Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain
When a reviewer declares that Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, “is as close to the Great American Novel as anyone is likely to come these days,” I am leery. Not […]
American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15
Lest you think I read nothing but crime novels (mostly true!) I read and recommendAmerican Gun: The True Story of the AR-15, which sounds provocative and dull. It is neither. […]
All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle
Hubert Bird is a busy retiree in London—lots of friends, bingo, and outings to the garden center. Or at least that’s what he tells his daughter in their weekly phone […]
All In by Billie Jean King
I was inspired to read Billie Jean King’s autobiography, All In, after listening to a terrific interview with eighty-year-old BJK on the Wiser Than Me podcast. Other than the highlights, […]
An Artist of the Floating World
If you enjoyed The Remains of the Day, I recommend Kazuo Ishiguro’s earlier novel, An Artist of the Floating World (©1986) which also features an unreliable narrator and explores many […]
Americans In Paris by Charles Glass
Before the Second World War, approximately thirty thousand Americans lived in Paris. When war broke out in 1939, that number had been reduced to five thousand, many of whom continued […]
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“Dear Non-American Black, when you make the choice to come to America, you become black. Stop arguing. Stop saying I’m Jamaican or I’m Ghanaian. America doesn’t care.” The heroine of […]
The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym by Paula Byrne
As much as I love buying a new book, the chance to “shop my bookshelves” often provides equal joy! Recently a new biography of the British novelist Barbara Pym (1913-1980) […]
At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
Although Bill Bryson’s most well know book is A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bryson is not a traditional historian. He does not offer illuminating insights or new interpretations of […]
An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
If you enjoy historical mysteries, you’ll appreciate the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. Set in England between the wars, Maisie is a former domestic servant, whose current career as psychologist […]