Mark Stevens's Blog, page 15
April 30, 2022
Stewart O’Nan, “Ocean State”
Just a guess here, but that title says it all—Ocean State isn’t about Rhode Island. At least, not only Rhode Island. Ocean State is the national waters in which we swim. It’s a world of casual violence. It’s a world … Continue reading →
April 23, 2022
Gwen Florio, “The Truth of it All”
Julia Geary is not a happy camper. She’s “mad as a feral cat” as she approaches her thirtieth birthday. She’s living with her mother-in-law Beverly, a “human switchblade, all spring-loaded lethality.” But Beverly isn’t Julia’s only problem. Not by a … Continue reading →
April 22, 2022
Q & A #92 – Alex Segura, “Secret Identity”
Kirkus raved, gave it a starred review: “A masterful book filled with real heart and soul.” National Public Radio offered glowing praise: A “masterful 1970s literary mystery.” (There’s that word “masterful” again.) The New York Times joined the party, too: … Continue reading →
April 6, 2022
Jeffrey Fleishman, “Last Dance”
Opening paragraph, Last Dance: “She lies pale and light as shaved ice. Her hair spreads like a black flame across the pillow. Classical music plays in whispers. Schubert, I think. The place is scattered with toe shoes, tights, diet pills, … Continue reading →
March 28, 2022
Lee Durkee, “The Last Taxi Driver”
Nobody lives on the knife-edge of fate like a taxi driver. That next dispatch, the next fare, the next detour. A taxi driver never knows his or her next destination. Or destiny. And no taxi driver is in a better … Continue reading →
March 18, 2022
Dan Connolly, “100 Things Orioles Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die”
I grew up outside Boston—a Red Sox fan. Through and through. Started in the Yaz era. Jim Lonborg. George Scott. Sparky Lyle. Tony Conigliaro. Reggie Smith. The heartbreaking 1967 World Series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Even as a … Continue reading →
March 5, 2022
Rick Berlin, “The Big Balloon (A Love Story)”
One night in Boston in December of 1973 (if I’ve got the right year), my life changed. I was staying for a few weeks in the Back Bay of Boston with Ben Brown, a friend from college who knew a … Continue reading →
February 25, 2022
Q & A # 91 – Josh Stallings, “Tricky”
Library Journal named Tricky one of the best Crime Fiction books of 2021. Agreed. In the ever-evolving world of crime fiction, Tricky sets in motion a detective with a keen radar for humanity. For people. Tricky is beautifully written and … Continue reading →
February 14, 2022
George Saunders, “Lincoln in the Bardo”
Big idea, strange execution, oddly compelling, oddly off-putting, oddly hard to consume (I listened to it first as an audiobook). Lincoln in the Bardo is a book in shards. And shrapnel. It’s weird. It’s a play-poem or a novel-script or … Continue reading →
February 6, 2022
Roman Dial, “The Adventurer’s Son”
When Roman Dial’s son Cody was six, he took his son to the sparsely-populated island of Umnak, about half way down the Aleutian Island chain. The idea was to walk 60 miles, together, from a remote landing strip to the … Continue reading →
