Full Reviews Index
Infinite Jest
Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace's 1996 novel of addiction and recovery, popular entertainment, and tennis has been hailed as a work of genius, one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. It is a long and complex work bearing the labyrinthine threads of plot and stylistic intricacies for which Wallace was famous, and certainly one of the most engrossing novel I have ever read.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams' THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY is not just a book--it's a phenomenon. It's based on a BBC radio series that spawned four other books, a TV series, a movie, and a computer game. A fleet of alien spaceships blows up Arthur Dent's planet setting him off upon a hectic and hysterically funny adventure that includes torturously bad poetry, a depressed robot, and the two-headed President of the Galaxy, Zaphod Beeblebrox himself.
Wake Up, Sir!
What kind of book has Jonathan Ames written this time? Well, think of Cervantes' Don Quixote, except that "Wake Up, Sir!" is not as good. Alan Blair is a young, loony writer with numerous problems of the mental, emotional, sexual, spiritual, and physical variety. He's very good at problems. He's also quite skilled at getting into trouble. But luckily for Alan, he has a personal valet, a wondrously helpful fellow named Jeeves, who does his best to sort things out for his young master.
Homer & Langley
Homer and Langley Collyer were hoarding hermits who lived in the Harlem of the early 20th Century. They died in 1947 when the hoard they had collected over the years collapsed. Langley, who created traps among the collection, was caught by one of them and crushed to death. Homer, who was blind, then starved to death at age 70 after a lifetime in their four-story Fifth Avenue mansion. E.L. Doctorow turns their story into a masterpiece that captivates the reader throughout.
Her Fearful Symmetry
Audrey Niffenegger, renown for her wonderful debut 'The Time Traveler's Wife,' proves herself yet again in 'Her Fearful Symmetry,' in which she explores the unseen world of spirits. Chicago twins, Julia and Valentina Poole, inherit their deceased aunt's estate, on the condition that they live in her London flat - overlooking Highgate Cemetary - for a year.
The Wild Things
'The Wild Things' is a novelized version of 'Where the Wild Things Are,' Maurice Sendak's wonderfully captivating children's book about a young boy, who after being sent to his room for making "mischief of one sort and another," sails off into the world of imagination to a jungle island populated with a small cast of monsters who proclaim him their king.
The Da Vinci Code
In The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown combines a murder mystery with a religious historical thriller to create a record-breaking best-seller. While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent phone call: the curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.
The Last Song
It seems that it took only a moment for 'The Last Song' to reach number one on both the 'USA Today' and 'New York Times' lists of best-selling books. Such is the norm when Nicholas Sparks publishes a new novel. His previous novels, and the films made from them, have created a built-in and extraordinarily loyal audience. And, he is loyal to his audience, always trying to give them what they want.
Broccoli and Other Tales of Food and Love
These six short stories all feature Russian immigrants who eat together and whose lives are uniformly depressing with occasional moments of joy. The joy is often connected with food. Nothing much happens, however, readers who like Russian novels will likely enjoy 'Broccoli and Other Tales of Food and Love.' Vapnyar's characters run the gamut of ages and body types, which is a refreshing change from glittery summer reading.
The Lost Symbol
Robert Langdon has been invited to Washington at the last minute to make a speech about the fraternal order of Masons and to bring a certain box entrusted to him by a 33rd degree Mason. This box allegedly holds the secret to the Ancient Mysteries. A very real angel of death is searching for it; indeed, he has made all the arrangements that have brought Langdon to Washington. The story unfolds at breakneck speed, the main action taking place in less than twenty-four hours.
You Are Here
'You Are Here' is a compelling plunge into the realm of orientation or way-finding in which experimental psychologist Colin Ellard questions why modern humans, with our big brains and technological advances, seem to be inept at navigating through our world, especially when compared to our animal brethren.
The Shadow of the Wind
Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind seems born of a different time. An ode to its own genre, a love song to itself, the story of a boy who is shown the power of a book, one so powerful that it threatens to destroy everything and everyone he loves.
The Wilderness Warrior
In March 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt declared Pelican Island in Florida "a preserve and breeding ground for native birds." That was the first federally protected area for birds. By 2003 this had grown to more than 540 wildlife refuges comprising 4% of US lands - 95 million acres. That initial designation was not without a backlash. Read more.
The Winner Stands Alone
Internationally bestselling author Paulo Coelho's latest novel, The Winner Stands Alone, is like his bestselling The Alchemist, but with a murderer on the loose. In this psychological thriller, the action takes place during twenty-four hours at the Cannes Film Festival, where supermodels, film producers, and fashionistas are all vying for their fifteen minutes of fame. And one man is there to thwart that moment in the spotlight. Read more.
Dragon House
'Dragon House' marks John Shors' third novel, after 'Beneath a Marble Sky' and 'Beside a Burning Sea.' Each novel has moved forward in time from Moghul India to World War Two to the present. A fourth novel is due for release in September 2010, 'The Wishing Tree.' All of his novels have been set in some corner of Asia. Each has deftly caught the milieu and language of its setting.
Farm City : The Education of an Urban Farmer
When Novella Carpenter moves to an Oakland ghetto, "a postcard of urban decay," she gazes out onto an adjoining vacant lot - 4,500 square feet of weeds - and envisions a backyard vegetable garden. This is 'Farm City.'
The Blue Notebook
James A. Levine's standout debut novel, 'The Blue Notebook,' is a difficult kind of fiction. It's the kind of fiction that reveals a truth so painful you hope it remains within the book's pages. It's the kind of fiction that convinces you of a disturbing reality that exists beyond the story itself, even though you wish it didn't.
Beneath a Marble Sky: A Novel of the Taj Mahal
Set at the height of the Mughal Empire, Beneath a Marble Sky recreates the remarkable lives of those responsible for the Taj Mahal's existence. From the famous lovers who inspired it, Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, to the architect who designed it to the man who sought to destroy it, Beneath a Marble Sky recounts the stories of those who oversaw the rise of the world’s most famous building.
Two of the Deadliest: New Tales of Lust, Greed, and Murder
Lust and Greed are 'Two of the Deadliest' of the Seven Deadly Sins. Elizabeth George has brought together 18 "known" authors and 5 "unknown" authors to examine many aspects of these two forms of sin. This is an evenly excellent collection of short stories that leave one wishing for more.
The Enchantress of Florence
The Enchantress of Florence is Salman Rushdie's most recent sweeping and masterfully-written historical novel, set in sixteenth century Florence and Sikri, the seat of the Mughal Empire of the East. The plot orbits the fortunes of a young adventurer with many names, the Mughal emperor Akbar, and the enchantress Qara Koz; however, subplots abound, and even the most clever, insightful reader will not manage to guess the tale in its entirety.
The Tin Roof Blowdown
As James Lee Burke's novel The Tin Roof Blowdown begins, Hurricane Katrina has left the commercial district and residential neighborhoods awash with looters and predators of every stripe. The power grid of the city has been destroyed, New Orleans reduced to the level of a lawless medieval society. In the midst of all this, Detective Dave Robicheaux must find two serial rapists, a morphine-addicted priest, and a vigilante who may be more dangerous than the criminals looting the city.
Rain Gods
Rain Gods is the most clearly literary novel of James Lee Burke's distinguished career as a novelist. After 17 Dave Robicheaux, four Billy Bob Holland, six miscellaneous golden novels and two collections of short stories, Burke has struck platinum. The protagonist is Sheriff Hackberry Holland. He is 74-years-old and suffers from chronic back pain and night terrors due to his Korean War POW experiences. Plus, he has quit drinking and is fending off the attentions of his young deputy.
The Angel's Game
Carlos Ruiz Zafón's (The Shadow of the Wind)latest novel, The Angel's Game, is told from the perspective of David Martin, a Barcelona youth who makes his living as a journalist and writer of pulp fiction novels. Martin survives his troubled childhood by taking refuge in stories until — at the age of seventeen — he gets the chance to begin writing his own. Under the patronage of Pedro Vidal, Martin makes a quick rise to fame by telling tales of Barcelona's gritty underworld.
Naked: Writers Uncover the Way We Live on Earth
Naked brings together thirty-one pieces by writers who examine and challenge the way people live with our environment. Edward Abbey's newly published correspondence rants against passive nonresistance. Stacey Richter mines the questionable legacy of John James Audubon, while erudite wanderer Bruce Chatwin makes a case for nomadism. Lydia Millet rails against "environmental pornography" and T. C. Boyle suggests we are all wild at heart, and not particularly well-groomed.
Overqualified
In Overqualified, Joey Comeau spins a narrative of love and loss via a most unusual vehicle: a series of letters. Not your ordinary epistolary collection, Comeau's missives are in fact letters of application for employment - cover letters, purportedly mailed to companies like HBO, Rand, and Parker Brothers.