Book Reviews

“Life: a constellation of vital phenomena—organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation.” Typically, working the book’s title into the story annoys me because a lot of the time it doesn’t work. But in the case of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena …

One thing I enjoy about my reading life (and my viewing habits) is that I fall in love with a wide range of texts. I love Charles Dickens and Sophie Kinsella, Masterpiece Theater and The Bachelor, The New Yorker and US …

A couple weeks ago I was at the local library looking for some “light” reads to add to my pile of books I was currently reading. In the matter of 30 minutes or so though, that changed. My mind was …

When I saw this book on the summer list of TLC Book Tours, I immediately wanted to check it out. I used to be a workout runner before I was diagnosed with lupus, so running culture is really interesting to me. …

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for the chance to read and review Lift! I should preface by saying last year, I decided I was going to try running. I downloaded the Couch to 5k app on my phone and made …

In 1911, fourteen year-old Joan Skraggs finds herself trapped at home on a run-down farm, working tirelessly for her cruel father. He pulls her from school and requires her, “an ox of a girl” and “ugly” in his estimation, to mend, …

So, I finished Wild. It’s a book that deviates from my usual interests. It’s not horror, it’s not a thriller, it’s not historical. And, I know this is a defeatist way of starting a book, but I was very prepared to …

Why: The title. The cover. The dark, mysterious teaser. The genre – it’s historical fiction – one of my favorites. And honestly, when I picked this up at a local bookstore in Washington, DC, I was dreading a long, hot and …

Like Shakespeare’s works, I thought this was a real work of art. I loved the way Winterson reimagines The Winter’s Tale, and/but the theme of time is…for lack of a better word, intense. If I were to compare The Gap …

Why: When Literary Quicksand was approached about being a part of this book tour, I was intrigued by the publisher’s description (see below) of small town drama and having to learn a slower pace of life. Sometimes I miss the small town …