Author Dominic Smith delivers beautiful prose and a melancholy mood in “The Last Painting of Sara de Vos”. Spanning three different time periods, the book tells the tale of a 17th century artist and the 20th century forger who copies one of her paintings. Continue reading
Category Archives: Fiction
Book Review: A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George
A Banquet of Consequences is the 19th book in Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley series. It’s a good, traditional English murder mystery with a very strong focus on character development. Continue reading
December’s “Kind of Like a Book Club” Book
For the second month of the virtual book club experiment, we’ll be reading “The Last Painting of Sara de Vos”, by Dominic Smith. It came highly recommended and received good reviews. Here’s how the library describes it: Continue reading
“The Defector”, by Daniel Silva
If you’re in the market for a really good international espionage/thriller series, I strongly recommend Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series. “The Defector” is book nine of this, to date, sixteen book series. It provided what I’ve come to appreciate about Daniel Silva’s writing – great characters, an intriguing plot, a frank depiction of the current world order, and a sympathetic account of the struggles of Israel and her people. Continue reading
Book Review: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
The Woman in Cabin 10 is a very satisfying mystery with plenty of plot twists and red herrings. It will keep you on your toes and engaged until the very end. Continue reading
Book Review: A Murder of Magpies by Judith Flanders
A Murder of Magpies is a light mystery set against the backdrop of the British publishing industry. Author Judith Flanders creates strong characters and an okay plot in the debut novel of this series. Continue reading
Book Review: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
What Alice Forgot is a very well written novel that explores what happens to our personalities, priorities and relationships as we age and mature. Continue reading
“Gray Mountain”, by John Grisham
Coal mining is at the center of “Gray Mountain”, John Grisham’s latest legal thriller. In it, a young New York attorney takes a temporary internship in a small Virginia coal mining town and is reluctantly drawn into a battle against some of the area’s large coal mining companies. Continue reading
Book Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Charm. This book has loads of it. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is set right after the end of WWII and tells the story of a woman author who discovers a unique group of people on the island of Guernsey and the story of how they survived the German occupation of their homeland. Continue reading
“The Scorpio Races”, by Maggie Stiefvater
“The Scorpio Races” is a beautifully written, young adult fantasy novel that explores love, courage and loyalty against the backdrop of an island culture that largely revolves around the carnivorous water horses that emerge on its beaches every autumn. It’s an excellent read and, happily, not just for young adults. Continue reading
Book Thoughts from Bed 