Firefly LaneKristin HannahSt. Martin’s Press, 2008 (ISBN 0312364083)Fiction, 496 pages First sentence: They used to be called the Firefly Lane girls. Book Description: They were known as the Firefly Lane girls — a single, inseparable unit. On the surface, they were as opposite as two people could be. Kate, doomed to be uncool, had a loving family. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, had a secret home life that was destroying her. The best friends […]
Last weekend was about babies, in one way or another. Baby Proof Emily GiffinSt. Martin’s Griffin (paperback) 2007 (ISBN 0312348657)Fiction, 368 pages First sentence: I never wanted to be a mother. Book description: First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes….a baby carriage? Isn’t that what all women want? Not so for Claudia Parr. And just as she gives up on finding a man who feels the same way, she meets warm, wonderful Ben. Things […]
So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate ReadingSara NelsonBerkeley Trade (paperback), 2004 (ISBN 0425198197)Books and reading, memoir; 256 pages First Sentence: Call me Insomniac. Book Description: “Sometimes subtle, sometimes striking, the interplay between our lives and our books is the subject of this unique memoir by well-known publishing correspondent and self-described “readaholic” Sara Nelson. From Solzhenitsyn to Laura Zigman, Catherine M. to Captain Underpants, the result is a personal chronicle of insight, […]
Stay Tuned for this week’s Booking Through Thursday immediately following this review!______________________________________________This was the last selection of 2007 for Book Club, and the topic of conversation for our first meeting of the New Year. The Florist’s DaughterPatricia HamplHarcourt, 2007 (ISBN 0151012571)Memoir; 240 pagesFirst Sentence: For once, no flowers. Book Description: “During the long farewell of her mother’s dying, Patricia Hampl revisits her Midwestern girlhood. Daughter of a debonair Czech father, whose floral work gave him […]
The last book read in 2007 was finished at 9:30 AM on January 1 and becomes the subject of the first review posted in 2008. The review format is somewhat new, borrowed and adapted from Literary Feline. The Emperor’s ChildrenClaire Messud Vintage paperback, 2007 (ISBN 978-0-27666-7)Fiction; 479 pgs First Sentence: “Darlings! Welcome! And you must be Danielle?” Sleek and small, her wide eyes rendered enormous by kohl, Lucy Leverett, in spite of her resemblance to […]
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia Elizabeth Gilbert As she mentions in her responses to the FAQ on her website, Elizabeth Gilbert is aware that not everyone gets the opportunity to travel the world on a personal discovery (and recovery) mission paid for by a book advance, but as a reader, I’m glad she was able to. At thirty, Liz faced the painful realization that the life she […]
The Man of My DreamsCurtis Sittenfeld I read Curtis Sittenfeld’s first novel, Prep, earlier this year, and it earned a place on my personal “best first novels” list. Her second book, The Man of My Dreams, avoids the archetypal “sophomore slump,” but it didn’t hit me in quite the same way. One reason for that is probably the choice of third-person narration in this novel, which always has less of a sense of immediacy to […]
A Thousand Splendid SunsKhaled Hosseini Although I can’t truly say I loved The Kite Runner, I’m pretty sure I would have eventually read A Thousand Splendid Suns, but since this is the November pick for my book club, I read it sooner rather than later. This isn’t a sequel to The Kite Runner, despite the similarities in their covers, unless you consider Afghanistan a character in both novels – which it is, but I didn’t […]
His Lovely Wife, by Elizabeth Dewberry I was intrigued by my introduction to this novel as a DearReader.com Fiction Book Club selection earlier this year, which prompted me to buy a copy to finish it. I chose it as my pick for my offline Book Club to read for our September meeting, and we just met to discuss the book on Friday night. By consensus, this isn’t going to go on record as one of […]
Interred With Their BonesJennifer Lee CarrellThe question of “Who wrote all those Shakespeare plays?” has circulated for at least a couple of centuries. I vaguely recall doing a research paper on the topic back in college, well over 20 years ago. It arises because of a belief that what’s known about the person of William Shakespeare – which isn’t very much, other than a fairly humble background and a career as an actor – doesn’t […]
Happiness Sold SeparatelyLolly Winston Elinor and Ted Mackey have been unsuccessfully trying to have a baby for awhile, and the strain on their marriage leaves Ted open to an affair with Gina, the personal trainer at his gym. Elinor’s discovery of the affair sets a series of breakups, reconciliations, and realignments of relationships. Despite the overly dramatic plot summary, Winston conveys the story with humor and humanity, as she shifts viewpoints among the three main […]
The Good LifeJay McInerney When I was young, I often re-read my favorite books. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become far less likely to do so, probably due to a combination of less time to read in the first place and so many appealing new books I haven’t gotten to yet. Brightness Falls by Jay McInerney is one of the few novels I’ve read multiple times since I left my 20’s. Russell and Corrine Calloway […]
