Time for an update of what I've been reading lately: three recent publications by women writers that are each, in their own way, unusual and engrossing reads. First up: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, her first novel since The Night Circus, which was a favorite of mine. With The Starless Sea, Morgenstern has written a deeply felt and … Continue reading What I’ve Been Reading: Books by Women
Notebook
If you're a Generation X'er (or older), you may remember that golden age of horror during the 1970s and 1980s, when cheesy paperbacks with titles in red metallic fonts and lurid cover art were all over supermarket and drugstore racks. Grady Hendrix's Paperbacks from Hell (2017) is a nostalgia-inducing collection of these covers, as well … Continue reading For Horror Connoisseurs: Paperbacks from Hell
Synergy is a word that has been damaged by overuse, particularly in corporate communications where it is deployed as a buzz word devoid of real meaning. If I were editing a corporate communications document, I'd probably replace this word with a synonym because it is most likely meaningless jargon in that context. Which is a … Continue reading Word of the Day: Synergy
A recent episode of Hidden Brain podcast (NPR), Spoiler Alert! The Psychology of Surprise Endings, was a fascinating dive into why we love plot twists and we actually derive satisfaction from being fooled. It discusses two long-time favorite films, The Sixth Sense and The Unusual Suspects, and gives us insight into the ever-popular unreliable narrator.
This is a series of reviews of my favorite books published between 2010 and 2019. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (2013) Burial Rites is based on the true story of Agnes Magnusdottier, the last person to be executed in Iceland, in 1830. The story depicts Agnes's last weeks when a farming family is forced to take … Continue reading Favorite Books of the 2010s: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
This is a series of reviews of my favorite books published between 2010 and 2019. These are shorter reviews of good reads published in 2019. The Institute by Stephen King (2019) Solid King entertainment. True to form, once I was hooked I couldn't put it down. King gives his characters heart in a way that so … Continue reading Favorite Books of the 2010s: Quick Takes of 2019 Novels
This is a series of reviews of my favorite books published between 2010 and 2019. The Body Lies by Jo Baker (2019) From its opening, when a young woman is sexually assaulted by a stranger on the street, this story has a subtle but growing sense of menace and dread. That one event starts a chain … Continue reading Favorite Books of the 2010s: The Body Lies by Jo Baker
This is a series of reviews of my favorite books published between 2010 and 2019. These are shorter reviews of good reads published in 2018. The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander (2018) I thought this was a lovely short book with a strong message of empowerment. The narrative weaves together the perspectives from prehistory, … Continue reading Favorite Books of the 2010s: Quick Takes of 2018 Novels
This is a series of reviews of my favorite books published between 2010 and 2019. The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell (2018) The original British title of this old-fashioned horror tale is The Corset, which I think is much more fitting than The Poison Thread. Not only does a corset feature prominently in the story, but … Continue reading Favorite Books of the 2010s: The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell
This is a series of reviews of my favorite books published between 2010 and 2019. Foe by Iain Reid (2018) Foe has a claustrophobic setting, an old farmhouse out in the middle of unending canola fields, and it has only three primary characters: Junior, the narrator; his wife, Hen; and a visitor, Terrance. Terrance shows up … Continue reading Favorite Books of the 2010s: Foe by Iain Reid
