In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes — and the excellence of Margaret Atwood’s writing. “Old Babes in the Wood” is quite simply a sublime collection of stories from one of the true maestro’s of the form. There’s not one tale here I didn’t enjoy. They all feature somewhere … Continue reading Review: Old Babes in the Wood by Margaret Atwood
My Year in Reading — 2022
2022 was a year of great books, but a peculiar year of reading thanks to the arrival of our daughter in late 2021. I’ve never struggled to find time to read — but now with Ada, I’ve had to make time (or aspire to, at least) rather than take it for granted I’ll find a … Continue reading My Year in Reading — 2022
Review: Down to the Wire by Andy McNab
The Nick Stone thrillers were a staple of my adolescent reading alongside Lee Child’s Jack Reacher and Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp. So many memories of family road trips are attached not to the sights and sounds of geography, but by the action of whatever Andy McNab paperback I had my nose in at the time. … Continue reading Review: Down to the Wire by Andy McNab
Review: Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami
What I wanted from Haruki Murakami’s “Novelist as a Vocation” was something like Stephen King’s “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.” But this is a much lighter, more affable affair — yet edifying nonetheless; its lessons on the craft of writing more nuanced, prismed through Murakami’s own experiences and peculiarities rather than providing practical … Continue reading Review: Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami
Review: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
When I heard “Demon Copperhead” was inspired by “David Copperfield,” I thought — no thanks, not for me; until we meet again, Barbara Kingsolver. I struggled through that particular Dickens novel in my late teens — probably more me than it, to be fair; this was a time when Patterson and Clancy were my bread … Continue reading Review: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Review: Taken by Dinuka McKenzie
The disappearance of an infant drives Dinuka McKenzie’s outstanding sophomore novel “Taken,” which sees the return of Detective Sergeant Kate Miles, back from maternity leave and the tumultuous events of “The Torrent.” McKenzie strikes me as an unrepentant classicist when it comes to crime fiction, and here, once again, she keeps the traditional police procedural … Continue reading Review: Taken by Dinuka McKenzie
Review: Fire With Fire by Candice Fox
[Note: “Fire With Fire” is published April 2023] Hot on the heels of “The Chase” (‘her most ambitious and byzantine novel’), Candice Fox returns with another cinematic blockbuster loaded with nail-biting suspense, bountiful twists, and a crackling narrative style. It’s the kind of thriller you can’t stop reading, but don’t want to end: you’ll enjoy … Continue reading Review: Fire With Fire by Candice Fox
Review: The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy
For all its pulpy accoutrements — a passenger has vanished from a crashed plane, and mysterious government agents are hunting down salvage diver Bobby Western — “The Passenger” is as much a thriller as “The Road” is a horror novel. Which is to say, yes — on a foundational level you can see glimpses of … Continue reading Review: The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy
Review: Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry’s “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing” is antithetical to every celebrity memoir I’ve read. Which makes it one of the most extraordinary. This is no nostalgic trip down memory lane, replete with behind-the-scenes gossip and outrageous revelations about the cast of ‘Friends.’ There’s no swagger to Perry’s autobiography. Whatever hubris the man … Continue reading Review: Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
Review: Triple Cross by James Patterson
The Alex Cross novels were a staple of my teenage reading, and I still like to check in now and again, even though the patented James Patterson storytelling formula has somewhat lost its lustre. In “Triple Cross,” the titular detective is investigating the brutal slayings of whole families around the D.C. area by ‘The Family … Continue reading Review: Triple Cross by James Patterson
Simon McDonald 