reading Archives

Bullet Swallower, The

The Wages of Sin Author: Elizabeth Gonzalez James Lamentations 5:7: Our fathers sinned, and are no more; It is we who have borne their iniquities. The history of the Sonoro’s starts with a man who has gold in his eyes and hate in his heart. His atrocities have cleaved lands asunder, have left the innocent to die deep in the earth, have become the stuff of legends. It’s 1895, and this man’s latest descendent, Antonio, is leaving the peace of his farm to follow the family line. Antonio is a bandit, and he will rob a train to save his [...]

Frances Carden2024-12-24T11:10:51-07:00December 24th, 2024|Tags: book review, magical realism, read, reading, western|

Sanatorium, The

Suspicion, Isolation, and Blatant Stupidity Author: Sarah Pearse Before becoming a prestigious, ultra-modern, isolated mountain hotel, Le Sommet was the final destination for the insane. There are still vestiges of this former life, including the carefully displayed medical instruments in glass cases that ominously link the building’s past and present. But the clientele are paying big bucks, so everything must be ok, right? Elin is a detective on leave, suffering from PTSD. She’s traveled with her long-time boyfriend, Will, to Le Sommet for her estranged brother’s engagement. But this trip is about answers, not fixing family problems. Elin’s younger brother died [...]

Frances Carden2024-12-23T13:01:22-07:00December 23rd, 2024|Tags: book review, horror, mystery, read, reading, reese book club, thriller|

Apples Never Fall

When Dreams Die Author: Liana Moriarty I recently discovered, and fell in love with, Liane Moriarty. She has a way of stepping into normal life situations and unraveling the yearnings and failings of the heart, peeling back the layers of pretense to reveal the raw heart of a character. In Apples Never Fall, Stan and Joy appear to have the perfect marriage, at least to those on the outside. Before retiring, they ran a successful tennis academy. Tennis – the battling on the courts, the challenges and last-minute skill-defying successes, the dreams of Wimbledon – shaped their lives and dreams and [...]

Frances Carden2024-12-08T15:13:49-07:00December 8th, 2024|Tags: book review, drama, fiction, read, reading|