Literary Criticism
-
Review: Dim Sum of All Fears (A Noodle Shop Mystery #2) by Vivien Chien
Earlier this year I got in on the ground floor of this sweet and sour mystery series and I loved it. The Noodle Shop Mysteries offer something on the exotic side when it comes to cozy mysteries as they have a distinct Asian flare—-if you couldn’t tell from the title! What I love about Chien’s writing style is that she is to the point and brisk but not so brisk that she’s impersonal. This was just the light murder mystery that I needed as the summer days become shorter. Welcome back to Ho-Lee Noodle House, where you can get fantastic take-out. . .unless you get taken out first. Lana Lee…
-
Review: Ghosted by Rosie Walsh
This was yet another book that I considered passing on. I sounded like it was going to be more of a thriller and as I said before on one of my other reviews, I have read a ton of thrillers lately and I am just kind of over done. Then this book started showing up all over my Instagram and once again I gave into peer pressure and decided to review it. I was taking the train up to Seattle and needed something that was going to be a quick read and I was kind of in the mood for a thriller. Let’s get this out of the way now…..this…
-
Review: Our House by Louise Candlish
This is another book thats been all over my Instagram for the last month or so. I was approached a few months ago to read it and put it on my calendar for late summer and then moved on to other books. When it came time to read this one, I had kind of forgotten about it but then I started seeing these posts on Instagram and was like ‘OMG I need to read this book!’. Then I remembered that I was supposed to be reading this one, and soon! So I started to get excited! There’s nothing unusual about a new family moving in at 91 Trinity Avenue. Except…
-
Review: The Ancient Nine by Ian Smith
So I mostly picked up this book because it was set at Harvard. My sister works there and I’ve been back to visit and it makes such a great setting for any number of books. I was intrigued by the title and the mysterious club that this book centers around. Spencer Collins thinks his life at Harvard will be all about basketball and pre-med; hard workouts and grinding work in class. The friends he’s made when he hits the storied ivy-clad campus from a very different life in urban Chicago are a happy bonus. But Spencer is about to be introduced to the most mysterious inner sanctum of the inner…
-
Review: Tiffany Blues by M.J. Rose
I’ve been a fan of M.J. Rose for quite some time. She always writes really rich and atmospheric novels of romance and historical fiction blended together. I love her Reincarnationist series is really fun but I got hooked on her books with her Daughters of La Lune books! She has this great storytelling style that never seems to fail in any of her series’. She always has this velvety tone and it never fails to hook me. So when this book came up for review, to say I was thrilled was a complete understatement. More like I was swooning at not only the fact that a new MJ Rose novel…
-
Review: An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
This was a book that I originally passed on but then changed my mind. I have been seeing this book all over my Instagram and I caved under the peer pressure! When I passed on it, it was mostly because my review schedule was really tight for August, but I had also been reading a ton of thrillers and I was kind of ready for a break. But as I said, I have zero self control sometimes so I caved and decided to review this one and fit it in when I could. As luck would have it, I finished one of my August books suer early so I was…
-
Review: The Hawkweed Legacy (Hawkweed Prophecy #2) by Irena Brignull
When I was pitched this book, I thought this was the first in the series. I loosely read the summary and just assumed that it was the first one. So let’s get this out of the way first—read the first book in the series before you read this book. It’s hard for me to write a review for this one because it’s very clearly part of a series and was meant to be read by people who had read the first book. With that in mind, I could have backed out and said I would rather wait and read the first one before writing a review, but I made a…
-
Review: Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding (Her Royal Spyness #12) by Rhys Bowen
The Royal Spyness mystery series is one that has been gifted and recommended to me more times than I can count. I literally have three copies of the first book from my mom because she keeps forgetting that she already recommended it to me. So clearly it’s a book that people want me to read. I just haven’t thought about it when I am looking for something to read. I am no stranger to Rhys Bowen’s books though. She writes beautifully and I love reading her stand alone books! Finally, after all this time, I picked up a Royal Spyness mystery…..about twelve books too late!
-
Review: The House at Saltwater Point (Lavender Tides #2) by Colleen Coble
I like books with interesting mysterious titles. This book, in combination with the cover, said mystery to me. I love the dark, brooding colors and scenery on the cover of this book and in many ways, it reminded me of a more modern Mary Stewart novel, so I was eager to read it. Ellie Blackmore is making a name for herself as a house flipper. But when her sister Mackenzie disappears, Ellie can’t focus on anything but uncovering what happened. Her only clue is the bloodstain on the deck of Mackenzie’s boat. Ellie knows her sister isn’t on the best of terms with her ex-husband, Jason, but he wouldn’t kill…
-
Review: Beautiful Exiles by Meg Waite Clayton
I watched this absolutely wonderful HBO miniseries called Hemingway and Gellhorn in 2012. I had major movie hangover after watching it. IMBD users didn’t seem to like it as much as I did, but for whatever reason this movie just resonated with me and I was fascinated by this couple I knew nothing about. I knew that Hemingway was moody and an all around asshole but that he wrote beautifully. Full disclosure, I haven’t read a single Hemingway book—-but I’ve read enough Hemingway quotes to discern that he’s a brilliant writer. The person I didn’t really know much about though was Martha Gellhorn. In the film she seemed like a…