I love castles. I forget this and don't make it a point to visit them, but every time I do I'm awed. Last year I visited Hearst Castle while I was in Big Sur, CA (courtesy of Buick), and not long ago I visited Bishop's Castle here in Colorado. While Hearst's is a sprawling estate at the top of a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Bishop's was (and is still) built by one man … [Read more...]
Slow and Steady, ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ Shines
A few years ago, I fell in love with a book called Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. At the time, I was hesitant to pick it up for a number of reasons but it ended up on my list of favorites that year and I knew that I would read Towles' next book. It took a few years, but that book, A Gentleman in Moscow, is finally here. It's a long, serious, novel that demands you pay … [Read more...]
The Lake House by Kate Morton
For years, Kate Morton has been one author whose books I know I can count on. She has mastered the dual narrative and her visual descriptions of sweeping landscapes and old estates are phenomenal. The Lake House holds true to these features but the writing was a bit different than usual and I must admit, this wasn't my favorite of hers.The Lake House is the … [Read more...]
Euphoria by Lily King is a Literary Gem
Before Cynthia Bond was an Oprah darling, she was kind enough to participate in The Book Wheel's inaugural #30Authors event. In it, she reviewed Lily King's Euphoria, a book about three anthropologists caught in a love triangle with longterm implications. Euphoria is a stunning novel, both in its beautifully subtle style of writing and the story that King creates and I can't … [Read more...]
Far As the Eye Can See by Robert Bausch
There are times when I read outside of my comfort zone and it goes horribly wrong, but then there times that it goes incredibly well and makes it worth my while. Far As the Eye Can See by Robert Bausch was one of the times it was well worth it and I may have to reconsider my feelings about westerns. Although this may not be a western in the traditional sense of the genre's … [Read more...]