These Girls: A Novel Exploring Relationships Wrapped in Big-City Trappings by Sarah Pekkanen

On April 16, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

Pekkanen’s most compelling, true-to-life novel yet tells the story of three very different women as they navigate the complications of careers and love—and find the lifeline they need in each other.

Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman

The Satmar sect of Hasidic Judaism is as mysterious as it is intriguing to outsiders. In this arresting memoir, Deborah Feldman reveals what life is like trapped within a religious tradition that values silence and suffering over individual freedoms.

The Beginner’s Goodbye – A Man Comes To Terms With His Wife’s Death by Anne Tyler

On March 29, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

Anne Tyler gives us a wise, haunting, and deeply moving new novel in which she explores how a middle-aged man, ripped apart by the death of his wife, is gradually restored by her frequent appearances—in their house, on the roadway, in the market.

All There Is: Love Stories from StoryCorps by Dave Isay

On February 13, 2012, in Biographies & Memoirs, Book Reviews, Essays, Nonfiction, Social Studies, by Editor

In All There Is, StoryCorps founder Dave Isay shares stories of love and marriage from the revolutionary oral history project, revealing the many and remarkable journeys that relationships can take.

No Cheating, No Dying: I Had a Good Marriage, Then I Tried To Make It Better by Elizabeth Weil

On February 12, 2012, in Book Reviews, Health, Mind & Body, Nonfiction, Social Studies, by Editor

Written with charm and wit, No Cheating, No Dying investigates one of the most universal human institutions–marriage. Elizabeth Weil and her husband Dan have two basic ground rules for their marriage: no cheating, no dying. For ten years it’s worked fine, but Elizabeth started to wonder if it could be better.

Broadway Baby – A Novel Of An Obsessed Mother by Alan Shapiro

On January 27, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

As a little girl growing up in Boston, Miriam Bluestein fantasized about a life lived on stage, specifically in a musical. Get married, have a family—sure, maybe she’d do those things, too, but first and foremost there was her career.

Another Woman: A Novel About A Thicket Of Family Secrets And Betrayals by Penny Vincenzi

On January 26, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

Penny Vincenzi, queen of riveting family drama, delivers her most page-turning saga yet in this novel of intrigue, sure to please her legions of fans. The night before her lavish wedding, Cressida Forrest went to bed serene and happy. By morning she had vanished–without apparent cause, and without a trace.

The Castrato and His Wife – The Story Of Opera Singer Giusto Ferdinando Tenducci by Helen Berry

On January 22, 2012, in Biographies & Memoirs, Book Reviews, Entertainment, History, Music, Nonfiction, by Editor

The opera singer Giusto Ferdinando Tenducci was one of the most famous celebrities of the eighteenth century. Mozart and Bach both composed for him. He was nothing less than a rock star of his day, with a massive female following. He was also a castrato.

Breaking and Entering: A Novel Exploring Issues Of Family, Religion And Politics by Eileen Pollack

On January 20, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

Set against the tragic events of the Oklahoma City bombings, Breaking and Entering follows Christian/Jewish couple Louise and Richard Shapiro as they move from California to rural Michigan with their daughter Molly in an attempt to save their marriage.

The Odds – A Bittersweet Love Story by Stewart O’Nan

On January 18, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

In the new novel from the author of Last Night at the Lobster, a middle-age couple goes all in for love at a Niagara Falls casino. Stewart O’Nan’s thirteenth novel is another wildly original, bittersweet gem like his celebrated Last Night at the Lobster.