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In the briar patch, April 29-May 2
There are ample new delights in the woods and fields of the briar patch these days, as well as in the arrival of more books for review.
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A little magic to spice things up
Sarah Addison Allen, whose novels of magical realism are deservedly popular, makes good use of her North Carolina heritage in her writing. She’s a proud Asheville native: She was born there, spent almost all her childhood there, graduated from UNC Asheville and lives there still in a house she inherited from a great-aunt. Her four…
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Families, friends, lovers
I am becoming so addicted to listening to books on CD when I drive alone that I find is distressing when I don’t have an audio book with me. Elizabeth Berg is the author of a number of best-selling novels, but I had never read any of her books before I listened to her latest…
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In the briar patch, April 26-27
Spring continues apace in the briar patch. Each day brings new books, and most days bring discoveries of new living signs of the season.
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Intrigue and danger in Victorian England
Anne Perry is one of the best historical novelists writing today. Her books are literate, thoughtful, thought-provoking and intriguing. Obviously, she has done a great deal of research, yet her stories are told so naturally that the reader is immersed within the world she creates without being distracted by too much thinking about how she…
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In the briar patch, April 21-24
This has been a bit of a slow spell in terms of wildflowers, but we’ve had rain and now it’s warmer, so the pace should pick up. I was disappointed when looking up a delicate, pretty white flower that blooms with profusion in our woods now to discover that it apparently is a variety of…
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A classic, worth revisiting
Jane Eyre provided good, diverting company for me recently when I made a quick driving trip to and from Morehead City to take my son a few things he needed before his ship deployed to the Mediterranean. By Linda Brinson JANE EYRE. By Charlotte Bronte. Read by Josephine Bailey. Random House Audio. 21 ½hours. 18…
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Kellerman on his game
What has Bob Moyer been reading lately? It’s a mystery. By Robert Moyer MYSTERY. An Alex Delaware Novel. By Jonathan Kellerman. Ballantine Books. 320 pages. $28. Mystery would seem a presumptuous title for a genre all about them. The Mystery here, however, is merely the moniker of an older-than-she-looks bimbo trolling the Internet for an older-than-the-hills sugar…
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In the briar patch, April 16-17
The spring reading season and the spring blooming season are picking up speed. New books arrive daily. And the foliage in the briar patch promises more blooms soon. Here’s what’s new now in the briar patch. My wildflower field guides say there are maybe 50 species of violets in the hills of North Carolina, and…
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If it’s spring, it must be Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie
Spring brings an abundance of new life and activity in the briar patch outside. Two bluebirds, I suppose a pair hoping to nest, have been ferociously attacking the windows of the office (a former screened porch) where I write. I’d love for them to find a home close by, but I just don’t think inside…