I don’t fall in love with fictional characters often, but when I do, they’re usually written by Stephanie Perkins. Okay, that’s kind of a lie. I fall in love with fictional characters constantly, but no one writes modern YA romance like Perkins does. Isla is the last of three interconnected love stories, and if you haven’t read the first two, I highly recommend them. They’re not necessary before starting this, but I think reading them will heighten your enjoyment of Isla, with better understanding of a few […]
A Study in Ambiguous Endings and Disappointment
The Patron Saint of Liars is a book I’ve seen kicking around for years. I’ve always told myself that one day I’ll get around to reading it and finally the time came. I didn’t know what to expect going in, other than the blurb about it taking place at a home for unwed mothers in the 60s and 70s. The narrative structure rotates through three main points of view. Rose, the not-so-unwed mother who leaves her husband when she finds out she’s pregnant. Just takes […]
“Fitting together is something you work at. It’s something you make happen—because you love each other.”
This isn’t the first review of Rainbow Rowell’s new novel, Landline, and I know it won’t be the last. People around here seem to dig her writing, and with good reason. She knows how to twist words that get you in the gut and I’ve never read anyone who describes the first flush of love the way this woman does. Normally when I finish a book, I take some time to process it, but with this one I’m just diving in. Landline was waiting in […]
If you’re at all familiar with Anthony Bourdain, you’ll know what you’re in for when you crack open this book. Biting humor, liberal cursing, and some of the most eloquent food porn I’ve ever read. I haven’t checked out any of his other books yet, so I was going in based on the public persona I’ve seen from TV (The Taste is my show, y’all.). I wasn’t surprised in the least that I loved and devoured this book. I’m never going to be anywhere need […]