Book Reviews

Whether you’ve made a resolution to read more in 2018 or are looking for some new recommendations, these are mini reviews on every book I read in 2017. I set reading goals every year.  Last year, it was simply to read 20 books.  Here are some ideas for different challenges you could try yourself. Read…

Genre: Historical fiction Rating: 3 stars (out of 5) Reminds me of: (1) A Company of Swans; (2) Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (Trigiani kind of hits you over the head with this comparison.) Kiss Carlo is a period novel taking place shortly after WWII.  Before I go any farther though, I have to address the cover, which seems to…

Genre: Suspense Rating: 4 stars (out of 5) Reminds me of: (1) The Dark Tower series; (2) The Shawshank Redemption – Is it cheating to say these remind me of other Stephen King books? I must preface by saying that I am an unabashed, dedicated Stephen King fan.  I have been reading his novels for…

Genre: Mystery Rating: 3 stars (out of 5) Reminds me of: (1) Mr. Mercedes – seems like Bill Hodges and Roy Straitley should be friends; (2) The Secret History – due to the setting and involvement of a teacher of the Classics, not writing style A modern mystery, the book takes place at a private…