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A lot of fun, with fringe benefits
Paul O’Connor reports that while the temperatures have been up around 103 degrees in North Carolina, the highs have been in the low 70s in Portland, Ore., where he’s visiting. Maybe that’s why he has energetically written another book review, putting me to shame. I’ve been reading and listening, but not doing much writing. I’m…
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Spies, air raids, Churchill – and a young lady who can handle them all
I like fiction that deals with fairly recent history and sometimes includes real people. Maybe that’s because most of the history courses I had in school stopped at about the beginning of the 20th century, so fiction grounded in fact helps to fill in the gaps. Maybe it’s because the links between what happened in…
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Isaac Bell to the rescue
Here’s another fine example of how listening to audio books to pass the time while driving has led me to a delightful discovery, a series of books I’d happily read in the print version, under other circumstances. But since this book was both well written and a perfect candidate for a dramatic reading, I thoroughly…
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Kellerman: Double the pleasure
Fresh from his triumph at the opening in Winston-Salem of the delightful show from his art collection, “Howard Sam and Bob – A Life With Relics,” Bob Moyer has written a pair of reviews of works by one of his (many) favorite authors. He takes a look at the new print novel out from Johnathan…
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Mosley’s latest: Two looks
Bob Moyer has been reading Walter Mosley’s novels forever. He’s a fan of the Easy Rawlins series, which supposedly ended a few years ago but now, reports say, is being revived. Leonid McGill is Mosley’s new protagonist. Bob read the fourth entry in the series, and I listened to it as an audio book. It…
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Love vs. justice
It’s spring break, and I’m sure my students are hard at work on the articles they have due soon after we reconvene in Chapel Hill. My assignment to myself was to try to get caught up on some book reviews. There are some that are more belated than this one, but Defending Jacob is on…
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Plum good, again
My growing fondness for (OK, addiction to) audio books has been educational in more ways than one. I had been aware of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novel series for years. How could I not? Her new books regularly land on The New York Times best-seller list. But did I read them? Oh, no. Not me.…
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The unkindest cut?
Apologies for the headline, but Bob Moyer so often toys with puns and literary allusions that he incites others to try the same. In this review, the inimitable Bob amuses us by commenting wryly (?) upon our nation’s capital while reviewing a “gritty, atmospheric” novel set in that city’s “sleazy streets.” More good news: George…
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Annapolis and beyond – a mystery
I’ve stayed on the Naval Academy parents’ e-mail list-serve even though my son graduated in 2010. I stay because I hope that occasionally I can help some parent of a current midshipman, plus I enjoy reliving (some of) the memories. My unwillingness to let go paid off recently when another parent gave a heads-up about…