Well, you’re not going to believe this. Reece Witherspoon and I picked the same book for our February book clubs. Sort of. Late last year, I came across THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE by Marie Benedict and was fascinated by the premise. Benedict writes historical fiction, much like Philippa Gregory, and for this novel she chose Agatha Christie’s 11-day disappearance in December 1926. If you’re an Agatha Christie fan, you’ll
This month, rather than recommend one book to read, I’m recommending the entire body of work of one author because Anne Rice, who passed away December 11, 2021, single-handedly revolutionized the role of vampires in literature. Yes, vampires. And the impact she’s had is more significant than you might realize. Vampires started out as ghoulish creatures, and except for an elevation to the aristocracy in 1819 by John Polidori (fixed
If you’ve had it up to your eyes with holiday preparations and are looking for a light-hearted story to escape into, The Christmas Bookshop, by Jenny Colgan, might be just the ticket. The title is a bit misleading, in my opinion. Yes, there’s a bookstore. Yes, the plot unfolds in the lead up to Christmas Day. And yes, it does initially seem like the story is about whether Carmen, the
Val McDermid is a first-class crime writer, and if you’ve yet to discover her fiction, now’s your chance. With her latest novel, 1979, she’s launching a new five-book series featuring journalist Allie Burns. Her backlist is so robust that she doesn’t actually have to write any books at all, but the fact that she’s chosen to stretch herself creatively with this story demonstrates what a pro she is. For those
Rebecca is a classic gothic novel. When it was published in 1938, it was an instant bestseller and since then post-secondary literary departments have lauded it as one of the greatest, bone-chilling, ghost stories of all time. There is certainly no arguing the impact Du Maurier’s novel has had on the genre, but I have to say, for a 21st century audience it is neither a ghost story nor bone-chilling.
I think the best word to describe this book is, charming. Whether you’re a Royal watcher or not, the idea that Queen Elizabeth II is an amateur sleuth is pretty compelling. Author SJ Bennett has taken the Agatha Christie Miss Marple trope and turned it on its ear. When I read the premise of this book, my first thought was, how can the most famous woman in the world, whose
Page [tcb_pagination_current_page] of [tcb_pagination_total_pages]
stories for women, by women, and about women