I can't believe it's the second week of October already! Halloween is rapidly approaching, which means it's definitely time to over-indulge in reading my favorite genre of books -- supernatural horror. This month's Quick Look Books is a two-parter. While I have plenty of scary books to recommend for adults, I also get asked about supernatural reads that would be appropriate for pre-teens and teenagers. I greatly empathize with the plight of...
I almost stopped reading this book. I have a 50-page rule when I read something new -- every book has 50 pages to get me interested in the story, or I put it aside. Most novels grab me right from the get-go; others take a bit of time to get into the story. I used to dismiss books after only a few paragraphs or pages, but I decided to make the cut-off point 50 pages after reading We Need To Talk About Kevin, which is perhaps one of my favorite...
I immediately loved The Ever After. In my head, I sounded like Anchorman's Ron Burgundy when he says “I immediately regret this decision." Except there’s no regret here whatsoever. Only contentment. After a false start with another book, which shall remain nameless, I picked up The Ever After and quickly knew this was going to be a story I would not want to put down. I started reading this at 10:30 on a Sunday night, which is very late for...
Love can be creepy. And The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, among many other things, is a love story. A twisted, gruesome, incredibly disturbing love story. AND IT’S AMAZING. What's The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein about? The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is a re-telling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein from the viewpoint of Elizabeth Lavenza, a woman who's taken in by the Frankenstein...
I have a friend who, without fail, asks me “So, what have you been reading lately?” every time I see him. Despite the fact that I’m a book blogger, I usually draw a blank when someone asks me for literary recommendations out of the blue. I’m always reading something, but I can’t always recall the title of my current read off the top of my head. (Meanwhile, I remember the name of my best friend's sophomore year math teacher quite...
I hate not finishing a book.
Whenever I start a new book, it has 50 pages to get me hooked, or I put it down. This is my "50 page rule." While some books have come perilously close to the cutoff point, it’s rare that a book actually gets the dubious honor of being put on my Did Not Finish (DNF) list.
With great regret, I inform you that I must place The Road to Little Dribbling in this category.
Mind you, it’s not because the book is awful....
So, yeah. This is the first time I've not had anything to say immediately after finishing a book. However, the length of this review is going to make a liar out of me, because after ruminating for a bit, I now have a lot to say about this book. It took me the better part of a month to get through Unbury Carol, by Josh Malerman. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had read Malerman’s previous novel, Bird Box, and absolutely loved it. In...
Hey, everyone! I'm excited to announce a NEW feature on the Tart. Each month, I'll be posting a list of book recommendations entitled Quick Look Books. Each list will be themed and will give some info about books I've read but not previously reviewed on the blog. While reading in-depth reviews is fun, I know sometimes you just want an at-a-glance list of books in a certain genre, and Quick Look Books will provide just that! And, it'll allow me...
I <3 Curtis Sittenfeld. This woman can do no wrong. I'm here to talk about her newest book, You Think It, I'll Say It. But, first, we have to talk a little bit about the author. My appreciation for her work began when I read American Wife at the recommendation of a friend. Said friend is highly intelligent and often has, oh, let’s say, more educated entertainment preferences than I do. Read: she regularly watches documentaries; I’m still...
Well. That was certainly a different take on my favorite “serendipitous inheritance” theme! As you’ve learned from previous posts, I have a soft spot for books in which the main character (usually a woman whose life has become up-ended) either buys a house in some random place in an attempt to build a new life (à la Under the Tuscan Sun or Tumbledown Manor), or happily inherits a charming fixer-upper from some unknown relative just as her...
