Oh boy, was this an intriguing selection. Cassandra…found its way to me via the podcast, Backlisted. I’m quite pleased that it did. As is the case with fictional works that lean heavily on character study, the analysis within the pages, at times, becomes unnerving. As a reader, there is the edgy consciousness of the voyeur,Continue reading “Book Review Time: Cassandra At The Wedding”
Category Archives: Book Review Time
Book Review Time (condensed version): The Stolen Lady
The other storyline follows Anne, a typist in the archival department of the Louvre during WWII. With the French Occupation looming, Anne is enlisted to join her colleagues on a courageous endeavor to hide several valuable works of art from the invading Nazis. Often narrowly avoiding discovery, this team of brave museum workers travel throughoutContinue reading “Book Review Time (condensed version): The Stolen Lady”
Book Review Time: Dial A For Aunties
Lemme tell ya…if you’re in the market for an absolutely hilarious novel, that will have your rapt attention, from beginning to end, look no further than Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Dial A For Aunties. The main character, Meddy Chan, is a photographer in her family’s wedding business. Over the years, Meddy has been witness to aContinue reading “Book Review Time: Dial A For Aunties”
Book Review Time: Instructions For Dancing
In a previous life I was a ballroom dancer. It was a few months after the birth of my first child. I was looking for a form of exercise and a bit of fun to go along with it. Ballroom dancing provided both. Through the fast-paced rhythms of Salsa and Merengue, I discovered that IContinue reading “Book Review Time: Instructions For Dancing”
Book Review Time: Memphis
(Warning: This novel contains subject matter that may be triggering for certain audiences.) Memphis, by Tara M. Stringfellow resonated with me on many levels. As an African-American woman with strong southern roots, the sights, sounds, and smells rendered by this debut novel prompted memories of my own childhood. Early mornings on summer vacations, sitting inContinue reading “Book Review Time: Memphis”
Book Review Time: The Guncle
The Guncle is absolutely adorable. Hilarious and sweet. Heart-felt and tender. This novel is so good I didn’t want it to end. Patrick O’Hara is the title character. A former sitcom star, Patrick now lives a life of leisure in self-imposed exile in Palm Springs. Apart from the requisite weekend brunch, and idle moments spentContinue reading “Book Review Time: The Guncle”
Book Review Time: Separation Anxiety
If you will, imagine this. Life is golden. You’ve written a successful children’s book. That book is adapted into a popular PBS tv series. You’re happily married to a complicated, but loving man. And you have a young child who absolutely adores you. Then fast-forward, several years. Things have changed. Life has begun to sour.Continue reading “Book Review Time: Separation Anxiety”
Book Review Time: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
The cult of celebrity is as strong now as it’s ever been. There was a time when becoming a star took at least a measure of talent and/or some willingness to work hard and sacrifice. Of course, a bit of luck never hurt. But now a random TikTok video can elicit instant stardom. It’s soContinue reading “Book Review Time: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”
Book Review Time: Red Island House
I debated with myself on whether or not I should write a review for this novel so soon after reading it. Not to say, I didn’t like Red Island House. Quite the contrary. I loved it. The story is captivating and lush not unlike the tropical environment it is primarily set in. But the novelContinue reading “Book Review Time: Red Island House”
Book Review Time: The Swimmers
Nothing lasts forever, as we are all well aware. We accept this as true…in theory. But few moments are more jarring, and depending on the circumstances, more painful than when we come face to face with this harsh reality in our own lives. We’re never quite prepared for it. In Julie Otsuka’s The Swimmers weContinue reading “Book Review Time: The Swimmers”