Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves
CBR Bingo: And, because I think the use of the "and" in the title of this book is particularly punchy--melodically to the ear, stylistically, as a plot point Well, might as well keep at it reviewing the more morose books in my back catalogue (having just finished Giovanni's Room. This is a … [Read more]
She's A Doll by Barbara Truelove
CBR18 Bingo: Friends - The emotional center of this story is the friendship between Lucy and Nicola. After Lucy is murdered by her best friend's brother, she does not go gently into that good night but instead possess a porcelain doll and decides that she must kill Kyle. But a doll body is weak, … [Read more]
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
CBR Bingo: Wheel, mainly for the cyclic nature of David's relationship with Giovanni (and Hella) post- the idyllic room bit, where he goes around and around about what he wants A short, bittersweet plot about David, an Américain in Paris in the late 50s/early 60s (I think) who is nominally … [Read more]
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
CBR18 Bingo: Joker - Vera is a wild card in the investigation around Malcolm's murder, and shakes up the lives of the suspects out of the blue. After a dead man is found in Vera Wong's teahouse, being rather unimpressed by the police's efforts, Vera decides to investigate the death herself. … [Read more]
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
Malinda (Maali) Almeida is dead. He’s just taking his sweet time working it out. No, he’s not still hallucinating from some “silly pills” a friend might have slipped him; he is well and truly dead, and he has no idea how that came to pass? Maali is—or was—the son of a Sinhalese father and a Burgher … [Read more]
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
I listened to this on audiobook more or less at random because it was available instantly from my library. I saw the movie when it was out in theaters and have not revisited it since. If you've seen the film, which is directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, you know that it has a … [Read more]
