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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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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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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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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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Letters, love and life
A historical novel dealing with both World Wars, a sweet love story – Jessica Brockmole’s first novel is an engaging, light novel, a good pick for entertaining end-of-summer listening or reading. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson LETTERS FROM SKYE. By Jessica Brockmole. Books on Tape (Random House). Read by Elle Newlands, Katy Townsend, Lincoln Hoppe,…
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Love, war and murder
Chris Bohjalian is without a doubt one of the finest writers in America today. His novels are literary without pretension and compelling stories without unnecessary artifice. He writes about terrible events so that we comprehend their enormity without being blinded by our horror to their greater truths. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson THE LIGHT IN…
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When things heat up
While it’s still summer, read Maggie O’Farrell’s latest novel, the aptly named Instructions for a Heatwave. If you read it, as I did, as an audio book when driving, you’ll really get the atmosphere right when you begin to listen upon returning to your hot car after it’s been parked in the sun. The emotional…
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Life, love and friendship – retold
Here’s a good, rather old-fashioned novel that relies on excellent writing, skilled character development, vivid descriptions and considerable insight into human nature to tell its story. In print, it would be a great choice for a vacation or other time when you can savor a book. I found the audio version an excellent traveling companion.…
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Those who serve, and those who wait
A number of recent articles have looked at the growing military/civilian divide, the reality that even though the United States has been at war since just after Sept. 11, 2001, the vast majority of Americans don’t know anyone in the military and have very little understanding of the lives of those who serve and those…
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Who’s smart now?
I grew up in a family in which good grades and high test scores were highly prized, and where sibling rivalries could be heated. So the title of Jennifer Close’s second novel caught my eye. The book proved to be what I expected in some ways, and quite different in others. By Linda C. Brinson…