Posted May 18, 2016in Book Review
This book is the biography of Thomas Francis Meagher (pronounced Mah-ur), who grew up during the time of the Great Famine in Ireland. Born to a prominent merchant family, he became the voice of the Young Ireland movement, which called for the separation of Ireland from the oppressive rule of
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Posted May 11, 2016in Book Review
By Joe Hill 768pp William Morrow $28.99 05/17/16 There’s something magical about Joe Hill. Something deeply disturbed — as we’d expect from a child of horror demigod Stephen King — but magical in those shadows. Never one to go the obvious route, Hill has managed to take a
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Posted May 04, 2016in Book Review
Chris Bohjalian’s new novel, “The Guest Room,” tells the story of Richard and Kristin Chapman, a 40-year-old couple living a life to which others would aspire. Their lovely suburban New York home is well appointed and comfortable. She is a popular and respected teacher in the local high school, and
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Posted April 27, 2016in Book Review
By Tessa Hadley Harper/Harper Collins January 2016 Hardback $26.99 368 pages Join the Cranes as they reunite at their grandparents’ run-down home in the English countryside for a final summer holiday where family stories and secrets intertwine and come to the surface. The house is full of memories of
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Posted April 20, 2016in Book Review
Although now recognized as one of the greatest rock bands of its generation, The Replacements did not initially enjoy uniformly stellar reviews, good fortune or great fame. In portions of the book that provide scenarios not exactly enjoyable to read, Mehr describes how each band member endured troubled backgrounds,
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Posted April 13, 2016in Book Review
Another book review, another debut author, this one entitled “Dodgers” by Bill Beverly. East, the main character, has grown up in the gang culture of Los Angeles. East’s uncle is a high-ranking gang member to whom East is employed as lookout. After their stash house gets raided, East and
Read More →The American in Britain has written another book, this time a further exploration of his much loved adopted country, which was the subject of a prior book, “Notes from a Small Island.” He does not go to the same places, but instead he visits new sights while he tries
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Posted April 01, 2016in Book Review
The highly anticipated follow-up to “Elvis Sightings at Iowa Truck Stops-Volume II: 1983-1989;” the professors at Graceland University of the Unknown managed to put together an exhaustive, thrilling and comprehensive account of more than 4,000 Elvis sightings at Iowa truck stops during the early ‘90s. It is a comfort to
Read More →Frank Mercy had led an interesting life. Raised on a horse farm in Wisconsin, he had a career he loved as a mounted police officer in Chicago. He was disabled with a serious leg injury after being struck by a teenage driver. Financially secure from the legal settlement, he left
Read More →I love books that defy easy explanation. Some of my most beloved books are those that are impossible to categorize or sum up in a few words. “All the Birds in the Sky” may be the quintessential impossible-to-define novel — and I adore it. Patricia and Laurence are typical outsider
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