This charming little book (more of a novella, really) was published in 2006 and caught my eye because the writer recently wrote a sequel. The Five People You Meet in Heaven tells the story of Eddie, an 83-year-old amusement park worker, and his experience in heaven after he is killed in a freak accident. Continue reading
Category Archives: Contemporary Literature
Book Review: All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin
All We Ever Wanted examines what happens when parents of teenagers are asleep at the wheel. It also contains some other rather tedious social commentary. Continue reading
Book Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
A Thousand Splendid Suns is set in Afghanistan and tells the stories of Mariam and Laila, two very different women who come to share a terrible fate but also a beautiful friendship. Continue reading
Book Review: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Do you like novels that make you shed a whole lot of tears? Do I have the book for you! With The Great Alone, author Kristin Hannah (who also wrote The Nightingale) delivers a heartwrenching story about love, family and resilience, set in the rugged Alaskan wilderness. Continue reading
Book Review: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
“The Language of Flowers” is a novel about learning how to forgive yourself and accept love from others. Told from the perspective of an 18-year-old product of the foster care system, it runs the reader through a gauntlet of emotions, including frustration, sympathy and hope. Continue reading
Book Review: Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
Whoa! What a book! Peace Like a River is storytelling at its finest. Author Leif Enger crafted a tale of hope, love and spirituality that will stay with you long after you read the last word. Continue reading
Book Review: Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Where’d You Go, Bernadette tells the story of a family that’s in trouble mainly because the “grown ups” have lost their way. It’s an often hilarious and sometimes mildly appalling parody of life in these days of helicopter parenting, perceived victimhood and impersonal electronic communication. Continue reading
Book Review: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was April’s ‘Kind of Like a Book Club’ book. If you read it, I hope you share your opinion in the comments section below. Don’t feel bad about disagreeing with me. I had a very strong reaction to this novel that I know not everyone shares. For example, a reviewer for the Washington Post called it “a cause for celebration”. I sure beg to differ. Continue reading
“Still Life with Bread Crumbs” or Have You Ever Accidentally Read the Same Book Twice?
This week, I read “Still Life with Bread Crumbs”, by Anna Quindlen. The book was pretty good, but I was a little distracted by a strong feeling of deja vu. Actually, I was a lot distracted. Continue reading
Book Review: Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller
Norwegian by Night is a charming novel that explores fatherhood, aging, love and personal and societal values. It’s the story of an ordinary American man who is trying to make amends with his past as he faces the end of his life. At times sweet, funny and sad, it is always heartfelt and imaginative. Continue reading
Book Thoughts from Bed 