Books that captivate with their exquisite prose and unforgettable storytelling. Perfect for readers who appreciate the art of language.
Before I Go to Sleep
S.J. Watson, 2011
363 pp.
Book Review by Molly Lundquist
February 2014
Christine Lucas wakes up every morning to a strange man in her bed—with no idea who he is or how he got there. More disturbing: a different woman peers out at her from the mirror, much older than the one who looked back at her the night before.
For Christine, each night's sleep wipes out all memory of the previous day. Every morning for the past 20 years—since the hit-and-run accident—she must relearn her world from scratch: the husband beside her, the house she finds herself in, the clothes she wears, and most of all herself.
The Goldfinch
Donna Tartt, 2013
784 pp.
Book Review by Molly Lundquist
January 2014
Sometimes a book like this—long anticipated—arrives to such high expectations it can only disappoint. Not so The Goldfinch. Heralded by nearly all, Tartt's third novel can be found at the top of (or near) every "Best of 2013" list. It's remarkable.
Theo Decker is 13 when his world is rocked by an explosion in a New York museum. His mother perishes in the blast, but Theo survives, crawling through the wreckage with a priceless Dutch painting in his backpack. This is the Goldfinch of the title, and for Leo it becomes a talisman for all he lost and all he yearns for.
Truth in Advertising
John Kenney, 2013
320 pp.
November, 2013
Finbar Dolan is a 39-year old man working in diapers who needs a change. That's the symbolic gag underpinning (!!) John Kenney's often hilarious novel about the New York ad world. The diapers? They're Fin's big advertising account.
It's Fin's smart take on the ad business that makes this book so funny. Yet one of life's maxims is that witicisms and combacks too often mask a troubled soul. Jokers deflect pain under the guise of humor—so, yes, Fin is funny, but his humor goes down only so far.
Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Sedaris, 2000
272 pp.
November 2013
In honesty, I didn't "read" Me Talk Pretty; I listened to it. Even now, simply writing about it, I can hear Sedaris in my head—that voice, with its droll flatness and its slight nasal quality, has the power to make so many of us double over with laughter.
Not all of the essays are hilarious; some are tinged with nostalgia and some carry more than a hint of bitterness. But no matter the emotion conveyed, nearly all are engaging.
11/22/63
Stephen King, 2011
880 pp.
Book Review by Molly Lundquist
October, 2013
It's long, 880 pages—the author takes his time in this book—which means you might as well just settle in. And unless it's a fast-paced thriller you're after, you won't be disapointed.
Fans know King as a master of horror. But in 11/22/63 he shows his chops across a range of genres—realism, historical fiction, romance, suspense, philosophy, and speculative fiction (i.e., time travel)—and, no surprise, he's good at all of it.