The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk W. Johnson In the 1990 movie “The Freshman” a young NYU student becomes involved in a crime ring that charges rich people a million dollars to eat an endangered animal. I remember thinking that was a pretty far-fetched plot. After …
Tag: victorian
Dec 30
Book Review – The Summer Before the War
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson Silly me for thinking that this book would be a lighthearted and feel-good romance in the same vein as Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand. Simonson draws the time and place so well that one cannot imagine living in that time and place with anything other than a sense …
Jul 19
Book Review: Bellman & Black
Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield This book feels like a skilled author who has contempt for fantasy set out to write a fantasy novel but chickened out at the last minute. Three stars isn’t an accurate rating for the book. The first part is four stars, and the last part is one or two. …
Apr 23
Book Review: A Great and Terrible Beauty
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray This book had a few rough patches and a few bursts of brilliance that evened each other out. I liked this book overall, especially for the surprising feminist undertones, but it had a rough start. It starts out in India, on the day of Gemma’s 16th birthday, …
Oct 25
Book Review: Last Chance for Murder
Last Chance for Murder by Estelle Richards I haven’t read cozy mysteries for a while, but this one is set in my home state of Arizona, so I thought it was worth checking out. It’s about a woman who is in love with a very old house. Okay, so that’s maybe not how most people …