Disgruntled is the story of Kenya Curtis, her family, and her community in West Philly. They are, as the title suggests, disgruntled and with good reason. The story begins in the early 1980s when Kenya is about 10 and follows her for almost a decade. Solomon tells a rich, detailed, powerful story in a mere 287 pages and shows wit, intelligence and humor throughout. Themes dealing with race and class feature prominently and should engender lively discussion among readers. The novel begins with “The Way […]
Sweet though it may be, it didn’t sing.
Courtney Milan has admirably taken up the mantle not just for plucky, smart heroines, but for explicitly academic ones. Complex theory as foreplay and technical jargon as sweet nothings are part of her repertoire. It’s these details, as well as Milan’s own formidable educational achievements, that have me recommending her as gateway romance for women who think themselves above romance. (Former member of that camp here.) In addition to her superlative characterization, she also rarely stumbles on the actual romance, and when she does, often […]
Debut Harry Hole book is not bad, but contributes little to the Hole story at this late date
This is apparently the debut novel of Nesbo’s Harry Hole series, released in English only recently and after a whole raft of later Harry Hole mysteries were already long in the public domain in their English translation. While it is gratifying to learn that (1) Hole was once capable of a romantic relationship and (2) that Hole was once capable of having a whole conversation with someone, this novel doesn’t reveal a whole lot more about this morose if brilliant drunk of a detective except […]
Amped met with too many ohms
I enjoyed Amped. I previously read Robopocalypse and I liked thought I’d give it a shot as a quick break between my non-fiction audiobooks. Amped gave me exactly that. In fact I was straight HOOKED after the first few chapters but it faded as I continued. Amped starts with a schoolteacher named Owen Gray who has a device implanted in his brain. Owen was in an accident as a child and developed epilepsy as a result. His implant prevents seizures and allows him to function […]