Are You in the House Alone? by Richard Peck Are You in the House Alone? came out in 1976 and though I totally could've read it when I was a teen—and thus still a member of its target audience—I never did. Gail Osburne is a sixteen-year-old high school junior and native New Yorker who's not at home in the quaint Connecticut village her family relocated to several years … [Read more...] about Random Reads 2/18/21
Short Stories
I, Richard by Elizabeth George
Book description: Hailed by The New York Times as “a master of the British mystery,” award-winning author Elizabeth George is one of our most distinguished writers, cherished by readers on both sides of the Atlantic. Her first collection of short stories is an extraordinary offering that deftly explores the dark side of everyday people—and the lengths to which they will go to … [Read more...] about I, Richard by Elizabeth George
Crimson Snow by Hori Tomoki
I reviewed Crimson Snow, a BL short story collection from BLU Manga, for this month's BL Bookrack column. Despite the yakuza connection, the three-part title story is quiet and compelling and well worth the price of admission all on its own. You can find that review here. … [Read more...] about Crimson Snow by Hori Tomoki
Ashenden by W. Somerset Maugham: A
Book description: When war broke out in 1914, Somerset Maugham was dispatched by the British Secret Service to Switzerland under the guise of completing a play. Multilingual, knowledgeable about many European countries and a celebrated writer, Maugham had the perfect cover, and the assignment appealed to his love of romance, and of the ridiculous. The stories collected in … [Read more...] about Ashenden by W. Somerset Maugham: A
My Man Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse: B-
Book description: My Man Jeeves, first published in 1919, introduced the world to affable, indolent Bertie Wooster and his precise, capable valet, Jeeves. Some of the finest examples of humorous writing found in English literature are woven around the relationship between these two men of very different classes and temperaments. Where Bertie is impetuous and feeble, Jeeves is … [Read more...] about My Man Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse: B-