brutal resurrected classic. This well-documented and valuable work makes clear how slavery shaped the early American experience with effects that reverberate today. Rave Kirkus In January , writes Delbanco early on in this book, a Virginia senator named James Mason introduced what would become the Fugitive Slave Act, justifying the law constitutionally. Essential background reading for anyone seeking to understand the history of the early republic and the Civil War.
Rave Publishers Weekly Burrowes opens the Rogues to Riches series with a gentle, optimistic Regency morality tale, promoting the value of looking toward the future over becoming mired in revenge This appealing volume also contains a lighthearted Christmas novella by Elizabeth Hoyt. Vincent closes with an image as ambivalent and resonant as the rest of her fine work: Imperfect but the insights outweigh the pretension. Rave Publishers Weekly [A] cannily plotted, continually surprising, and frequently funny page-turner Moriarty delivers yet another surefire winner.
The two seemingly unrelated plots centuries apart come together in the end in a neat twist.