The Secret to Hummingbird Cake by Celeste Fletcher McHale

March 19, 2016

I’ll admit for a while I wasn’t fond of the narrator in Celeste Fletcher McHale’s debut novel, The Secret to Hummingbird Cake. But, stick with it. This is not your typical chick lit book, and Carrigan Whitfield learns a few hard lessons in the course...

Be Frank with Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson

February 08, 2016

Julia Claiborne Johnson introduces an unusual cast of characters in her debut novel, Be Frank with Me. It’s a group so odd that they could only survive in the monied world of Hollywood. But, their eccentricities are the reasons for their charm. When Mr. Vargas,...

Past Crimes by Glen Erik Hamilton

January 31, 2016

I haven’t read the other novels nominated for the 2016 Edgar Award for Best First Novel, but I can see why Glen Erik Hamilton’s Past Crimes was nominated. It’s a strong, fast-paced story with an intriguing hero, and a victim who is just as...

The Wives of Los Alamos by Tarashea Nesbit

December 15, 2015

I actually read Tarashea Nesbit’s The Wives of Los Alamos a year ago. However, it’s the book we discussed last night for our book club. Knowing I wasn’t home in the evening to read, it’s appropriate to re-run the review of that fascinating...

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal

July 30, 2015

So, I’m a heretic. While I found J. Ryan Stradal’s debut novel, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, fascinating, I didn’t love it as passionately as some of my librarian friends. It’s a bittersweet, offbeat story that introduces a cast of awkward...