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Great leaping lords!
C.C. Benison’s Father Christmas mysteries are not really Christmas books, at least not in terms of a warm, feel-good holiday setting and theme. The main character, Tom Christmas, is a vicar of a church in small English village, hence the name. And the series titles and storylines are following “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” having…
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From Botswana, with love and wisdom
It’s been early Christmas at my house for a few weeks now, with new books from favorite authors arriving in a steady stream. If you want to buy books as Christmas presents for friends or for yourself, the publishers are doing their best to give you plenty of worthwhile possibilities. Here’s one near the top…
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The Bennets – viewed from below
Jane Austen, who published her novels anonymously, cannot in her wildest dreams have imagined the life her works would have long after she was gone. There have been sequels, spoofs, spinoffs and retellings, movies, a mystery series starring Jane as the sleuth, the popular novel and movie The Jane Austen Book Club… And now, 200…
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From the bayous to Big Sky country
Bob Moyer has enjoyed James Lee Burke’s Davie Robicheaux novels for quite a while now. His enjoyment continues with the latest entry in the series. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer LIGHT OF THE WORLD. By James Lee Burke. Simon and Schuster. 548 pages. $27.99. Everywhere he goes, there it is – the human condition. Whether he’s in his…
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The world according to dogs and cats
Rita Mae Brown’s new book is pegged to Halloween, but it arrived at my house just a little late for me to get it read and reviewed in advance of that occasion. Not to worry; it’s a fun book to read at any time. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson THE LITTER OF THE LAW. By…
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The return of Leaphorn and Chee
For years, I loved reading Tony Hillerman’s mysteries. I enjoyed them even more after I was able to spend some time in the Southwest, the setting for his books starring two Navajo Nation police officers. I was privileged to meet Hillerman when he spoke at Elon College and generously granted an interview that lasted more…
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In tough times, loneliness and love
Jamie Ford, the son of a Chinese-American father, mines his heritage and the history of his hometown of Seattle well in his second novel. I have not read his debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, a love story about a Chinese American boy and a Japanese girl during the World War…
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Is it a ghost? Not exactly…
What a happy day it is when a favorite author resurrects a series hero who was believed to be dead! Bob Moyer takes a look at the resurrected Easy Rawlins. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer LITTLE GREEN. By Walter Mosley. Doubleday. 291 pages. $25.95. Easy Rawlins back from the dead? No, that’s not quite right.…
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Haunting tales of Afghanistan
What a remarkable, haunting book. I have not read Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling earlier novels, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, but I’ve now put them on my to-read list. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED. By Khaled Hosseini. Read by the author, Navid Negahban and Shohreh Aghdashloo. Penguin Audio. 12…
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Under the ‘stinky’ ginkgo tree
I’m always glad when Tom Dillon reviews a book for the blog. Not only is he a clear thinker and fine writer; he also reads the most interesting books, ones that might otherwise not come to our attention. Reviewed by Tom Dillon GINKGO. By Peter Crane. Yale University Press. 384 pages. $40, hardback I was…