Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance I can see why this book hit the bestseller list. It really hits the zeitgeist of this tumultuous past few years we’ve had, especially with regards to the questions of middle America and how to achieve the “American Dream.” It also …
Tag: family
Jul 14
Book Review: Heat & Light
Heat & Light by Jennifer Haigh This ambitious novel takes on the energy industry from all sides, centered on a western Pennsylvania town of Bakers Towers. It focuses on Kip, the oligarch of the holding company that leases the land to exploit the natural gas, Shane, the salesman who buys the leasing rights. Rich and …
Aug 19
Book Review: We Have Always Lived in the Castle
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson This is a brilliant book, suitable for anyone who loves macabre, twisted stories that almost (but not quite) veer into the supernatural. If it weren’t for a slightly predictable twist and a few other minor flaws it would have been superb. The story involves two …
Jun 12
Book Review-My Real Children
My Real Children by Jo Walton I’m torn between four and five stars for this. I think it would be four stars if you’re expecting a sci-fi/fantasy novel, and five stars if you’re expecting a book club novel. Alas, after AMONG OTHERS and the SMALL CHANGE series, my expectations from Jo Walton are perhaps unreasonably …
Jun 24
Book Review: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’ve always used the goodreads star rating: 5=it was amazing 4=really liked it 3=liked it 2=it was okay 1=did not like Which means that I ruin the scale for all the books I review, because most people seem to …