Tag Archives: literary fiction

Cage of Souls by Tchaikovsky

Read August 2022 Recommended for fans of old-timey literature   This, then, is where I think I close at last my weary eyes, lay hand upon my brow and reflect on how it is I came to this place. Many … Continue reading

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The Verifiers by Jane Pek

Read May 2022 Recommended for lit fic fans ★   ★   1/2 I should have liked The Verifiers, an amalgamation of three of my book interests: quirky New York women, mysteries, and identity exploration. Bonus, it even claimed to be about … Continue reading

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Seven Down by David Whitton

Read February 2022 Recommended for fans of Less Than Zero Not for me A character study composed of unhappy, unlikable sleeper agents, formatted as a debriefing after an equally disastrous operation. The debriefing format means it’s told retrospectively, first person, … Continue reading

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Florida Straits by Laurence Shimes

Read September 2020 Recommended for fans of ?comedy Mafias?  ★     ★    ★   1/2 This was unexpected. No, really, it was. I expected a Mafia thriller/farce–perhaps along the lines of ‘Get Shorty’–what I found was a rather interesting story … Continue reading

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A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Read October to December 2019 Recommended for people who love beautiful things  ★     ★     ★    ★     Ultimately, I am reminded of an elaborate, beautiful confection, perhaps this Spanische Windtorte:   Elaborately constructed, lovely, sweet, best enjoyed at a … Continue reading

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Maggie Terry by Sarah Schulman

Read November 2019 For fans of NYC and addiction lit-fic ★    ★     Hey, a new category of fiction for me: the NFM. Not quite a DNF, it’s a Not For Me, a quit before I waste any more … Continue reading

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Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned by Walter Mosley

Read July 2018 Recommended for people who want a slice of a different life ★     ★    ★    ★    1/2   The only mystery here is why I thought I going to read a whodunnit after having the … Continue reading

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Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

Read  March 2018 Recommended for those with a passing familiarity with academia ★    ★   ★   ★   Dear Fellow Readers: I am pleased to endorse to you the short little epistolary novel, “Dear Committee Members.” This book will most likely be … Continue reading

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Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem

Read February 2018 Recommended for fans of slow mysteries, great writing ★    ★   ★    ★  1/2   What is it about Brooklyn? A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Joe Pitt in Half the Blood of Brooklyn. Last Exit to Brooklyn. Not … Continue reading

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Quin’s Shanghai Circus by Edward Whittemore

Read  January 2018 Recommended for fans of Vonnegut DNF #7 in my Clean Out the Kindle Project. Naw, I’m just kidding. I can’t count be bothered to count. I got a new kindle and the only thing going on it … Continue reading

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