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Summer Reading Challenge 2016: The Pier Falls and Other Stories
There’s nothing better than a summertime read that so thoroughly describes the tragic, horrific event of an ocean pier falling and taking human life with it. The title of this short story collection by Mark Haddon (and consequently, the title of the first of these stories) is so simplistic, so matter of fact, yet no detail between the covers goes untouched. The first moments of the pier’s destruction to ten years after are well constructed, and while the scenes can be difficult to read, not reading is even more grueling.
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Summer Reading Challenge 2016: A Discovery of Witches
What makes this novel spectacular is not just its length; not just the invocation of hunger for the next sentence, the next page, the next chapter; and not just the web of characters who become suddenly connected although they have been that way all along; no, what makes this novel so spectacular, is Deborah Harkness’ use of the French language; deep knowledge of creatures outside the ordinary human species; the gut-wrenching, goosebump-inducing relationships; the historical wines and delicious descriptions of them; and, and, the unavoidable attention paid to art.
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Going to the Beach: An Ocean-Side Reading Guide
Aah, summer; you have officially started. Beach days, beer festivals, concerts, and spending time in the great outdoors take up my time in these short, warm months, in addition to reading and dedicating many moments to refreshing and revisiting my To Be Read (TBR) list(s). My summer reading list is somewhat diverse, as is my list of books I want to read this year, in terms of genre and form. Depending on my travel (or non-travel) plans, my book selection will vary.
A blog about books and miscellany
