Wednesday, August 24, 2011

BOUND by Antonya Nelson

 

Catherine, the third wife of an older man (currently dallying with a possible fourth), is stunned to learn that her old high school

bound

friend has died and has made Catherine the legal guardian of her daughter…who has run away.  A beautifully written exploration of the many kinds of  ties that bind.  (Look for Nelson’s short stories, too.)

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

330.9759 Reyes, Paul: EXILES IN EDEN: Life Among the Ruins of Florida’s Great Recession

Reyes got his subject matter by joining his father’s business:  “trashing out” involves emptying and cleaning foreclosed homes.  In Florida, in 2008, business was booming. 

exiles in eden

Not an analysis of the housing crisis, but a consideration of the stories of the people who lost everything:  what they leave behind and how they walk away.   Part report, part memoir;  an absorbing read.

Friday, August 12, 2011

FATHER OF THE RAIN by Lily King

 

At eleven years old, Daley is caught between her alcoholic father and her mother, who plans to leave him.  At nearly thirty years old, Daley is called home from the satisfying life she has created:  her father is in crisis.   A moving, sometimes infuriating, portrait of a damaged family.

You might also enjoy King’s earlier novels, THE ENGLISH TEACHER and THE PLEASING HOUR. 

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

THE HIDDEN by Bill Pronzini

 

A couple borrows an isolated cottage on the California coast, hoping to repair their marriage.  When the lights go out, they meet their neighbors – troubled, to say the least.  There’s also a serial killer on the loose…one of the neighbors, perhaps?

hidden

Pronzini, author of the Nameless Detective series, knows how to keep the suspense going.  Lock all the doors and stay up late with this one!

Friday, August 5, 2011

ONE DAY by David Nicholls

 

Emma (uncertain, smart, loyal) and Dexter (handsome, charming, cocky) meet just as they graduate from college. We drop in on their livesone day  on the anniversary of that first encounter,  for the next twenty years.  Hilarious and heartbreaking, a clever romantic comedy with heart.

Monday, August 1, 2011

BIO BROWNING: SLOW LOVE: HOW I LOST MY JOB, PUT ON MY PAJAMAS AND FOUND HAPPINESS by Dominique Browning

 

Some years ago, refurbishing her house and reviving her garden helped Browning through her divorce and resulted in the essay collection AROUND THE HOUSE AND IN THE GARDEN.slow love  Another crisis, another collection:  when House & Garden magazine folded, she lost her job as editor-in-chief.  Browning writes elegantly,often humorously, about her life.