I had heard that Anton Chekhov was an exceptional writer. I recently ran across a reference to his short story, “The Lady with the Dog,” in another book and finally decided to give him a try. This collection of short stories is exceptional in many ways. The first thing you will notice is that the [...]

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“Last Man Standing” is the second David Baldacci book that I have read, and it is the first one that I have enjoyed. It is a lengthy story about an FBI agent called Web, who works with an elite hostage rescue team. The story starts with Web’s team being wiped out in a mission, and [...]

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What can be said about a book that has a passage that reads, “The best method, the cleanest, safest way to commit adultery is this: whenever possible, within reason, tell the truth”? The author goes on to further explain what she means in great detail. This book is sexy and raunchy, but not trashy. It [...]

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David Baldacci’s writing was recommended to me by a family member who has tastes that are very different from mine. Always wanting to be open-minded, I purchased two of his books and have now read, “The Collectors.” It was an easy-to-read murder mystery that could be easily converted into a mindless and entertaining film. However, [...]

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I have read so many of Dean Koontz’s books that I’ve had to look for some of his older works in order to keep reading material by this great author. What is extraordinary about Koontz is his ability to write about external conflicts between good and evil, and to make it interesting and inspiring. One [...]

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I had never read any of James Patterson’s many books, until I was given these two as a gift. They are clearly not on the same bookshelf as other authors and their works reviewed here. These are escapist books and could never be called literature or fine writing. However, they are perfect time fillers, when [...]

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“Tales of Transgression” is a collection of twenty one short stories about loneliness, love, fate, and identity. All of the stories are entertaining and compelling and have distinct stylistic elements that keep you engrossed in not only the story, but also its structure. Some of my favorites were, “Ugly,” “Faithless,” and “A Manhattan Romance.”
“Ugly” is [...]

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This Pulitzer Prize winning book is the most uniquely written book that I have ever read. It combines a serious historical context, with a compelling contemporary narrative. It is the story of Oscar, A Dominican nerd who cannot find companionship, no matter how hard he tries.”The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” refers back to [...]

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Although this book was a finalist for the Penn/Faulkner award, it is a very boring book about the fictional lives of a few free spirits living on a beach in Cape Cod. It is a story of love found, and love lost. Maytree marries his sweetheart and abandons her and his son, Pete, after more [...]

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