Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-García

I'm as guilty as the next person of judging. I judge wine by the label on the bottle, musical artists by genre, and of course, books by their covers. In this case, can you blame me? The cover for Mexican Gothic is stunningly beautiful and hits me on all my levels: aesthetic, moody, mysterious, and … Continue reading Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-García

The Heartbreaker by Susan Howatch

You wouldn't normally think that the Church of England would make for scintillating reading, but you'd be sooooooo wrong if you start reading the "Church of England" series written by British author Susan Howatch. I stumbled across one of them going on 15 years ago now, and was hooked. The series is broken up into … Continue reading The Heartbreaker by Susan Howatch

Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown

If you've followed my blog long enough, you'll be familiar with my great disdain for "chick lit," not because I think literature by women for women is bad but because so much of it is terribly written, horribly edited, dumbed down, and the topic of true love is often written about in such a sappy-ass … Continue reading Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown

The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

I can't say enough about Carlos Ruiz Zafón's writing. It's absolutely beautiful, lyrical, lush without being overly purple, and whether describing the sensory overload of a roomful of books, the scent of tobacco, the deeply scarlet hue of a woman's lipstick, or the existential dread and horror of torture and death, the man writes like … Continue reading The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

So this was a totally bizarre, engrossing and freaky ride of a book. I haven't read anything in quite awhile that literally hooked me from the first sentence and didn't let go. I actually checked it out at the library and got three overdue notices because I wanted to read it slowly and savor it, … Continue reading Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

I suppose this book would fall under the category "chick-lit" which I generally loathe. However, I read Bridget Jones's Diary years ago and remember laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes, and the film version with Renee Zellwegger, was similarly hilarious and heart-felt. It's still as funny today and I found myself snickering … Continue reading Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding