From the category archives:

Reviews

David Cristofano: the girl she used to be

by Rachel Baker on March 11, 2010

I liked the girl she used to be by David Cristofano; and to go a bit further, this is one of the better “first novels” I’ve read in a long time.  Cristofano attempts to answer questions surrounding identity by introducing two characters who are damned to live lonely lives because of the identity of their respective parents.

The main character is Melody Grace McCartney, who at the young age of six, witnessed a member of the Mafia murder a man at her favorite Italian restaurant. Her family was put into the Witness Protection Program after an anonymous tip to the Feds that they were at the scene of a murder.  [read more…]

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Per Petterson: To Siberia

by Rachel BakerMarch 7, 2010 Reviews

Let’s play a little word association game for a minute: If I say the word Siberia, what do you think of?  For me, the words would be Cold, Desolate, Punishment.  I suspect for most of us, that’s what we conjure in our minds when we hear the word.
Not for the sixty year old narrator of [...]

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Edward M. Kennedy: True Compass – A Memoir

by Rachel BakerDecember 5, 2009 Reviews

Who is Ted Kennedy? To be completely frank, I knew of him only as the younger brother of Jack and Bobby, senator of Massachusetts, and the guy in the Chappaquiddick “thing.”  I use the word “thing” because I didn’t really know what happened other than some girl died and he was driving. When Ted Kennedy [...]

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Carrie Host: Between Me and the River

by Rachel BakerNovember 8, 2009 Reviews

Carrie Host did not write Between Me and the River for me.  I don’t have cancer, I don’t have children, and I’m really not sure I’ve ever even known someone personally who had cancer. I felt really distant from the subject matter.
Before I go any further, I read this book twice.  First I got almost [...]

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Chloe Neill: The Chicagoland Vampires Series

by Rachel BakerNovember 1, 2009 Reviews

I don’t normally read trendy vampire books.  That said, I was pressured, by one of my favorite people, to read these books.  She said, “now Rachel, I know these aren’t the type you would normally read, but they aren’t my normal smutty romance novels and I think you may actually really like them.  Please read [...]

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Diane Setterfield: The Thirteenth Tale

by Rachel BakerOctober 24, 2009 Reviews

I was sucked in on the very first page and hooked by page 8.  By page 129, I thought I had the story figured out, and by the last few chapters I was giddy because the author got one, or two, and even three over on me.
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield assaulted the reader [...]

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Jamie Ford: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

by Rachel BakerSeptember 23, 2009 Reviews

Every once in a while, I run across a book that is able to evoke strong emotions – disgust, anger, empathy, sadness and joy. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford is one of these books. This is the story of heartbreak and tragedy, hope and joy. The [...]

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The Indispensable Book of Practical Life Skills

by Rachel BakerSeptember 20, 2009 Reviews

Have you ever wondered how to draft proof the front door?  or how to double dig?  Or what about, how to wash cashmere or how to baby-proof your home?  or how to tie different knots and how to pitch tents – the old fashion ones, not the new-fangled ones you can buy? Well, these and [...]

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Nelida Pinon: Voices of the Desert

by Rachel BakerAugust 31, 2009 Reviews

Voices of the Desert is sort of a spinoff of One Thousand and One Nights.  The central character is (supposed to be) Scheherazade, who was the young bride who volunteered to marry the Persian King who’d begun to execute his virgin wives after the first night of sex.  If you will remember, the Caliph found [...]

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William Gladstone: The Twelve

by Rachel BakerAugust 24, 2009 Reviews

The Twelve by William Gladstone, due to hit the market in September, is a book about a man named Max and what might possibly happen on December 12, 2012 and how it will happen. Its not really clear what will happen in the book if Max doesn’t succeed in his mission, but my understanding is [...]

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Joseph Sohm: Visions of America

by Rachel BakerJuly 30, 2009 Reviews

Coffee Table books.  What’s the point?  Spark conversation? Inspire the imagination of far off places one would like to travel? or just to alleviate boredom at family functions?  I never actually understood their purpose.  Sure, I’d leaf through them in someone’s living room and truth be told, I enjoyed thinking about what it be like [...]

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