Novels Now

I must have passed out because I don’t remember who put me on this gurney without a blanket. [First Sentence]
Belly of the Whale by Linda Merlino
Kunati, 2008
Fiction; 199 pgs
I almost decided against reading Linda Merlino’s book, Belly of the Whale. It hits too close to home. Breast cancer has affected not only my […]

Popularity: 33% [?]

Read full story »

The rabbi shrugged. “Faith is hard, Rosa. Nonbelievers often speak of faith as if it were something easy, a cop-out from the really tough business of confronting a meaningless universe, but it’s not. It’s doubt that’s easy. - From The Believers-
When Audrey Howard meets Joel Litvinoff - a radical American lawyer -  at a […]

Popularity: 32% [?]

Read full story »

The Believers
By Zoe Heller
Completed October 24, 2008
The Believers by Zoe Heller is the story of the Litvinoff family – led by Joel, a political activist and lawyer whose sudden collapse from a stroke put his family into chaos – compounded when a secret was revealed that rocked the family’s already fragile structure.Joel and his wife […]

Popularity: 28% [?]

Read full story »

422 pages
There is a reason that Michael Connelly has become one of my favorite authors after having only read three of his novels. He writes fast-paced crime novels that draw you in and hold your attention all the way through.
In The Brass Verdict, Micky Haller is thrust back into law practice literally overnight after […]

Popularity: 26% [?]

Read full story »

Everybody lies. Cops lie. Lawyers lie. Clients lie. Even jurors lie. There is a school of belief in criminal law that every trial is won or lost in the choosing of the jury. I’ve never been ready to go all the way to that level but I do know that there is probably no […]

Popularity: 23% [?]

Read full story »

Bookweird by Paul Glennon
Pages: 250
First Published: Aug. 19, 2008
Genre: YA, fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5
First sentence:
The weekend started out well for Norman Jespers-Wilnius.
Comments: Norman’s behaviour gets himself grounded from his computer for the weekend. Fortunately, he is also an avid reader so he starts the weekend off by picking up the umpteenth book in his favourite series (a […]

Popularity: 23% [?]

Read full story »

Breath by Tim Winton
2008, 218 pp.
Ugh. I thought this was about a teen boy surfing in Australia. I wanted it to be about a teen boy surfing in Australia. And it was, for about 150 pages, then it goes off into a weird and extreme area that I will not mention here. […]

Popularity: 23% [?]

Read full story »

Beautiful and Haunting Story of an Portuguese Immigrant Family
Manuel was sent off to fish for his Portuguese village, as all other men and boys do. But he wanted more for his life, and wanted to get away from this life forever. This is the story about him and his family’s immigrant experience in Canada.
This is […]

Popularity: 25% [?]

Read full story »

 
I was first introduced to Clyde Edgerton when I read and enjoyed Walking Across Egypt (4 stars) last year, so I was really looking forward to reading this book.  Henry Dampier is a young man determined to make his fortune by door-to-door Bible selling; although, truth be told, he gets the Bibles for free.  Still, […]

Popularity: 23% [?]

Read full story »

“I ask for nothing but a kiss,” he said, his voice still calm and low, but his eyes dimmed. “Mouth to mouth. You might hold your stake between us if it would make you feel more as ease, Venator.”
“Perhaps I would slam it into your heart and send you to Hell, then,” Victoria replied, her […]

Popularity: 29% [?]

Read full story »