Author: Hanna
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“Big Bad Wool” by Leonie Swann
It’s winter, and the flock of sheep from “Three Bags Full,” the first book in a series “The Sheep Detective Stories” by Leonie Swann, goes to France, together with their shepherdess Rebecca and her eccentric, tarot-reading mom. They stay on a snowy meadow, with Rebecca’s trailer close by and a majestic chateau in the distance.…
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“My Friends” by Fredrik Backman
What a great gift friendship is—for everybody but especially for teenagers in their formative years, when they search for understanding and acceptance, trying to find themselves and moving between excitement and depression, often in a single day. Fredrik Backman’s “My Friends” is a book about friendship that helps them accept that being different is okay.…
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“Backstage” by Donna Leon
“Backstage” is Donna Leon’s second memoir, following her excellent “Wandering Through Life.” In it, we get another glimpse into the author’s life, this time in a shorter, less structured way. This is not a profound, highbrow autobiography, but rather a conversation over a cup of coffee, where you listen to your friend’s stories. It is…
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“Twist” by Colum McCann
There is a picture described in Colum McCann’s “Twist”: a simple drawing made by children that shows a tiny ship at the top of the frame and the overwhelming depths of the ocean below, its waters changing from blue to black. The small ship carries a hook that extends to the bottom of the sea,…
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“Bad Nature” by Ariel Courage
Hester, the heroine of Ariel Courage’s debut novel “Bad Nature,” is a 40-year-old New York lawyer with no family and no friends, and to top it off, she is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Refusing the treatment, she instead decides to fulfill her goal, which she has been carrying for years, always sure that it will…
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“Dream Count” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie knows how to write about women. I discovered this by reading her “Americanah” many years ago and was surprised by how beautiful and insightful the author’s view of women was. What great news is that after a 10-year break from fiction, one of my favorite authors is back with a new novel,…
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“Perspective(s)” by Laurent Binet
“Perspective(s)” is the new fiction book by Laurent Binet. I was drawn to this mystery by an intriguing description, but the book was different than I expected. It comprises 180 letters written by various people living in Florence in 1557, mostly well-known historical figures like Duke de Medici, Catherine de Medici, Michelangelo Buonarotti, and others. …
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“Something Rotten” by Andrew Lipstein
Cecilie and Reuben are a young, professional New York couple working in journalism. However, after Reuben has been canceled from his NPR job, Cecilie is now the sole breadwinner while Reuben stays home taking care of their firstborn. Neither one of them is particularly happy with the situation. Reuben fulfills his parental duties but doesn’t…
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“Against the Grain” by Peter Lovesey
Peter Diamond, a police detective in Bath, is contemplating – without much enthusiasm – a retirement. He agrees to go for a short vacation to test the waters of living in the small village community of Baskerville, where, as his partner Paloma suggests, he can relax and enjoy the slower pace. So Diamond, with Paloma…
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“Hotel Lucky Seven” by Kotaro Isaka
Nanao, the unlucky assassin in the newest novel by Kotaro Isaka, is so unfortunate that, according to him, whenever he decides to go to a temple for ritual cleansing, the priest is sure to slip into the puddle of water and cancel the entire ceremony. However, the latest job seems simple–delivering a framed painting to…
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