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Constance, A Novel of Fierce Rages and Great Tenderness by Patrick McGrath

On May 18, 2013, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

The cool, beautiful Constance Schuyler lives alone in Manhattan in the early 1960s. The story of a marriage in crisis and a family haunted by trauma, Constance is also a tale of resilience and loyalty, and of the moral inspiration that can lead even the most lost of souls back to the light.

Pacific, A Novel Filled With Sharp Observation and Deadpan Wit by Tom Drury

On May 17, 2013, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

In a triumphant return to the characters that launched his career two decades ago, Tom Drury travels back to Grouse County, the setting of his landmark debut, The End of Vandalism. Drury’s depictions of the stark beauty of the Midwest and the futility of American wanderlust have earned him comparisons to Raymond Carver, Sherwood Anderson, and Paul Auster.

Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, An Essay Collection from Noted Humorist David Sedaris

On April 18, 2013, in Book Reviews, Entertainment, Essays, Nonfiction, Travel, by Editor

From the unique perspective of David Sedaris comes a new book of essays taking his readers on a bizarre and stimulating world tour. From the perils of French dentistry to the eating habits of the Australian kookaburra, from the squat-style toilets of Beijing to the particular wilderness of a North Carolina Costco, we learn about the absurdity and delight of a curious traveler’s experiences.

The Humanity Project, A Novel Accommodating the Mess of Everyday Lives by Jean Thompson

On April 18, 2013, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

Thompson proves herself at the height of her powers in The Humanity Project, crafting emotionally suspenseful and thoroughly entertaining characters, in which we inevitably see ourselves. Set against the backdrop of current events and cultural calamity, it is at once a multifaceted ensemble drama and a deftly observant story of our twenty-first-century society.

Snapper, A Novel of Southern Indiana and its Quirky Denizens by Brian Kimberling

On April 10, 2013, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

A great, hilarious new voice in fiction: the poignant, all-too-human recollections of an affable bird researcher in the Indiana backwater as he goes through a disastrous yet heartening love affair with the place and its people.

Fellow Mortals: A Novel of How Relationships Are Built and Burned by Dennis Mahoney

On April 7, 2013, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

An affecting story about how relationships are built—and burned—by desperate needs and obligations. With sparse and handsome prose reminiscent of Raymond Carver and early Stewart O’Nan, Mahoney’s probing first novel charts the fall of a man who has spent his life working to be decent and shows us a community trying desperately to hold itself together.

This Close: Lucid, Elegant and Immersive Stories by Jessica Francis Kane

On March 15, 2013, in Book Reviews, Fiction, Short Stories, by Editor

Through thirteen stories, some stand-alone, others woven with linked characters, Kane questions the tensions between friendship and neighborliness, home and travel, family and ambition. In writing filled with wit and humor and incredible poignancy, she deftly reveals the everyday patterns that, over time, can swerve a life off course.

The Guilty One: A Novel of Two Troubled Boys by Scottish Author Lisa Ballantyne

On March 14, 2013, in Book Reviews, Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense, by Editor

Moving and suspenseful, Lisa Ballantyne’s The Guilty One is a psychological thriller about the darkness in each of us. It explores how we are all tied to our pasts, and what it means to be guilty. Emotionally wrought, and with an abundance of twists and turns, The Guilty One is a character-driven novel of suspense that explores the true nature of guilt.

Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now, A Dire Prognosis of Society’s Ills by Douglas Rushkoff

On March 14, 2013, in Book Reviews, Nonfiction, Science, Social Studies, Technology, by Editor

Absorbing and thought-provoking, Present Shock is a wide-ranging, deeply thought meditation on what it means to be human in real time. Rushkoff weaves together seemingly disparate events and trends into a rich, nuanced portrait of how life in the eternal present has affected our biology, behavior, politics, and culture.

Wise Men: A Novel of a Poisoned Father-Son Relationship by Stuart Nadler

On February 25, 2013, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

A beautifully told multigenerational story about love and regret, Wise Men confirms that Stuart Nadler is one of the most exciting young writers at work today. A tense, evocative, page-turning saga of the bruising encounters between two families across the ‘colour line’ over half a century. Every conversation rings painfully, beautifully true.