Monthly Archives: May 2013

Sweet, Decadent, and Fun: “Skinny Bitch in Love,” by Kim Barnouin (2013)

Posted on May 28, 2013 by tom

(nb: I received an advance review copy from the publisher via NetGalley) The “opposites attract” leitmotif is a standard in modern fiction. The straight cop ends up with the bumbling private investigator; the rich guy ends up with a streetwalker. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, General Fiction, Humorous, Romance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Legions (The Watchers Trilogy #2), by Karice Bolton (2011)

Posted on May 26, 2013 by tom

Legions by Karice Bolton My rating: 3 of 5 stars “Legions” is the second in Karice Bolton’s “The Watchers” trilogy, and once again Athen, Arie, Ana, and Cyril are faced with their task of battling dark demons. At the end … Continue reading →

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The Wedding Song (Le chant des mariées) (2008); After Fall, Winter (2011)

Posted on May 24, 2013 by tom

Yeah, like you’ve never enjoyed a Lizzie Brocheré double-feature before. I kid. As it happens, I did last night… “The Wedding Song” (Le chant des mariées) tells the story of a friendship imperiled when the Nazis occupied Tunisia during World … Continue reading →

Posted in Films, Foreign | Leave a comment

Black Snake Moan (2006)

Posted on May 23, 2013 by tom

In the rural South, a conflicted black man chains a  white teenaged girl to his radiator, and he refuses to let her go. On the surface, nothing good can come of this scenario. However, in Craig Brewer’s 2006 film, “Black … Continue reading →

Posted in Films | 1 Comment

Awakening (The Watchers Trilogy #1), by Karice Bolton (2011)

Posted on May 22, 2013 by tom

Imagine you’re a pretty, twenty-year-old woman waitressing in a ski village bar & grill. One night, you meet three people to whom you are irresistibly drawn, especially one tall, handsome guy with arresting green eyes. Eventually, they tell you the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Paranormal, Romance, series, Young Adult | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell (2013)

Posted on May 20, 2013 by tom

There are some couples you just want to work out, you want it to the core of your being. It seems like there’s always huge adversity for these couples, too. In John Green’s amazing “The Fault in Our Stars,” Hazel … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Books of the Year, Books, Romance, Young Adult | 2 Comments

Requiem (2006) and The Raven (2012)

Posted on May 20, 2013 by tom

There was just something odd about Michaela Klingler. She was pretty enough, in a plain way, but something had set her apart from her high school classmates. First off, she was an extremely pious Catholic girl in the 1970’s, when … Continue reading →

Posted in Films, Foreign, Horror, Period Picture ("Costume Drama") | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Taken (The Watchers Trilogy 0.5), by Karice Bolton (2012)

Posted on May 19, 2013 by tom

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, as the song goes. Athen and Ana have their tree up, and their friends Arie and Cyril are coming over. There’s woodsmoke in the air, and the first snowfall is nigh. If … Continue reading →

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Cotton Tenants: Three Families, by James Agee and Walker Evans (2013)

Posted on May 19, 2013 by tom

(nb: I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss) “Cotton Tenants: Three Families” takes us inside the backbreaking work and soul-breaking poverty of three tenant farmers in 1936 rural Alabama. It is hard to … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Books of the Year, Books, History, Memoir or Biography, Non Fiction and/or Commentary | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Girl, The Gold Tooth, And Everything: A Novel, by Francine LaSala (2012)

Posted on May 15, 2013 by tom

(nb: I received a review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley) In the past 16 months, I’ve read 168 books, and I can count on one hand those that hooked me as quickly and thoroughly, relentlessly chained … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Books of the Year, Books, Literary or Genre Fiction, Mysteries/Thrillers | Tagged , | Leave a comment