The Post-Birthday World: A Novel (P.S.) Lionel Shriver Harper Perennial, 2008 (paperback) (ISBN 0061187895 / 9780061187896) Fiction, 544 pages First sentence: What began as a coincidence had crystallized into a tradition: on the sixth of July, they would have dinner with Ramsey Action on his birthday. Book description: Children’s book illustrator Irina McGovern enjoys a quiet and settled life in London with her partner, fellow American expatriate Lawrence Trainer, a smart, loyal, disciplined intellectual at […]

Disclosure: This review is based on an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) I received through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers Program. My Husband’s Sweethearts Bridget Asher Delacorte Press, 2008 (hardcover) (ISBN 038534189X / 9780385341899) Fiction, 288 pages First Sentence: Careening past airline counters toward the security check-in, I’m explaining love and its various forms of failure to Lindsay, my assistant. Book Description: When Lucy discovered that her charming, cheating husband was dying, she came home, opened up his […]

The Great Man Kate Christensen Anchor Books, 2008 (paperback) (ISBN 0307277348 / 9780307277343) Fiction, 320 pages First Sentence: “It’s amazing how well you can live on very little money,” said Teddy St. Cloud to Henry Burke over her shoulder as she strode into the kitchen of her Brooklyn row house. Book Description: Oscar Feldman, the renowned figurative painter, has passed away. As his obituary notes, Oscar is survived by his wife, Abigail, their son, Ethan, […]

(Disclaimer: This review was based on an Advance Reading Copy [ARC] provided directly to me by the author.) No One You Know Michelle Richmond Delacorte Press, 2008, hardcover (ISBN 0385340133 / 9780385340137) Fiction, 320 pages First sentence: When I found him at last, I had long ago given up the search. Book Description: No One You Know is the story of Ellie Enderlin, a woman who has spent the last two decades trying to rebuild […]

Veil of Roses Laura Fitzgerald Bantam, 2006 (paperback) (ISBN 0553383884 / 9780553383881) Fiction, 320 pages First Sentence: As I walk past the playground on my way to downtown Tucson, I overhear two girls teasing a third: Jake and Ella sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Three sentences from Page 123 Book Description: Tamila Soroush wanted it all. But in Iran, hope is a dangerous thing for a girl. That’s why a one-way plane ticket to America […]

Then We Came to the End: A Novel Joshua Ferris Back Bay Books, 2008 (paperback) (ISBN 031601639X / 9780316016391) Fiction, 416 pages First Sentence: We were fractious and overpaid. Three sentences from Page 123 Book Description: The characters in Then We Came To The End cope with a business downturn in the time-honored way: through gossip, secret romance, elaborate pranks, and increasingly frequent coffee breaks. By day they compete for the best office furniture left […]

Michael Tolliver Lives Armistead Maupin Harper Perennial, 2008 (paperback) (ISBN 0060761369 / 9780060761363) Fiction, 320 pages First Sentence: Not long ago, down on Castro Street, a stranger in a Giants parka gave me a loaded glance as we passed each other in front of Cliff’s Hardware. Description: Michael Tolliver, the sweet-spirited Southerner in Armistead Maupin’s classic Tales of the City series, is arguably one of the most widely loved characters in contemporary fiction. Now, almost […]