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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

Screwed, by Laurie Plissner (2013)

Posted on May 11, 2013 by tom

(nb: via NetGalley,I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review) I wanted to like “Screwed.” Based on the description and the cover, I was intrigued: the “perfect” daughter of super-conservative abstinence-only championing parents has sex … Continue reading →

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Playing With Purpose: Mariano Rivera: The Closer Who Got Saved, by Jesse Florea & Mike Yorkey (2013)

Posted on May 11, 2013 by tom

(nb: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley) The last baseball book I read before this one was “The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood”, which recounted the misbehavior and redemption of Yankee … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Children, Memoir or Biography, Religion/Spirituality, series, Young Adult | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Nostradamus Traitor, by John Gardner (2013)

Posted on May 9, 2013 by tom

(nb: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley) Herbie Kruger is a huge man with a huge intellect, and plenty of doggedness to pursue his quarry relentlessly. Outside of work, his Foreign Office coworkers know full-well of … Continue reading →

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There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes, by Robert Jacoby (2012)

Posted on May 6, 2013 by tom

(nb: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley) (nb: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley) Novels tell stories. If you think of, say, the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling relates Harry’s adventures as … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Literary or Genre Fiction | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Swans and Klons, by Nora Olsen (2013)

Posted on May 4, 2013 by tom

(nb: I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley) Rubric and Salmon Jo have a seemingly idyllic life. They are students at a top academy. They are ready to begin working with their mentors, and they have each … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Dystopian, LGBT, Young Adult | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Ghost Trio, by Lillian Q. Irwin (2013)

Posted on April 30, 2013 by tom

(nb: I received a review copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley) When NYC-based pianist Lee Howe’s partner, mezzo-soprano Devorah Manikian, moves to California, the couple is separated by more than just physical distance. Lee feels personally and … Continue reading →

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

Watched (Watched #1), by Cindy Hogan (2011)

Posted on April 29, 2013 by tom

(nb: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley) Christy is fifteen, and she’s always been the smartest kid in her class. So when she ignores the little voice telling her not to go inside The Norton Hotel, … Continue reading →

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Double Feature, by Owen King (2013)

Posted on April 29, 2013 by tom

Owen King’s debut novel, “Double Feature,” is a sprawling, sometimes uneven novel that takes awhile to penetrate. Once you get into it, the story and characters move in a memorable dance between absurdism and apple pie America, blurring the lines … Continue reading →

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Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This?, by Marion Meade (1987, 2006)

Posted on April 28, 2013 by tom

The phrase “exhaustively researched” has never applied more to a book I’ve read than it does to Marion Meade’s splendid biography “Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This?” Mrs. Parker had a career spanning five decades. She wrote short stories, … Continue reading →

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