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"Brilliant.” —Washington Post
"The clearest and most gripping account I've read of German life before and during the rise of …
An unforgettable portrait of an extraordinary life—one forged through a poverty-stricken childhood in “slummy, one-horse towns”; obsessive desire; bursts of …
Four lives are drawn together in a sweeping, panoramic new novel from Richard Powers, showcasing …
I enjoyed The Overstory, but thought it was a bit overstuffed with characters and could have used a better editor. The author must have gotten that feedback from others, because Playground gets it just right. It's a little too on-the-nose with setting up characters who represent opposing views of "technology will save us" versus "technology will ruin us," but I loved the way the story unfolded and the lyrical descriptions of the underwater world.
Four lives are drawn together in a sweeping, panoramic new novel from Richard Powers, showcasing the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of …
Before the nightmare, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary life. But when splintering, blood-soaked …
WARNING: There is a scene of a dog being harmed towards the end of the first chapter. Just skip ahead when you first see a dog mentioned, while the narrator is child.
Before the nightmare, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary life. But when splintering, blood-soaked images start haunting her thoughts, …
A beautiful and inventive novel, both funny and touching. I loved it.
From the New York Times best-selling author of Ghosts and Everything I Know About a …
I was getting very tired of this book until I got to the last 15-20%. And then I LOVED it. I wish the first 80-85% had been tightened up a bit. And, no spoilers, but the structure is an exact copy of a 2019 book that was turned into a limited series a few years ago. We read it for my book club, and I’m not sure we’ll have too much to talk about, as everything about it is relatively light and forgettable. It was nevertheless an entertaining read.
From the New York Times best-selling author of Ghosts and Everything I Know About a story of heartbreak and friendship …
It is 1948. Japan is rebuilding her cities after the calamity of World War Two, …
A subtle and beautiful portrait of post-World War II Japan, viewed through the eyes of an unreliable narrator. It examines the way the people who supported the totalitarian society (and informed on their friends and neighbors) dealt with their guilt (or lack thereof) and social ostracism.
It is 1948. Japan is rebuilding her cities after the calamity of World War Two, her people putting defeat behind …
In 1519, Conquistador Hernán Cortés and his troops ride into the floating city of Tenoxtitlan …
I loved this novel! I also learned a lot, as I stopped to do Wikipedia deep dives on the real history of the between Hernan Cortez and Montezuma, the Aztec emperor. I didn’t realize, until I read this book, that the Conquistadors actually stayed at the palace for a year, with various kings from throughout the empire coming to meet with them. It’s unclear to historians whether they were guests or prisoners. I appreciated how the novel imagines this time, and really humanizes the characters and the political conflicts between the many players, sort of like Game of Thrones, but in 15th century Mexico. My only complaint is that the person who reads the audiobook (the author?) has a VERY heavy accent that made it difficult to understand, and the many long words and names (like Atotoxli) are easier to track written on the page rather than aurally (or maybe …
I loved this novel! I also learned a lot, as I stopped to do Wikipedia deep dives on the real history of the between Hernan Cortez and Montezuma, the Aztec emperor. I didn’t realize, until I read this book, that the Conquistadors actually stayed at the palace for a year, with various kings from throughout the empire coming to meet with them. It’s unclear to historians whether they were guests or prisoners. I appreciated how the novel imagines this time, and really humanizes the characters and the political conflicts between the many players, sort of like Game of Thrones, but in 15th century Mexico. My only complaint is that the person who reads the audiobook (the author?) has a VERY heavy accent that made it difficult to understand, and the many long words and names (like Atotoxli) are easier to track written on the page rather than aurally (or maybe that’s just me). Anyway, I recommend reading this rather than listening to it.
In 1519, Conquistador Hernán Cortés and his troops ride into the floating city of Tenoxtitlan – today’s Mexico City – …
An epic novel of the violence and depravity that attended America's westward expansion, Blood Meridian …
I got through half of it. With Cormac McCarthy in the news recently, I realized had never read the book that was considered his masterpiece. Unsurprisingly, it is nihilistic and violent, and despite the beautiful prose, is a grim slog about man’s affinity for violence. I feel like I got the gist without having to finish the emotionally exhausting and gratuitously violent remainder.
