The Immortalists is a multi-generational family tale that takes place on New York’s Lower East Side between the 1960s and present day. The book’s premise, as per the jacket, is that four siblings hear about a fortune-teller in their neighborhood who is known for predicting the exact dates of death of those who visit her….
Category: Book Review
Advance Uncorrected Prediction: Laura & Emma is 2018’s ‘Book of the Summer’
In 2015, we had Everybody Rise 2016, it was Rich & Pretty. Almost every summer (barring last year, as you may have noticed), a few books emerge victorious as ‘books of the summer’ that come from a particular subgenre one might refer to as “WASP classics” or “Contemporary Wharton.” Having received an advance copy of…
Cheap Thrill: Noah Hawley’s Before the Fall
If you’re on my blog, you’re likely well aware that I’m a big fan of books. But what you might not know is that I’m also physically incapable of watching television. Every few months, I halfheartedly ask my friends for recommendations and listen to them wax enthusiastic about the latest Netflix Original or HBO…
Not Your Grandma’s Novel: Things That Happened Before the Earthquake
When you think of an Italian, I’d have to assume that ‘sensual’ is one of the first words that comes to mind. Stereotype or not, from the passion they feel for their cuisine to the rapid fire, gesticulation-heavy manner in which they speak, to the tender way in which Paolo treated Lizzie in the chef…
Found in Translation: Katherine Pancol
Given that I just woke up from a dream in which my blog domain name had expired and caused every post to vanish, I feel I am long overdue for a post—and today, I finally have something positive to report. I’ve mentioned my love for French authors in translation many a time (The…
My Thoughts on ‘A Little Life’
A Little Life has been on my list for almost two years now, when it was published to immediate acclaim. Having gotten 300 pages into The Goldfinch and abandoning it due to an inability to take even the remotest interest in the plotline, I was hesitant about this one. Also, as someone who both refuses…
Dispatches from the Present: Dissecting The Past and The Futures
I haven’t exactly made my penchant for novels featuring crumbling British aristocratic families on this site a secret (see here and here…and here, and also that The Pursuit of Love, Sense & Sensibility, and Love in a Cold Climate are among my favorite books), so it should come as no surprise that one of…
Slow Burn: Katie Kitamura’s ‘A Separation’
When Katie Kitamura’s novel, A Separation, was heralded as a “literary Gone Girl,” I purchased it without hesitation. Upon completion of the book, I feel it is my duty to inform future readers that this description is entirely inaccurate. Regardless, the book is worth a read. Different from Gone Girl in almost every…
When it Comes to ‘Soulmates’, Make ‘Lower Your Expectations’ Your Mantra
As a 90’s kid growing up in a time when hot pink yogurts with sprinkles and candy were ubiquitous (looking at you, Sprinklin’s, GoGurt, and YoCrunch) and when Lunchables were the ultimate status symbol, I do not think any of us expected that “clean eating” would take hold in the way that it did….
Feb Fiction, Part II: The Girl Before
I prefaced the need for a good February evening thriller in Part One of my Feb Fiction post. I would’ve named it Feb Thrillers, but I’m a sucker for a good alliteration, so there you have it. I guess I could have called the series Feb Faves, but, as you may have gleaned from my…
Covers to Covers 