Monthly Archives: November 2010

War by Sebastian Junger

Posted on November 30, 2010 by degraffenrj

In Sebastian Junger’s latest non-fiction adventure War, the author spends parts of 15 months embedded with American soldiers in one of the deadliest locations in Afghanistan.  This is not a history of Afghanistan, not a commentary on US foreign policy, or a … Continue reading →

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The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Posted on November 24, 2010 by reifj

Stockett’s debut novel is a gem. The Help is a poignant look at the 1960′s civil rights movement in Jackson, Mississippi. This story shows us the boundries that need crossing and endears us to the very few citizens willing to … Continue reading →

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Francesca’s Kitchen by Peter Pezzelli

Posted on November 24, 2010 by reifj

Widow Francesca Companile needs something to do to fill some lonely hours. Single mother Loretta Simmons needs a nanny. It seems like a match made in heaven, right. Not quite. But over time true friendships are formed and wonderful Italian … Continue reading →

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The Devil You Know by Mike Carey

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Helen Hokanson

Felix Castor, Fix to people who like him, is an exorcist. When he accidentally almost excises an old college buddy instead of the demon who has possessed him, Fix gives up the business. Hard times, however, draw him into a … Continue reading →

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The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

Posted on November 24, 2010 by wikstenp

The Imperfectionists is a series of vignettes that tells the story of several “imperfect” people involved with the  publication of an unnamed English language newspaper in Rome.  Why the mysterious businessman, Cyrus Ott, choose Rome as the newspaper’s headquarters is a recurring question answered in  the last few pages of … Continue reading →

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Borderlands by Brian McGilloway

Posted on November 23, 2010 by myersj

Fifteen-year-old Angela Cashell’s nearly nude body lay in the brambles by a secluded lane in an area known as “the borderlands” where an invisible line separates the Irish Republic in the south from Northern Ireland. An autopsy reveals she died … Continue reading →

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Memory Book by Howard Engel

Posted on November 23, 2010 by myersj

Benny Goodman, private investigator, feels the train leaving the tracks. He sees objects flying everywhere, then a suitcase coming toward him. The next thing he sees are the white walls of his hospital room. But he didn’t get hit on … Continue reading →

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False Mermaid by Erin Hart

Posted on November 23, 2010 by myersj

Cormac Maguire stands in an abandoned fisherman’s cottage near Port na Rón, Ireland, and thinks about Mary Heaney, whose disappearance from this house more than a hundred years ago was explained away by claims that she was a selkie who … Continue reading →

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The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Posted on November 23, 2010 by rockholdj

This memoir, that reads like a novel and should appeal to anyone who enjoys family drama, defies convention when it comes to predictability. Jeannette Walls grew up in a family of nomads. She and her three siblings were born in … Continue reading →

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Walking the Bible- a journey by land through the five books of Moses by Bruce Feiler

Posted on November 20, 2010 by martind

The author visits the places or as close to the places that he thinks are the present day places mentioned in the Bible. Trouble is, there are always at least 5 possibilities for each place. But that does not stop … Continue reading →

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