I just finished a wonderful book, one I couldn’t put down and one that made me laugh and cry: The Heart’s Invisible Furies: A Novel is a perfect example of why I love to read new books.

The heart of this novel by John Boyne, known for his bestselling novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, is set Ireland, and even when the characters leave Ireland, it is still a novel about Ireland.

Continue reading

I needed a couple of days to work out my feelings for “Denny Malone,” the good cop/bad cop character in The Force: A Novel. Whatever I end up thinking of Malone, a fictional character, it is a testament to a writer and a book that I was so conflicted.

This book was included on my summer reading list and is one of the last I’m finishing up before moving on to making a fall reading list. (My summer reading list is updated with several reviews and reflections.)

Denny Malone is a bad cop in the way that he takes bribes, takes money and drugs from crime scenes, and even sells the drugs back to the street. He does this all supposedly to “provide for his family” even though he usually chooses not to see them. These are some of the problems I have with Denny Malone. Also that “The fuck” without a question mark is often the way he asks a question in the dialogue.

Continue reading

American War: A novel is imaginative and terrifying.

Set from 2075 – 2175, the former “United States” is separated into the “Red” southern states and the “Blue” northern states. They separated over fossil fuels – the reds wanted to keep using, and the blues did not. But now, so much more separates them as they fight a violent civil war.

Also in this new world — a map is included at the front of the book — Florida is completely gone (it fell into the ocean) as is much of Louisiana. South Carolina is completely quarantined for a disease.  Scared yet? Recent events (both political and environmental) make this an even more disturbing read.

Continue reading

I added If the Creek Don’t Rise: A Novel to my summer reading list because the setting and description reminded me of Hillbilly Elegy.

This book is fiction, but many of the themes are the same as in Elegy: people in isolated communities, living in poverty, with addiction and violence, and no easy way out.

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

First of all, It includes strong women characters, one is Sadie, who has followed the usual path in marrying a bad husband too young, but she has a plan. And another character who isn’t even mentioned in the publisher’s notes, Miss Shaw, a teacher who comes to the area to attempt to make a difference, was my favorite. No previous teacher has lasted very long in this area.

Continue reading