Mark Stevens's Blog, page 36
July 23, 2016
Lori Rader-Day – “Little Pretty Things”
Can you “win” high school? What if you spent all of high school as an also-ran hiding in the shadows? What happens if you felt perpetually overshadowed, overlooked? Little Pretty Things will take you back to those feelings of inferiority. … Continue reading →
July 1, 2016
Q & A #45 – Allison Leotta, “The Last Good Girl”
Did you read the non-fiction Missoula by Jon Krakauer? How about the entire text of the statement that a rape victim read out loud in court to her attacker, a former star athlete at Stanford University? There’s a lot of this, … Continue reading →
June 28, 2016
Q & A #44 – Susie Steiner, “Missing, Presumed”
This fabulous novel, Missing, Presumed debuts today (June 28). That’s the U.S. cover up top here. I’ve put the U.K. version down below. I was lucky enough to get an advance copy. My review is posted online at New York Journal of … Continue reading →
June 22, 2016
Stewart O’Nan – “City of Secrets”
City of Secrets takes us to 1945 Jerusalem. We see the volatile city through the eyes of Brand, a former mechanic turned taxi driver who is now a member of the underground resistance against the British control, the Mandate, over … Continue reading →
June 14, 2016
Emma Cline – “The Girls”
My review of The Girls by Emma Cline for the New York Journal of Books is posted here.Filed under: Books
June 5, 2016
Q & A #42 – Richard Cass, “Solo Act”
Ah, Boston, you’re my home. Well, I grew up in the suburbs but I lived in Cambridge, Newton and in an apartment so close to Fenway Park that it only took a few minutes to walk over and sit in … Continue reading →
May 31, 2016
Q & A #41 – Christine Carbo, “Mortal Fall”
Christine Carbo’s Mortal Fall launches today, the follow-up to her debut, The Wild Inside. Both novels are set in Montana’s Glacier National Park and both come with a healthy dose of the great outdoors. If you like fresh air and complicated interior … Continue reading →
May 20, 2016
Lin Enger – “The High Divide”
We know from the beautiful opening sentence that morality will play a role in The High Divide. It goes like this: “That summer was cool and windless, the clouds unrelenting, as if God had reached out his hand one day … Continue reading →
May 10, 2016
Scott Frank – “Shaker”
Before singing the praises of Shaker, I want to point out that I “read” this on audio and the narration is by the one and only Dion Graham. When I loaded it up and heard his voice, I knew I … Continue reading →
May 6, 2016
Willy Vlautin – “Northline”
If you put on the CD that comes with your copy of Northline, you’ll get an instant feeling for the mood. Melancholy. Lonesome. Spare. Downcast. It’s also beautiful—a strumming guitar and a sorrowful pedal steel. Willy Vlautin is a musician, too; … Continue reading →
