Novels Now

You are browsing the archives of 2010 April.

Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead: The Frank Meeink Story as Told by Jody M. Roy, Ph.D.
Hawthorne Books & Literary Arts, 2010
Nonfiction; 350 pgs
In June of 2001, I had the opportunity to join my mother and a contingent from her school on a tour of the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, California. Although I am [...]

Breathe, she told herself. Rest, and soften the shoulders, and stop the mind’s seesawing, at least until dawn. Yes, dawn. And then, young adult or not, she would track him down. She would touch his cheek and hug him tight - mother him until he shrugged her off - so [...]

Helen picked her way back home using the less traveled streets and alleys, avoiding the larger thoroughfares such as Nguyen Hue, where trouble was likely. When she first came to Saigon, full of the country’s history from books, it had struck her out little any of the Americans knew or cared about the country, [...]

If your name is Britney Brassieres, being taken down by a tsunami of champagne might seem only fitting.

One minute she was belting out “Oops! . . . I Did It Again,” the next she was on the floor, her arms flailing as the Moët - not the really expensive kind, but that White Star [...]

Professor Bullock’s office was an academic’s hideaway, a throwback to an earlier era. Bookshelves ran up every wall, which between the dim lighting and the constant fog of tobacco seemed to be even taller than they probably were, reaching to an unseen - doubtless smoke stained - ceiling. A series of lamps, some [...]

Forcing his head up into the deluge, Clark peeled back an eyelid and squinted. The heavens had paled to a deathly green, with clouds rolling and tumbling, black as midnight with fire boiling inside. A great sheet of white lightening ripped the sky so violently that Clark felt it vibrate through his hair [...]

I close my eyes and imagine the touch of my mother’s hand on my forehead, smoothing away the residue of childhood nightmares. Her finger moves across my forehead, tracing letters and words of prayer that I never understood, never wanted to understand, her mouth whispering in nearly silent accompaniment. Now, waking from the [...]

Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000 by Eric Wight
Frankie Pickle, Book 2
Pages: 87 pages
Ages: 7-10
First Published: Feb. 9, 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
Preeeesenting…The Prince of Peril…The Sultan of Suspense…The Duke of Danger…The Amazing Piccolini!!
Reason for Reading: Next in the series, read aloud to my son.
Summary: Frankie Pickle [...]

The Little Known by Janice Daugharty
BelleBooks, Inc, February 2010
Fiction (YA); 234 pgs

The Little Known is the story of a nine-year-old African American boy named Knot in 1960’s segregated Georgia. While out riding his cousin’s bicycle, he comes across a bag of money, dropped by a bank robber who was fleeing from the police. [...]

A few days after Benny’s death, Ellie and Frank Benton broke into separate people. Although they didn’t know it then. At that time, all they could do was concentrate on getting through each bewildering day, fighting to suppress the ugly memories that burst to the surface like fish above water. [Prologue, page 2]
The [...]

The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker
Pages: 432
First Published: Apr. 13, 2010
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
“Thank you, detective. We’ll take it from here.”
Reason for Reading: I loved my first Dekker book, The Boneman’s Daughters, and *had* to read this.
Summary: FBI special agent Brad Raines is called onto a case where [...]

Where The Love of God Hangs Out
By Amy Bloom
Completed February 1, 2010
For readers unfamiliar with Amy Bloom, her latest selection of short stories, Where The God of Love Hangs Out, would be a good start into this talented writer’s world. Stories in this collection showed the wide range of love - family love, friendship, forbidden [...]

Secrets of Eden
By Chris Bohjalian
Completed February 21, 2010
A trademark Chris Bohjalian novel is one of suspense, engaging characters and a plot twist that few could anticipate. This magic formula is once again employed in Bohjalian’s latest book, Secrets of Eden.
Secrets of Eden tells the tragic story of Alice Hayward – an abused wife who was [...]

The Wives of Henry Oades
By Johanna Moran
Completed February 28, 2010

The Wives of Henry Oades, the debut novel by Johanna Moran, was inspired by a court case from the late 1800’s. Henry Oades was accused of polygamy when his first wife, who he thought was dead, found him in California. By the time the first Mrs. [...]

In Other Rooms, Other Wonders
By Daniyal Mueenuddin
Completed March 14, 2010
Daniyel Mueenuddin’s debut short story collection is certainly worthy of its accolades, including finalist for the National Book Award, Publisher’s Weekly Best Books and New York Times Notable Book of the Year. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders offers its readers a glimpse into modern-day Pakistan through [...]

Every Last One
By Anna Quindlen
Completed March 24, 2010
In her latest book, Every Last One, Anna Quindlen takes her readers to a place where most of us hope to never be. It’s uncomfortable, sad, tragic – but when you’re done with this book, it offers you a chance to reflect on life’s blessings and the tenacity [...]

The Lotus Eaters
By Tatjana Soli
Completed March 29, 2010
The Vietnam War. The very term means “conflict” in every context. From the battles in the jungle to the peace movement at home, the American involvement in Vietnam was a conflict for many. It’s this part of American history that serves as a backdrop for Tatjana Soli’s debut [...]

Solar
By Ian McEwan
Completed April 4, 2010
Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. These are the seven deadly sins, and Michael Beard, the main character of Ian McEwan’s latest book, Solar, possesses every single one of them.
Michael peaked early in his career as a physicist, winning the Nobel Prize in his twenties. Nearly three decades [...]

Their first reaction to this crime is to seek vengeance, not justice. I had to do something to prevent disaster. That such a mission was probably doomed to fail did not excuse me from trying. As Rabbi Tarfon says, “It’s not your job to finish the work, but you are not free to walk [...]

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
Forest of Hands & Teeth, Book 2
Pages: 407 pages
Ages: 14+
First Published: Mar. 9, 2010
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
The story goes that even after the Return they tried to keep the roller coasters going.
Reason for Reading: Next in the series.
Summary: Gabry lives a safe, secure [...]