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Of witches and satire and a universe
Steve Wishnevsky takes a look at the latest book in the Discworld series, one in the subset of Tiffany Aching books. The Tiffany Aching books are technically classified as young-adult novels, suitable for high-school age readers. But as Wishnevsky well knows, that classification just means teenagers will also enjoy the books, not that older adults…
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Charles Todd – Two authors, two series
Those who have access to the Greensboro News & Record can find my review of Charles Todd’s latest Inspector Rutledge mystery, A Lonely Death there today. And they also can read my interview with Charles Todd. Fans of Charles Todd will know that Charles Todd is the pen name for two people, a mother and…
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The power of faith unites a power couple
Residents of the Piedmont Triad take note: The authors of this book will be coming to Winston-Salem Saturday, April 2, for a “conversation” sponsored by the BookMarks organization, with support from Centenary United Methodist Church. Expect a lively exchange about politics from the view of two people in the know, as well as about marriage…
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Death by incompetence
Fellow displaced journalist Paul O’Connor (OK, OK, I fired him, but THEY made me do it) reviews a novel about the death of a newspaper. Just reading the review made me sad, but I think I’ll give the book a try anyway. By Paul T. O’Connor THE IMPERFECTIONISTS: A NOVEL. By Tom Rachman. Dial Press.…
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Flavia de Luce rides (her bicycle Gladys) again!
A new entry in one of my all-time favorite mystery series. An added bonus: The author was 70 when the first in the series was published. There’s hope for aging journalists who always wanted to write a novel but were too “busy.” By Linda C. Brinson A RED HERRING WITHOUT MUSTARD. By Alan Bradley. Delacorte…
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Mad sanity, or sane madness
Steve Wishnevsky of Winston-Salem has unearthed a gem from a few years back. By Stephen Wishnevsky LAMB: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal. By Christopher Moore. Harper, 2002. Available in various hardback and paperback editions. One of those books. Quite mad, and rather sane, a parable of parables, or a satire of satires,…
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Good food, good reading
By Linda Brinson Those who have access to the Greensboro News & Record might want to take a look at my review on its Books page today of Maya Angelou’s new cookbook, Great Food, All Day Long: Eat Splendidly, Eat Smart. It’s a cookbook that offers both delicious recipes and common-sense advice for losing weight…
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Who did whatever it was?
Paul O’Connor’s latest reading venture involved an actual book rather than the screen of his iPhone, and he moved from 19th century fiction to a real-life 20th century mystery. By Paul T. O’Connor DEATH OF A PINEHURST PRINCESS: The 1935 Elva Statler Davidson Mystery. By Steve Bouser. The History Press. 206 pages. $19.99, trade paperback.…
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The Sounds of Battle at Sea
When I drive alone, I like to listen to audio books. I listen almost exclusively to fiction, just as almost everything I read is fiction. It’s not that I dislike nonfiction; it’s more that try as I might, I find it hard to make myself read nonfiction. I blame this failing on my long years…
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Here’s where the twain shall meet (pun intended)
Stephen Wishnevsky must have … jet lag? Airship lag? In no time at all, he’s traveled from Mark Twain and The Gilded Age to Agatha H and a wild Girl Genius fantasy. Who knows where he will venture next? By Stephen Wishnevsky AGATHA H AND THE AIRSHIP CITY. By Phil and Kaja Foglio. Night Shade…