Wanderlust is Elizabeth Eaves’ memoir of her travels from her late teen years to her mid-30s, and like any travel memoir it suffers somewhat from the delusions of grandeur of its main character/author. The friend who lent it to me did so with the disclaimer that, “she’s a bit pretentious, but aren’t all travel writers? I think you have to be in order to think that other people are going to be interested in your travel diary.” My friend is not wrong. I love to […]
A Long, Violent Look at the Not-So-Distant Past
Verdict: A rewarding read, but definitely not for everyone. Review: Its hard to know where to start with a review, as this book was a LOT: a lot of book awards (including the Booker), a lot of characters, a lot of narrators, a lot of violence (way more than 7 killings), a lot of the CIA messing around in 3rd world countries, and a whole lot of pages (almost 700!). Moreover, that ‘a lot’ hits you right away, kicking off with a 4 page cast […]
THUG Life Well Worth Reading
Verdict: Angie Thomas’ first book is a gem. Although aimed at young adults (YA), it is sharply written, entertaining and packs a real punch on social issues. Review: A member of my book club chose this for our first read of 2019 and I’m so glad she did. I was reluctant to dive in because I thought the subject matter- the police shooting of a young black man and ensuing fallout – would be heavy. While the subject matter was heavy, and deservedly so given […]
The Forgotten is Not One to Remember
This was the first Faye Kellerman novel that I’ve read, and my reasons for starting off the 2019 CBR challenge with it were two-fold: 1) I love a good mystery/ detective fiction novel; and 2) this was on my bookshelf one of my 2019 goals is to read through the books I already own. Unfortunately, this novel never quite gelled for me. It wasn’t horrible- I was invested enough to finish and find out ‘who done it’- but I also won’t be seeking out any […]