George Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 2011 ISBN 0297858963 (ISBN13: 9780297858966) 0 stars (if I could give negative stars, I would) I can’t remember when a book made me angrier than this one. Compared to this poor excuse for a biography, even the horrid editing in Before and After seems worthy of the Pulitzer. I read this […]
Tag Archives: book reviews
February
21
That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, Anne Sebba
posted by lasesana
February
06
A good editor is hard to find in New Hampshire: Before and After, Rosellen Brown
posted by lasesana
* Picador, 1992 ISBN 0312424418 (ISBN13: 9780312424411) Part of the Mysteries from Every State Reading Challenge This is another review I was writing in my head since the 10th page. I read it on Kindle and I can honestly say that I have never read such a poorly, carelessly edited book in my entire […]
January
24
A snapshot of 1980s south Florida: LaBrava, Elmore Leonard
posted by lasesana
Harper Torch, 1983 ISBN 0060512237 (ISBN13: 9780060512231) Part of the Mysterious USA Reading Challenge Having spent a little of my childhood in early 1980s Miami—I am Colombian, after all—this novel brought back a lot of memories and highlighted how much Miami has changed since then. Elmore Leonard’s LaBrava perfectly captures a time and a place, […]
January
15
3+1 books with strong Asian (American) Female Voices
posted by lasesana
3 works of fiction + 1 work of nonfiction on a particular subject I absolutely love reading about Asian history and culture. However, I find that stories written by men and women—like in every other culture—are extremely different. I find that one of the things that books written by Asian women have in common is […]
January
12
Magical, murderous tornadoes in Kansas: The Virgin of Small Plains, Nancy Pickard
posted by lasesana
**** Ballantine Books, 2006 ISBN 0345470990 (ISBN13: 9780345470997) Part of the Mysterious USA Mystery reading challenge Let me start by saying The Virgin of Small Plains has very little—if anything—to do with religion. The novel opens in the middle of a blizzard; it is January 1987 in Kansas and the weather is threatening to kill […]
January
09
Crazy, kooky Savannah: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
posted by lasesana
****1/2 Vintage, 1994 ISBN 0679751521 (ISBN13: 9780679751526) “You mustn’t be taken in by the moonlight and magnolias. There’s more to Savannah than that.” What this book lacked in the “mystery” category, it more than made up for it in rich description, sensuality and humor, prefect from my Mysterious USA Reading Challenge. I also loved the movie and […]
January
04
3 + 1 good books about bad people
posted by lasesana
3 works of fiction + 1 work of nonfiction about a particular subject I love books about characters that are kind of bad. I think that what attracts me to these books as a reader is how the author makes a character that we should hate endearing. Some authors do it better than others, and […]
December
30
Top 10 books read in 2013
posted by lasesana
10. The Wall Street Journal Complete Real Estate Investing Handbook, David Crook I thought this book was going to bore me to tears, but surprisingly enough, I devoured this one, reading it in one day. I’m planning to re-read it again soon—really. While not a particularly exciting read, this book is fundamental for anybody thinking […]
December
29
DC, My Hometown: The Night Gardener, George Pelecanos
posted by lasesana
****1/2 Little, Brown and Company, 2006 ISBN 0316156507 (ISBN13: 9780316156509) In an interview with Scott Butki of Blogcritics magazine, Pelecanos is asked to comment on his detailed descriptions of Washington D.C. in The Night Gardener. “I’m trying to leave a record of this town,” he answers, making this novel perfect for my Mysterious USA Reading Challenge because […]
December
22
Rugged, Wild and Scenic Wyoming: The Cold Dish, Craig Johnson
posted by lasesana
***** Penguin, 2004 ISBN 0143036424 (ISBN13: 9780143036425) Part of my Mysterious USA Reading Challenge As always, NO SPOILERS… Craig Johnson’s The Cold Dish has been my favorite book I’ve read for this challenge so far. Being a fan of the show inspired by the Walt Longmire series, I was expecting this novel to be good, […]
lasesana 