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Art, life and wild animals in the attic
Years ago, when she wrote op-ed columns for The New York Times and I worked on a newspaper editorial page, I loved Anna Quidlen’s work. Her columns were well written and insightful, a welcome change from the humdrum, the strident and the boringly predictable that I read day in and day out. I had somehow…
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What’s next for Flavia?
Once again, I treated myself to double enjoyment of Alan Bradley’s latest Flavia de Luce novel. I read the book as soon as it arrived, because I couldn’t wait. And then when I got the audio version, I listened, because the stories are just that good, and because I love British accents and can’t do…
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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…
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Stephanie Plum, in hot pursuit of a giraffe in New Jersey?
If you want to listen to a thoroughly entertaining audio book, it’s hard to beat the combination of a Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum tale read by Lorelei King. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson TAKEDOWN TWENTY. By Janet Evanovich. Read by Lorelei King. Random House Audio. 6 hours, 5 CDs. $32. Also available in print from…
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A mothers’ pilgrimage
This year is the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I. I’ve long found the years during and after World War I particularly interesting. That’s been especially true for books set in England, where World War I profoundly changed so many things that British people had thought were constants in their world. I’ve…
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A history all Americans should read
Paul O’Connor has used the wintry weather as a good time to catch up on a book he missed when it was first published, to considerable acclaim. He’s so impressed he wants to spread the word. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS. By Isabel Wilkerson. Vintage Books. 538 pages. $16.95, softcover.…
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And who do you think you are?
Some books are so good that, having read them in print, I can’t wait to hear the story all over again in an audio version, with professionally rendered accents and inflections. Fannie Flagg’s latest novel is that kind of book. I’ve read it and listened to it, and I’m still smiling. Reviewed by Linda C.…
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Inspector Rutledge in the misty fens
Even though I’ve followed Charles Todd from the time “his” first Inspector Ian Rutledge mystery appeared in 1996, I find it hard to believe that this latest is the 16th in that series. The mother-son team that writes under the name Charles Todd manages to keep each new book fresh and intriguing, while slowly allowing…
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A Lynley mystery – in Italy
Fans of Elizabeth George’s Lynley novels will differ, as they have since George killed off Lynley’s wife, about this latest book. It’s quite long, and it takes Lynley and his partner, Barbara Havers, into their first case outside England. The story is, in fact, more about Barbara than about Lynley. I listened to the audio…
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One summer, many stories
Do interesting vignettes from a common era make for a compelling read? Paul O’Connor, journalist, professor, gentleman and history buff, among other distinctions, takes a look at Bill Bryson’s latest book. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor ONE SUMMER: AMERICA, 1927. By Bill Bryson. Doubleday. 456 pages $28.95. In the span of one summer, give…