It's the end of the year! That means I had to complete the arduous task of picking my top books of the year. I started out with 5 Fiction and 5 Non-Fiction but ended up adding in a few extras, so here are my Top 13 Books of 2013 (plus a few Honorable Mentions). Fiction | Non-Fiction | Honorable MentionsFictionWe Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson - This … [Read more...]
Archives for December 2013
Year in Review
It's the end of the year! I can't believe 2013 is already over. In some ways, I feel like it just started. All-in-all, I had a pretty good year on both the professional and personal level and I have all of you to thank for the successes that The Book Wheel has had. I've decided to celebrate by sharing with you my highlights from this past year. Enjoy! This year, The Book … [Read more...]
‘Lost Memory’ Is a Social Commentary on Sex Offenders and Homelessness
Reading about homeless people is tough. Reading about sex offenders is even tougher. Reading about homeless, sex offenders can be downright difficult, which is what The Lost Memory of Skin by award-winning Russell Banks is all about. What's interesting is that Banks manages to write about this difficult combination without making the reader squirm too much. Rather than being … [Read more...]
Happy Winter Solstice! Why Not Warm Up With These Books?
Happy Winter Solstice! Today is the first day of Winter and Summer is long gone, but you can always curl up with these great summer reads! Here's a collection of some of my favorite beach reads.Tigers in Red Weather by Liza KlaussmannSometimes you pick up a book and know from the first few pages that you are going to love it. This is one of those books. Tigers in … [Read more...]
Dark Places Disappoints
I have very vivid memories from my childhood, some real and some made up. But it's the ones I've told myself over and over that I dreamt up that I believe the most fiercely. For example, I swear I saw my mom fall down the stairs when I was 3, but I'm told this never really happened. I also swear that I dumped a bucket of sand in my eyes when I was putting the bucket on top of … [Read more...]