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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…
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Anne Perry’s annual holiday gift
For 11 years now, Anne Perry has given her fans a Christmas present: a holiday novel, one of her engaging Victorian tales with a Christmas setting. These books offer support for the theory that good gifts come in small packages: They are briefer than Perry’s usual novels, but each offers a complete and satisfying tale,…
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Crossing the Atlantic, crossing the centuries
Somehow, I had not read any books by the Irish writer Colum McCann, who has written international bestsellers and won many awards, including the National Book Award for Let the Great World Spin. Listening to this audio recording of his latest book was a wonderful way to make his acquaintance. Now all I need to…
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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…