contemporary american

"Florence Gordon"

my take: A bit of a cross between Olive Kitteridge and Emily, Alone, Florence is a somewhat crotchety feminist whose …

What Alice Forgot

my take: When Alice, a 39 year old mother of three, falls off her spin bike and knocks her head …

Landline

my take: This was an impulse buy for me … I’d seen it and heard about it and decided to …

"Nineteen Minutes"

my take: When I asked a young friend what she likes to read, without hestitation she answered “anything by Jodi …

"The Magician’s Assistant"

my take: Ah, another great read from Ann Patchett. This was published in 1996, which doesn’t seem like that long …

The Good Luck of Right Now

my take: I watched The Silver Linings Playbook several months ago and was stunned by it … wild, gripping, poignant, disturbing, …

The Whole Golden World

my take: After finishing a self-help nonfiction, I was looking for something easy and fast. And this fit the bill …

"Telegraph Avenue"

my take: Oh, man, this novel has everything and the kitchen sink. Most of the way through the book I …

"Wild"

my take: This is a great adventure and great memoir. Really, by the end, I felt like I’d hiked a …

"Someone Else’s Love Story"

my take: The real love story here is my head-over-heels infatuation with all things Joshilyn Jackson writes. For reals. This …

"The Fault in Our Stars"

my take: This was almost as wonderful and necessary as Wonder … but for a slightly older age group. (And …

The Round House

my take: I loved the voice of the narrator in this coming-of-age story. Joe looks back on a pivotal moment …

"The Art Forger"

my take: I couldn’t decide at first if I liked the writing style or not … and then I got …

This is Where I Leave You

my take: Really, the family in this book has the corner on the DYSFUNCTION market. It’s being made into a …