The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
12 Aug, by in Adult Readers, Audio, European, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific
Magic happens when narrator George Guidall says "and yet ...
BookDragon Audio
All That Is by James Salter
07 Aug, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific
What began as gorgeous elegiac memory about misplaced courage and final hope as World War II comes to an end in the Pacific, devolves into a middle-aged man's tedious reflections about his search for meaningful connections, especially with women, as he recalls his privileged life...
Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell
04 Aug, by in Adult Readers, Audio, British, Fiction, Irish, Nonethnic-specific
Alas, this was the last Maggie O'Farrell I had left. Ever since discovering The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (my first and still favorite, I admit), I've moved her books to the top of the top of the To-Be-Read piles with regularity. Now that I've...
The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell
03 Aug, by in Adult Readers, Audio, British, Fiction, Irish, Nonethnic-specific
On a summer afternoon in mid-1950s rural England on the border between Devon and Cornwall, journalist Innes Kent, already 34, happens upon angry Alexandra Sinclair, not yet 22. During their brief exchange in her parents' yard after he hits car trouble, he manages to inadvertently...
The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud
01 Aug, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction
Best known for her penultimate novel – the bestselling 2006 Booker longlisted The Emperor's Children – Claire Messud takes on about-to-be-middle-aged regret with a raw vengeance in this, her fifth and latest title. That her protagonist Nora Eldridge shares the same first name as the discontented heroine in Henrik Ibsen's A...
My Education by Susan Choi
31 Jul, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Filipina/o American, Hapa/Mixed-race, Korean American, Southeast Asian American
So I've been mulling over this book for a month-plus, and still remain rather conflicted. The one solid conclusion I can offer is this – if I were to rank Susan Choi's titles, my list would read thusly: American Woman, based loosely on the Patty Hearst...
Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil
30 Jul, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Indian, South Asian
Without intending any disrespect to narrator Robertson Dean (in fact, his deep, rich voice makes for a memorable listen), this is a book you must see on the page. If you only go audible, you'll miss you too much from the very first sentence onward:...
The Watch by Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya
25 Jul, by in Adult Readers, Afghan, Audio, Indian, South Asian
Before you begin The Watch, allow me to offer a few details about Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya's writerly preparations you won't find in the book. Although his ending "Acknowledgements" includes candid gratitude to numerous members of the U.S. military, the interview attached to the press materials sent with his title...
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
17 Jul, by in Adult Readers, Afghan, Afghan American, Audio, Fiction
Before this novel, Khaled Hosseini's third, even hit shelves on May 21, the world had already made it a bestseller; many months – more likely years – will pass before it fades from the international spotlight. Although I had the galley for months before, I kept it...
Maya’s Notebook by Isabel Allende, translated by Anne McLean
10 Jul, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Latina/o/x, Repost, South American, Translation
I've never seen, but have read about (no surprise) the international popularity of telenovelas, but I imagine that if this, Isabel Allende's latest novel, was transferred to the little screen, it would fit quite well in what seems to be a rather histrionic genre with...
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
09 Jul, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Canadian Asian Pacific American, Fiction, Indian, Indian American, South Asian, South Asian American
Reading four novels, each set in a major Indian city, one after another over a single week or so, has made the stories feel as if they might overlap, dovetail, conflate, creating quite the enriching literary experience. In the midst of A Fine Balance, I...
The House Girl by Tara Conklin
26 Jun, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Black/African American, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific
Give me a story with two narratives interwoven through nonlinear timelines and, usually, I'll be one committed reader. The House Girl opens in 1852 rural Virginia with a teenage slave girl named Josephine, then fast forwards in the next chapter to Lina, an ambitious attorney...
The Night Ferry by Michael Robotham
16 Jun, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Australian, British, British Asian, Fiction
If I had not stuck Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad thrillers in my ears, I might never have discovered Australian journalist-turned-bestselling novelist Michael Robotham – French's The Likeness (I think) ended with the 'if you liked x, then try y'-recommendation that led me to Night Ferry. Contrarian that I am, however,...
Broken Harbor [Dublin Murder Squad 4] by Tana French
08 Jun, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Irish
With Broken Harbor finished, my Tana French days are over ...
eleanor & park by Rainbow Rowell
05 Jun, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Hapa/Mixed-race, Korean American, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers
Wow, I sort of wondered ...
Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
30 May, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Iraqi, Nonethnic-specific
Perhaps I just need to stay away from award-winning bestsellers. But sometimes, my curiosity over all those stickers, prizes, and multiplying sales just can't be contained ...
Her: A Memoir by Christa Parravani
28 May, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Memoir, Nonethnic-specific, Nonfiction
Here's another tiny-world overlap that convinces me that some higher power is directing my reading choices: first-time author Christa Parravani is married to Gulf War veteran author Anthony Swofford (Jarhead) – 'Tony' in Her – who appeared in the 2008 Oscar-nominated documentary, Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience, which was directed by...
The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield
26 May, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific
Jenny Wingfield seems to be a bit of serial first-hit wonder. That's actually not a judgment but an observation: her first film she wrote, The Man in the Moon, was glorified by the late Roger Ebert, gave Reese Witherspoon her screen debut, and was the last...
Faithful Place [Dublin Murder Squad 3] by Tana French
25 May, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Irish
Tana French has a method to her mysteries: While all four of her titles are standalone thrillers, you'll get more out of each if you read them in chronological order because each book's protagonist is connected to the next. Rob opens the Dublin Murder Squad series with In the...
Anatomy of a Disappearance by Hisham Matar
23 May, by in Adult Readers, Arab, Audio, British, Egyptian, European, Fiction, Middle Eastern
Hisham Matar's second novel (following his much-lauded, substantially-awarded debut, In the Country of Men) reads like a fast-moving dream, events jarringly, jaggedly forced together, and yet somehow managing to maintain a clear, thoughtful narrative. Narrator Steve West's methodically-paced, calmly-controlled voice imbues Matar's haunting story with dignity...