Tag: contemporary novels

  • Travels with Tooly

    Some books are just made to be read aloud. This one is a great story, and I’m sure it’s enjoyable when read in print. But in its audio form, it’s utterly captivating. I quickly felt that the reader, Penelope Rawlins, was a dear friend, telling me a fascinating story – one that I didn’t want…

  • RLS and Fanny: A literary love story

    I had begun to read this novel in print – and gotten thoroughly hooked on it – when two things happened: A copy of the audio version arrived, and I had to make a solo road trip. I switched to listening, and I can attest that whether read or heard, Nancy Horan’s new book is…

  • A debut novel that shines

    Here’s another offering by the indefatigable Anne Barnhill, who’s hard at work on her next novel of Tudor England, but kindly takes time out to review books for Briar Patch.  By Anne Barnhill  SHINE, SHINE, SHINE.  By Lydia Netzer. St. Martin’s Press. 309 pages. $24.99, hardback.  Lydia Netzer’s debut novel, Shine, Shine, Shine, is unlike…