Category: Books

Title: The Paris Wife

Genre: Novel

Grade: B+

Notable People: Paula McLain (Author)

Review: a very interesting novel in the first person by Hemingway’s first wife- Hadley. Took it to Paris with me; it’s mostly set during the early (pre fame)Paris years and has a notable cast of characters (Gertrude Stein, Scoot Fitzgerald, Sherwood Anderson, Picasso). A sad tale of the end of thier marriage and his falling for his 2nd wife. Well told and very detailed research. This is must for anyone who is fan of EH or Paris.

Title: Stories

Genre: short stories

Grade: B

Notable People: T.C. Boyle (Author)

Review: Twenty years worth of short stories from a master of the form. Not for everyone; these are mostly very dark. Great one about Eisenhower’s secret affair with Khrushchev’s wife. Good bedtime reading; they are short and can be read one at a time.

Title: The Constant Gardener

Genre: Novel

Grade: B+

Notable People: John LeCarre (Author)

Review: a very complicated and socially conscious book about the abused of the pharmaceutical industry in Africa. If you’ve seen the movie- the book has little resemblance and may seem a bit hard to follow. It’s a slow but dynamic read by an author who is master of the spy business. It’s also a very subtly touching love. Takes awhile to read.

Title: Nowhere to Run

Genre: Novel

Grade: B+

Notable People: C.J. Box (Author)

Review: This is the seventh or eighth serial novel in a series about Joe Pickett- a Wyoming game warden. Fast paced, good characters (especially the mysterious falconer and ex CIA guy Nate Romanowski). Not the best plot in the series- but a very fast paced and good read. Very descriptive of the northern Wyoming terrain. If you are a serial reader- try Box out.

Title: Known to Evil

Genre: Novel

Grade: A-

Notable People: Walter Mosely (Author)

Review: If you have not read Mosely before- this will be treat. It’s a new series based on a hard boiled NYC detective an former mob guy that has the usual charm and wonderful dialog from Mosely’ wonderful Easy Rawlins’ books. A great look into the African American psyche and the best one liners of any author I’ve ever read. Captivating story and great eye for setting

Title: The Farmer’s Daughter

Genre: Novel

Grade: B+

Notable People: Jim Harrison (Author)

Review: A fine book of three novellas by the legendary author of Legends of the Fall; combines his usual Hemingway-like portrayal of Montana and the UP of Michigan with an unusual male sensibility of a story told through female characters. Returns to the classic Brown Dog character(BD)of previous writings and includes a beautiful coming of age tale of a young woman in remote Montana

Title: Red Herring

Genre: Novel

Grade: A

Notable People: Archer Mayor (Author)

Review: This is about the 20th in the long running Joe Gunther detective series by Vermont author Archer Mayor. For my money- it is the best yet of what has been a consistently wonderful series. If you have not yet made the acquaintance of Joe Gunther and Willie Kunkle- you could do worse than starting with this one. If you are a regular or occasional fan- you are in for a treat. Compelling story, wonderfully descriptive writing and great characters make this one hard to put down.