Every culture has depicted and described the ocean in art and literature; the ocean is the setting for many classic and unforgettable stories. Mysterious, calm, bountiful or foreboding, the ocean can be portrayed in countless ways. In many works of literature, the ocean takes on the force of a character in the story and is […]
Tag Archives: book reviews
December
20
3 + 1 Books about the ocean: 3 works of fiction + 1 work of nonfiction on a particular subject
posted by lasesana
December
13
3 + 1 Books about Flowers: 3 works of fiction + 1 work of nonfiction on a particular subject
posted by lasesana
Part of my new section featuring three fiction books and one nonfiction about one subject. 1. The Language of Flowers, Vanessa Diffenbaugh Self-acceptance through nature The Language of Flowers is a novel about a young woman who does not know how to navigate the world she is thrust into after aging out of foster care. […]
December
13
3+1 Books About Food: 3 works of fiction + 1 work of nonfiction on a particular subject
posted by lasesana
Part of my new section featuring three fiction books and one nonfiction about one subject. 1. Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel Mexican food and passion Like Water for Chocolate is an extremely sensual tale of a family of women during the Mexican Revolution, told from the kitchen. While many authors have tried to incorporate […]
December
11
Time slows down in Mississippi: The Quiet Game, Greg Iles
posted by lasesana
**** 1999 ISBN 0340686030 (ISBN13: 9780340686034) Part of the Mysterious USA book challenge This book was perfect for my Mysterious USA book challenge; it made me want to visit Natchez. At first, The Quiet Game seems like a generic lawyer-turns-writer courtroom drama, but it is much better than most. Penn Cage is a Natchez native […]
December
02
Kathy Reichs’ Déjà Dead, TV’s “Bones:” Read THIS, don’t watch THAT
posted by lasesana
*** ½ Pocket Books, 1997 0671011367 (ISBN13: 9780671011369) SPOILER ALERT I went on a bit of a rant with this one… I’ve been writing this review in my head since page three. First and foremost, what jumps off the page the most in Deja Dead is how different Kathy Reichs’ Dr. Temperance Brennan is from the […]
November
26
Horns, Joe Hill
posted by lasesana
****½ William Morrow, 2010 ISBN 0061147958 (ISBN13: 9780061147951) Like Heart-Shaped Box, this novel reminded me of how much I like the horror genre. I loved the premise of the book and thought Hill developed it beautifully. When Ig wakes up after a night of drinking, he thinks they are the product of a huge hangover. […]
November
25
Serena, Ron Rash
posted by lasesana
*** ½ Ecco, 2008 0061470856 (ISBN13: 9780061470851) Set in 1929 North Carolina, Ron Rash’s Serena tells the story of George and Serena Pemberton, newly married timber barons. Threatened by the government’s desire to create a national park on their land and with equal ambition, the Pembertons eliminate anyone and anything standing in their way. Unlike […]
November
24
Deceptive and boozy Louisiana: New Orleans Mourning, Julie Smith
posted by lasesana
***½ Part of my Mysterious USA Challenge Fawcett, 1990 0804107386 (ISBN13: 9780804107389) Edgar Winner, 1991 New Orleans Mourning is the first in the Skip Langdon series and introduces the likeable and unusual character. Skip is the daughter of social-climbing parents; her father: doctor to the richest families in New Orleans. She’s is over six feet tall, described as […]
October
16
Noir and charming L.A.: The Lincoln Lawyer, Michael Connelly
posted by lasesana
**** 2005 by Little, Brown ISBN 0739465511 (ISBN13: 9780739465516) Part of my Mysterious USA Reading Challenge I didn’t really think I was going to like this book, but I was wrong; I really liked it. It was fast-paced, exciting, funny at times, and conveyed a sense of being in L.A. that was perfect for this challenge. The […]
September
29
Kind of boring Wisconsin but keeps you guessing: Uncommon Grounds by Sandra Balzo
posted by lasesana
** ½ Part of my Mysterious USA Challenge Macavity Award Nominee for Best First Mystery Novel (2005), Anthony Award Nominee for Best First Novel (2005) Maybe I’m being a little unfair. It’s not that Uncommon Grounds as a mystery novel is boring, it’s more that Wisconsin is not depicted as a very fun or interesting place. […]
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