Author: Hanna
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“Foster” by Claire Keegan
A short gourmet comparison: I’d rather have one exquisite chocolate or a bag of cheap, sugary candies. Undoubtedly enjoying superb chocolate doesn’t last as long as the seemingly endless chewing of sweets, yet the quality of the experience is incomparable. This is the case with Claire Keegan’s short novel “Foster.” It’s easy to finish it…
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“The Buried Giant” by Kazuo Ishiguro
I’ll start this review like a fairy tale: once, in the land of far away, lived an elderly couple, Axl and Beatrice, who decided to go on a quest to reunite with their son. On their way, they met ogres, pixies, and a she-dragon. They walked with a great warrior, Wistan, and a young boy…
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“So Shall You Reap” by Donna Leon
Commissario Guido Brunetti wouldn’t be a true Venetian if he were not interested in Venice real estate market. When his father-in-law’s friend is curious if an old palazzo is for sale, Brunetti finds himself knocking on the palazzo’s door. He doesn’t know that the person who opens, a Sri Lankan man, will soon be found…
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“A Heart Full of Headstones” by Ian Rankin
I was an avid reader of Ian Rankin’s series with the Edinburgh detective John Rebus. Still, I somehow became distracted by the new and shiny mysteries that pop in the bookstores every week. Now I’m glad to see that Rebus is back and better than ever. It’s such a classic, noir fiction, with sharp dialogs…
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“A Girl’s Story” by Annie Ernaux
Artists are in search of truth. And yet, even with many writers keeping this in mind, it is tempting to interpret one’s personal experience in a flattering or apologizing light. It’s particularly challenging to keep an observant eye when writing autobiographical books. The 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Annie Ernaux “for the…
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“Moonflower Murders” by Anthony Horowitz
After solving the mystery in “Magpie Murders,” Susan Ryeland rode off into the sunset – she retired from the publishing business and moved to Greece with her boyfriend. Together they run a small hotel in Crete, but it’s not a smooth ride. Struggling with constant repairs, unreliable deliveries, and demanding guests, Susan misses her life…
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“Less” by Andrew Sean Greer
Arthur Less, the 49-year-old writer and the protagonist of Andrew Sean Greer’s novel, is on the run. He’s running away from love. The love of his life, Freddie Pelu, is getting married, and Less, in a desperate attempt to avoid attending the wedding, accepts all kinds of literary invitations from around the world. A carefully…
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“The Things We Do to Our Friends” by Heather Darwent
“But don’t play with me ’cause you’re playing with fire” – these lyrics of The Rolling Stone’s song could be a motto for “The Things We Do to Our Friends” by Heather Darwent. Clare is a young woman who moved from Paris to become a student at the University of Edinburg. Her move was not…
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“A Line to Kill” by Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horovitz’s mystery novels are like the proverbial potato chips – it’s impossible to just have one. “A Line to Kill” is the third installment in the “Hawthorne and Horwitz.” I enjoyed reading the first two, and fortunately, the author enjoyed writing them enough to continue the series. Daniel Hawthorne is the private investigator who…
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“The Sentence is Death” by Anthony Horowitz
In the second book of the “Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery” series, the detective/writer duo returns to solve a new mystery. The celebrity divorce lawyer, Richard Pryce, was found bludgeoned to death in his home, and the murder weapon was a bottle of expensive wine, a gift from his client. Soon, Pryce’s old friend dies in…
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