Cold-Hearted Rake (2015) is Lisa Kleypas’s latest historical romance. I was already warned that it was disappointing for a Kleypas novel, so I went in with lower expectations. And it’s a good thing that I did, as I wasn’t drawn in by the characters. Although some of the side characters were entertaining, this one is pretty forgettable. Kathleen was married to an Earl for three days–an Earl from a family known for their temper, risk-taking, and short lives. Devon Ravenel, a supposed but not very convincing […]
A woman like me in at least one way
I’ve had I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales From a Happy Life Without Kids (2013) on my to-read list for quite a while. But with so many other books to read, I never got around to it. That is, until I finally picked up the audio version and started listening on my, lately, significantly increased drive time. The subject of this memoir by stand-up comedian Jen Kirkman is pretty obvious from the title. Kirkman shortly describes her life, from right after college, deciding to […]
One of my favorite duos in literature
Career of Evil (2015) is Galbraith/J.K. Rowling’s third novel following private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant-cum-partner, Robin Ellacott. I discovered this series through my book club when we read The Cuckoo’s Calling. I followed it up by reading The Silkworm on my own. Each book has a self-contained, engaging, and complex murder mystery. The connection between all three books is the relationship between Cormoran and Robin. Robin starts working for Cormoran in the first book, she becomes more indispensable to him in the second, and they […]
Not the brightest point in American history
I know Isabel Allende from Daughter of Fortune and Zorro, so when I saw The Japanese Lover (2015) at Costco, I was immediately interested. Alma Belasco is a young, privileged, Jewish girl in Poland. As WWII ramps up to its destructive beginnings, Alma’s family sends her to her rich uncle in San Francisco, where she is safe, but alone, lonely and miserable. Her two companions become her cousin, Nick, and the Japanese-American son of the family’s gardener, Ichimei Fukuda. Alma and Ichi soon become inseparable. After the bombing […]