Solar by Ian McEwan


In the beginning an entertaining read but ultimately one of McEwan's lesser works. Read Atonement, Enduring Love, or Amsterdam instead.Click here for the NY Times review.

Popular posts from this blog

the throwback special by chris bachelder

Image
I'm not a team sports enthusiast. Truly, I'm vehemently anti-athletics of the team variety, since, among more virtuous geopolitical reasons, they remind me of being tortured by jocks as a new wave teen. Still, I relished Bachelder's book, because it isn't really about organized sport. Rather, it's a near-scientific observation of twenty-two men in the throes of middle life who have gathered annually for the last sixteen years to reenact Joe Theismann's 1985 leg-shattering play, known as "The Throwback Special," laced with heavy doses of bittersweet humor - a favorite flavor of mine. Those of you who miss the pleasure of eavesdropping on humans conversing in public spaces* will appreciate the low- and high-brow overheard philosophical gems sprinkled throughout the work as the men, largely begrudgingly, prepare for a ritual many of them are no longer emotionally invested in. Reading it felt like the best kind of being invisible: reader as witness to a c...
Read more

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Image
Nancy Werlin's unusual book is a stunning mix of romance, fantasy, and suspense. Lucy Scarborough is a practical, strong, and engaging heroine busy fighting a family curse with the help of her amazing parents and boyfriend. This is essentially a story about the strength of true love in the most impossible of situations. Grade 8+ Don't miss the all the extras for Impossible at Nancy Werlin's website . Recommend this one to fans of Kristin Cashore's Graceling .
Read more

Hello, Again by Max Estes

Image
Fans of Craig Thompson will enjoy this short book by Max Estes . Willy lives with guilt: he blames himself for his fathers' affair with the babysitter and is having his own dalliance with his best friend's fiancee. Along comes a ghost from the past, who packs his own punch - he's the guy in the boat that disappeared when Willy and his friends set him off to sea as part of a childhood prank. When the man pops out of a hole in the ground to say hello Max is forced to deal with what happened during his youth. Este's drawings are simple yet convey plenty of emotion. A quick sweet read about letting go and forgiving yourself.
Read more