Comedian Steve Martin follows his successful, but less than noteworthy first novel “Shopgirl” with his highly entertaining “The Pleasure of my Company.” Any one who has seen “As Good as…
Cathleen Schine’s latest novel, She is Me, borrows its title from arguably the most celebrated statement on inspiration. When asked about his model for Madame Bovary, Gustav Flaubert famously said,…
Ha Jin’s new book, The Crazed, addresses a wide range of philosophical, moral, political, and historical issues, while maintaining a tight plot, lyrical style, and convincing, engaging characters. Jin uses…
In her second novel, The Autograph Man, Zadie Smith tells the story of a man infatuated with fame. Alex-Li Tandem is a collector of autographs, the timeless signatures of individuals…
You can learn a lot about the gay gene discourse from the title of Robert Alan Brookey’s new book. Specifically, two things deserve note: “invention” as the recurring process by…
In a time of disaster one can always revert to storytelling. At least that’s the tradition that Boccaccio hands down to us, and Umberto Eco, ever mindful of the past,…
They say it’s for your protection. First, it’s the increase in metal detectors. Then, the search and seizures. Random drug tests. Censored books. After the tragedy, you hear that it’s…
Those familiar with William Boyd’s past antics cannot help but approach his latest work, Any Human Heart, in a lighthearted manner. After all, this latest novel is inextricably linked to…
The latest art history mystery by Dan Brown is a fast-paced book that is hard to put down. With deliciously short chapters that usually end in cliff-hangers, The Da Vinci…
A few weeks ago I mentioned to a group of friends that I was working on a review of the new Harry Potter book. Most of them scoffed and tittered,…
Peter Ibbetson