Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith: Book Review

Mma Ramotswe has just gotten engaged to Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni. But she’s not going to let a little thing like that change her life too much. She’s still running her business and solving mysteries with her unique blend of luck, insight, persistence, and wisdom. I’m missing something. I know I am. Too many […]

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The Exile of Sara Stevenson by Darci Hannah: Book Review

Sara Stevenson has shamed her family and has been exiled to a remote Scottish island for months. Along with her lady’s maid, Kate; Kate’s husband; and the lightkeeper, William, she will have to weather a long winter, unsure of the fate of her lover. I thought this was pretty good. It’s not exactly my typical […]

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Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West: Book Review

Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West Book Cover

Renata DeChavannes is reeling from personal loss. She runs home to her grandmother in Alabama, seeking answers to questions about her mother. I don’t have a lot to say except that I can’t help but feel like this has been done before. Younger generation, digging in the past, looking for parents’ secrets. Sound familiar? I’m […]

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Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews: Book Review

Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews Book Cover

Old friends Ellis, Julia, and Dorie have rented a beach house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a month. They’ve realized that their lives are moving along quickly and they want to spend some time together again. Ellis makes the arrangements and they all show up for a lazy vacation for the month […]

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A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah: Book Review

Ishmael Beah was about 12 years old when Sierra Leone’s civil war found him. He and his brother were visiting friends in a neighboring town and got cut off from their family. Their world descends into chaos and they are left trying to survive on their own. Oh my gosh. This was just heartbreaking. I […]

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This is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz: Book Review

Yunior has cheated one too many times. The smartass Dominican narrator of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is just not in a good place. In a series of short stories set around different events in his life, he reflects on how he has arrived at this point. This is so hard for me […]

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Oral History by Lee Smith: Book Review

The Cantrell family has lived in Hoot Owl Holler in the mountains of Virginia for as long as anyone can remember. They love hard, play hard, and suffer deeply. There doesn’t seem to be any in-between for them. Oral History follows…let’s call it three…generations of Cantrells, starting with handsome Almarine and his run-in with a […]

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The Host by Stephenie Meyer: Book Review

In a future that strongly resembles Invasion of the Body Snatchers, humans are an endangered species. A militantly peaceful race of extraterrestrials known as “souls” has decided that the passionately violent humans don’t deserve to live on the Earth. So they have calmly taken over the vast majority of human bodies. Sometime after the aliens […]

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The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig: Book Review

Laura Grey is tired of her life as a governess, so she joins forces with The Pink Carnation. After the requisite training, she is sent to work as a governess for Andre Jaouen, a high-ranking official in the French Ministry of Police. She’s also tasked with finding out any information that might be of use […]

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