This is my first Elmore Leonard read, and it will not be my last. I was introduced to Leonard through the show “Justified” which is based on his stories, and because of the unwavering devotion I have to the series, I suspected I’d enjoy his works, and I was right. With rich dialogue, unique characters and a twisty plot, Leonard tells a story you just can’t put down. George Moran lives a quiet life as a hotel owner in Miami who through a chain […]
Scientology: somehow worse than I thought
Whoa nelly. Before this read I had what I would describe as a cursory understanding of Scientology. I knew about L. Ron Hubbard and the foundation of this “religion” (note the purposeful quotation marks), its science fiction roots, its adoption by many celebrities, and the weight of the church that fell upon members who chose to leave. What I didn’t know could fill a book, this book apparently. Jenna Miscavige Hill is the niece of David Miscavige, the current head of the Church of […]
Dr. Frankenstein’s no good very bad life
This one was on my “classics” bookshelf and I felt the need to be a little literary. As an honor’s English student in high school and an English major in college, I am no stranger to Shelley’s story but wanted to dust it off and give it another look. I figured it would be interesting to compare how far modern adaptations have strayed from the original, and I was not disappointed though I would maybe like to push Dr. Frankenstein down a flight of stairs. […]
Great vampire premise, bad vampire execution
This was the second selection of my brunch book club, not my usual fair, but I was excited to read a bit of Young Adult fiction because my life as of late has been busy so at least I could get another book read under my belt. I’m a big vampire fan so I went into this cautiously optimistic. So many vampire tales have let me down tremendously (I’m looking at you, Twilight) so I didn’t get my hopes up, but went into this looking […]
Character development and tension weave together a great mystery
This is yet another novel recommendation that I took from my favorite podcast, Literary Disco. They reviewed this one and after listening to the episode I was intrigued. Thankfully they do a wonderful job of curiosity whetting without spoiling, and my aim is to do the same. Larry Ott is a man of a simple existence. He has lived in the same small town his whole life and spends his adult days reading, feeding his chickens, and waiting for customers at his mechanic repair shop. […]
A prayer for Owen is a prayer for us all
In a similar vein as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I was on the fence about John Irving, though swayed a bit more in his favor. The World According to Garp is one of my favorite books of all time, but I have tried to read Ciderhouse Rules three or four times and just couldn’t get in to it. I had heard amazing things bout “A Prayer for Owen Meany” and was pushed to tackle it after a friend a few states away said she was starting […]