Book Review: The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Marion Zimmer Bradley creates King Arthur’s story from a female-centric viewpoint in The Mists of Avalon. Instead of focusing on the men—Arthur, Lancelet, the various Knights—she uses the perspectives of the women in their lives. Her main characters are Arthur’s wife...Book Review: Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
In Disappearing Earth, author Julia Phillips transports the missing girl trope to a unique location. On the Kamchatka Peninsula in Eastern Russia, life is hard. It combines both modern conveniences like cell phones, and long-established behaviors like misogyny. So...Book Review: The Solstice Bride by Jacqueline Simonds (The Heirs of Camelot #2)
The Solstice Bride, the second in the Heirs to Camelot series from Jacqueline Simonds, picks up twenty years after the end of The Midsummer Wife. Twenty years! Imagine my disappointment when she didn’t immediately jump in and explain her cliffhanger. But in the end I...Book Review: Over-Diagnosed by H. Gilbert Welch, M.D.
Over-Diagnosed: Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health is a physician researchers’ perspective on the state of medical practice in the United States. It was published in 2011, so some of the information is dated. But the fundamental questions raised by H....Book Review: The Midsummer Wife by Jacqueline Simonds (The Heirs of Camelot #1)
Jacqueline Simonds offers an urban fantasy with a side helping of Arthurian legend in The Midsummer Wife. It’s a tantalizing reading combination, especially in a time when we know our leaders by their tweets rather than by their ancestry. Set in the near future, the...Book Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Eleanor Oliphant is the oddest of odd ducks, created by Gail Honeyman in her 2017 debut novel, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Thanks to my IRL book group for suggesting it, as I probably wouldn’t have read it without them. Eleanor has a way with words. In fact,...Book Review: Barbarian Days by William Finnegan
William Finnegan combines several genres in Barbarian Days, despite its subtitle of A Surfing Life. It’s part discussion of surfing theory, combined with travelogue, buddy road trip, and memoir. Finnegan covers a lot of his life, starting in his pre-teen years and...Book Review: You Are Awesome by Neil Pasricha
Neil Pasricha followed a unique path to fame and fortune. He tells plenty of his own story in his latest book, which focuses on resilience. You Are Awesome: How to Navigate Change, Wrestle with Failure, and Live an Intentional Life was a mixed bag for me. Ultimately...Book Review: Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin
Alexis Schaitkin unspools a story of that 18-year-old we all know. The one with buckets of confidence and virtually no experience. Who wants to be thought well of, while never giving their parents the time of day. Who rolls her eyes, shows off her body, and keeps...Book Review: The Art of Sherlock Holmes – USA Edition
Phil Growick conceived and curated The Art of Sherlock Holmes – USA Edition. The premise is simple. Collect a group of Sherlockian tales by accomplished writers familiar with the genre. Then ask world-class artists to each create a work of art that reflects one...Book Review: An Unlikely Journey by Julián Castro
Julián Castro is another of the 2020 Democratic Presidential candidates. But his 2018 book, An Unlikely Journey, isn’t about the campaign. It contains no specific platforms or policies. Instead, it’s one man’s unique origin story. Unless you count that his identical...Book Review: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
I wanted to love the new Gilead book from Margaret Atwood. I wanted that so much. And it didn’t happen for me. She tells a tale that pales in comparison to both The Handmaid’s Tale book and television series. It’s not gritty, suspenseful, or driven by compelling...Book Review: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Rebecca Roanhorse crafts a unique fantasy tale in Trail of Lightning. The world she creates is in the near future, but has undergone some big physical and metaphysical changes. Heroine Maggie Hoskie survives The Big Water (catastrophic flooding caused by climate...Book Review: X by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone #24)
X is the second-to-last Kinsey Millhone book from Sue Grafton. Although is was published in 2015, the action happens in 1989. As always, I smile at the things Kinsey has to do to make a phone call. It’s a reminder of what some people call “simpler days.” Unless, like...Book Review: A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
Christina Baker Kline opens the doors and invites us into the farmhouse in Andrew Wyeth’s iconic painting, Christina’s World. This fictional work offers readers a chance to understand the world of the Maine residents he painted. It’s not about Wyeth very much,...Currently reading
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