Category: Book Reviews

August 1, 2016

The Lazarus Project by Aleksander Hemon *** (of 5)

In 1908 a Jewish immigrant named Lazarus Averbuch knocked on the door of Chicago’s police chief. After handing the Chief Shippy a letter (we never learn...

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July 22, 2016

One of Us by Asne Seierstad **** (of 4)

Even if you do not recall the Oslo terrorist attack in 2011, the opening pages of this book make certain there is no surprise. Anders...

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July 13, 2016

What we Talk about when we Talk about Anne Frank *** (of 4) by Nathan Englander

Eight short stories. All of them sad. Englander pitches his stories to test the limits of love in binding marriages, ageless friendships, families, and neighbors. Two...

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June 23, 2016

Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson **** (of 4)

In so many ways Tree of Smoke is easier to describe for what it really is not. The setting is Vietnam, and to a lesser...

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May 29, 2016

The Immortal Irishman by Timothy Egan **** (of 5)

The immortal Irishman is Robert Meagher, surely the most famous and interesting person I’ve never heard of. Meagher (pronounced Mar) was an incomparably gifted nineteenth...

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May 29, 2016

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith *** (of 5)

Let’s first state the not-so-obvious: Robert Galbraith is the pseudonym used by J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame for her mystery series featuring detective Cormoran...

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May 11, 2016

Don’t Ever Get Old by Daniel Friedman ** (of 4)

Buck Schatz, an 87-year-old former tough guy cop from Memphis has never dropped his crusty exterior nor belligerent attitude toward bad guys even though he’s...

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May 1, 2016

The Incarnations by Susan Barker *** (of 4)

China, despite its rocket launch into modernity, is still a country of five thousand years of history. As Americans, a people that at best can only recall...

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April 8, 2016