Sometimes you finish a novel and get pissed off; sometimes you are sad to see it end; sometimes you feel cheated and sometimes you immediately miss the characters and wish to continue their story. Sarah Water’s Fingersmith—the first book by her I’ve read, although not the first she published—falls into the latter category. Set in Victorian-era London, the novel tells the story of Sue Trinder, an orphan who is being raised by a woman named Mrs. Sucksby, who happens to run a “baby farm” […]
Satisfying end to the series
This is the third book in Stephen King’s Bill Hodges trilogy, so if you haven’t read the prior two I would skip this review to avoid spoilers. Full disclosure, I am a huge King fan, and while I wouldn’t say I have a bias when it comes to his stuff (he has certainly written things I haven’t enjoyed) I am naturally inclined to like his work. End of Days brings the Bill Hodges trilogy to its completion, starting with Mr. Mercedes and then […]
A long time ago, being crazy meant something. Now everybody is crazy.
Okay—here’s the thing: This book won all sorts of awards and I think I put it on my audiobook list because I saw it recommended everywhere. But here’s what bothers me: It’s a fictional portrayal of a fictional girl who was a satellite member of a fictional Manson family, but it borrows almost every detail from the real Manson family so…why bother with the fictional names for everyone and everything? Just make it straight up historical fiction at that point. I don’t know, maybe this […]
A thriller with a very dark theme
This review/book requires a trigger warning: Graphic depictions of sexual assault, rape, domestic violence and stalking This…is a tough book to recommend to anyone. And yes, you’ll see the high star rating I gave it and wonder how that jives, but my reluctance is purely over the subject matter and not the writing or characters or plot development. The novel follows Catherine Bailey, a British woman who we see alternately in her late twenties and then a few years later (depending on the chapter). […]