The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian
10 Oct, by in Adult Readers, Armenian American, Audio, European, Fiction
This, Chris Bohjalian's latest, is one to stick in the ears ...
BookDragon Mystery Tag
The Caretaker by A.X. Ahmad
05 Sep, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Black/African American, Fiction, Indian, Indian American, South Asian, South Asian American
For you DC-area-locals who were wondering, debut novelist A.X. Ahmad is one of us ...
Shelter and Seconds Away [Mickey Bolitar series] by Harlan Coben
30 Jun, by in Fiction, Jewish, Young Adult Readers
If you're needing a Myron Bolitar fix – Harlan Coben, the first author to win an Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony (three of the top awards for mystery writers), seems to be taking a break from his most persistent protagonist after 10 volumes – then this new series...
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 ...
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...
The Likeness [Dublin Murder Squad 2] by Tana French
19 May, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Irish
In the second installment of Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series, Cassie Maddox hasn't quite recovered from Operation Vestal of In the Woods, the series' debut. While she gained a caring, supportive, all-around good guy lover, she lost her partner who was also her very...
Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup
25 Apr, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Indian
First word of advice: read the page. Don't bother sticking this novel in your ears: narrator Lyndam Gregory's uneven cadences and random slurring will guarantee you won't get through the 17.5 hours of listening, not to mention his grating attempt at Texas twang might cause...
Origin by Diana Abu-Jaber
18 Apr, by in Adult Readers, Arab American, Audio, Fiction
Hapa Jordanian American Diana Abu-Jaber established herself with her first three titles – novels Arabian Jazz and Crescent, and memoir The Language of Baklava – as a lauded, award-winning Arab American literary voice. She leaves her own origins off the page in this chilling psychological thriller – her first, but most likely not her last....
In the Woods [Dublin Murder Squad 1] by Tana French
14 Apr, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Irish
Okay, so Tana French’s website says that she won the coveted Oscar-for-mysteries Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 2007, but if you check the actual Edgars site (which has an 'I've never seen this anywhere else, but every award site should have one!'-database), that...
21st Century Boys (vol. 02) by Naoki Urasawa, with the cooperation of Takashi Nagasaki, English adaptation by Akemi Wegmüller
26 Mar, by in Adult Readers, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers
So why is it that all good things are supposed to come to an end? I’d be perfectly happy with another 20 more volumes. Really, is that too much to ask? With an enormously huffy sigh of resignation, I moaningly offer a final post for Naoki...
Message to Adolf (Part 2) by Osamu Tezuka, translated by Kumar Sivasubramanian
15 Feb, by in Adult Readers, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation
Official word of warning: this is NOT your kiddies' manga. Both in subject matter and graphics, Message is definitely for mature audiences. So if you have younger ones in the house, be careful not to leave the book lying around. The "godfather of manga" has...
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
17 Dec, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Native American/First Nations/Indigenous Peoples
"Just yesterday a white guy asked me if I was a real Indian. No, I said, Columbus made a mistake. The Indians are in India." Presented as humor during a community festival, the deep irony remains striking throughout Louise Erdrich's award-winning, bestselling books that explore...
The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (vol. 13) by Eiji Otsuka, art by Housui Yamazaki, translated by Toshifumi Yoshida, edited by Carl Gustav Horn
16 Dec, by in Adult Readers, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation
For someone who eschews horror films, I sure am addicted to (certain) scary manga. Devoted groupie that I am for the Kurosagi team, I just hope the series isn't ending anytime soon! For anyone new to the series, rather than starting at (unlucky) #13, might...
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
09 Dec, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific
OMG. Think gruesome wreck you can't turn away from and you probably won't even get close to the horrors of Gillian Flynn's debut novel, which pubbed six years before her mega-breakout Gone Girl, which is currently turning up on new major 'best-of' lists daily. So freaked out...
The Salvation of a Saint [Detective Galileo 2] by Keigo Higashino, translated by Alexander O. Smith with Elye J. Alexander
05 Oct, by in Adult Readers, Fiction, Japanese, Translation
Just like last year's The Devotion of Suspect X, mega-award winning Keigo Higashino will expertly manipulate you, making you constantly rethink your suspicions. While the final exposition might not be as drop-jaw shocking as Devotion, Salvation is still unquestionably an addictive page-turner, enticingly paced to keep you reading...
20th Century Boys (vol. 22) by Naoki Urasawa, with the cooperation of Takashi Nagasaki, English adaptation by Akemi Wegmüller
28 Sep, by in Adult Readers, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers
Confession first: even though I'm posting after the fact, reading this was a little birthday present to myself. The older I get, oh how I loooovvvvve the manga that much more! Must be an age-escapist thing! The Friend has shockingly confessed that he's the mastermind behind...
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
18 Sep, by in Absolute Favorites, Adult Readers, British, European, Fiction, Young Adult Readers
Having somehow stumbled randomly on Elizabeth Wein's very recent "meta-review" on reviewing (complete with crossed-out phrases about "tasteless morons"), I'll try to not break her seven "observations" here. Just allow me a moment to digress (and comment): 1. I wasn't aware of any Verity hype, although surely such...
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
01 Sep, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific
Now that we're in the final weekend of summer, I figured today was the right day to choose what was apparently the title this season (yes, I do open the occasional mega-bestseller, the few times I crawl out from under my rock). Since Reese Witherspoon's production company...