In 1996, travel writer published Notes from a Small Island, a sort of farewell tour before moving back to the US with his family. Now, 20 years later, once again living in England, Bryson travels around the U.K. again, mostly to towns and attractions he hadn’t been to in the previous book. The Road to Little Dribbling is the story of this second trip. I’ve read all of Bryson’s travelogues, and he’s always been cranky and somewhat haughty when faced with his fellow humans’ stupidity. […]
“The world is full of happy people, but no one ever hears of them.”
There’s a certain genre of books for young girls that all follow the same formula. The protagonist has a childhood marked by deprivation, poverty, and hardships, but somehow still maintains an upbeat disposition and inner strength. She grows up (these girls are usually plain growing up, but later blossom into great beauties), finds incredible success in her chosen field, and eventually reaches a point where she no longer has to worry about money, or much of anything really. Her success may be partially attributed to […]
A Monstrous Nightmare
In 2000, writer Douglas Preston moved his family to a villa in Tuscany so he could work on a new mystery that would take place in Florence. Soon after, he discovers that a clearing near his new house was the scene of a gruesome double murder. The murder was attributed to the Monster of Florence, a serial killer who targeted young couples and was still at large. Preston abandons his novel and begins working on a nonfiction work about the Monster, teaming up with Mario […]
Born This Way
So, I really, really loved The Rook. I loved Myfanwy Thomas and I loved the Checquy. I had pretty high hopes for this sequel, and overall, it was pretty good. The overarching focus of Stiletto is the peace accords between the Checquy and the Grafters, who were the big bads in the first book. The narrative moves between Felicity Clements, a Pawn with the ability to read the past through inanimate objects, and Odette Leliefeld, who’s part of the Grafter delegation visiting London. Myfanwy shows up throughout […]