Month: March 2011

  • Coffee and friendship in Kabul

    This book was a delight to listen to on CD, except for one thing – the primary setting is a coffeehouse in Kabul, Afghanistan, and I kept craving a really good cup of coffee whenever driving and “reading.” So far, I listen to audio books only when driving by myself. I know some people listen…

  • Old blue eyes and golden voice

    Paul O’Connor has discovered that a new book about “The Voice” reveals a lot about Sinatra the man. By Paul T. O’Connor FRANK: THE VOICE. By James Kaplan. Doubleday. 718 pages. $35, hardcover. Siriously Sinatra, the satellite radio station dedicated to American standards, occasionally plays a live cut that contemporary listeners probably find offensive but…

  • No. 2 in the spotlight

    Bob Moyer is prowling the mean streets again. By Robert Moyer THE SENTRY. By Robert Crais. Putnam. 320 pages. $26.95. For most of his life between the pages, Robert Crais’ Joe Pike has played a terse Tonto to Elvis Coles’ loose-lipped Lone Ranger.  Joe has a symbiotic albeit secondary relationship — Elvis detects, Joe protects.…

  • Mrs. Hemingway (No. 1) has her say

    This novel has already hit The New York Times best-seller list, and no wonder. By Linda Brinson THE PARIS WIFE. By Paula McLain.  Ballantine Books. 320 pages. $25. You might wonder why Paula McLain would write a novel about a subject that has been so thoroughly covered by other writers, but I am delighted that…

  • Victorian England as you’ve never seen it

    If you’re looking for a fictional change of pace, and want a heroine who’s definitely not like the girl next door, Carol K. Carr’s debut novel may be just your cup of tea – or perhaps, more aptly, your glass of whiskey. By Linda C. Brinson INDIA BLACK: A Novel of Espionage Mystery. By Carol…

  • A breakout book?

    Anne Barnhill, who spends much of her literary time these days in 16th-century England, steps into a different world to review a book by a fellow North Carolina writer. By Anne Barnhill THE BANKER’S GREED. By p.m. terrell and T. Randy Stevens. Drake Valley Press, Palari Publishing. 441 pages. $16.95, paperback. p.m. terrell is a…

  • Of witches and satire and a universe

    Steve Wishnevsky takes a look at the latest book in the Discworld series, one in the subset of Tiffany Aching books. The Tiffany Aching books are technically classified as young-adult novels, suitable for high-school age readers. But as Wishnevsky well knows, that classification just means teenagers will also enjoy the books, not that older adults…

  • Charles Todd – Two authors, two series

    Charles Todd – Two authors, two series

    Those who have access to the Greensboro News & Record can find my review of Charles Todd’s latest Inspector Rutledge mystery, A Lonely Death there today. And they also can read my interview with Charles Todd. Fans of Charles Todd will know that Charles Todd is the pen name for two people, a mother and…

  • The power of faith unites a power couple

    Residents of the Piedmont Triad take note: The authors of this book will be coming to Winston-Salem Saturday, April 2, for a “conversation” sponsored by the BookMarks organization, with support from Centenary United Methodist Church.  Expect a lively exchange about politics from the view of two people in the know, as well as about marriage…

  • Death by incompetence

    Fellow displaced journalist Paul O’Connor (OK, OK, I fired him, but THEY made me do it) reviews a novel about the death of a newspaper. Just reading the review made me sad, but I think I’ll give the book a try anyway. By Paul T. O’Connor THE IMPERFECTIONISTS: A NOVEL.  By Tom Rachman. Dial Press.…