Novel explores possibilities of diverging paths

Short story collection finds the exquisite within the unpleasant

YA fantasy romance a solid teen read

Local author releases fantasy novel for young readers

Jonathan Lethem's latest novel complex and compelling

Debut novel a powerful, beautifully-written effort

As readers, we all have authors, styles and genres that sit in our respective wheelhouses. These are the books with proven track records in our eyes, ones that we can feel confident about going in.

Atwood novel an exploration of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'

William Shakespeare is the literary GOAT. Not a particularly controversial take, to be sure, but one in which I strongly believe. The Bard is the best and no one will convince me otherwise.

Historical novel taut, thoughtfuland terrific

There will always be those who believe in miracles. So too will there always be skeptics. And sometimes, there are skeptics who are charged with decrying (or verifying) those miracles.

McEwan novel features unique narrator

There are few things more disheartening to a reader than a literary device gone wrong. While there's something admirable about trying to write outside the box, the reality is that most of the time, said efforts result in work that is gimmicky or show-offy or overly self-aware. The tricks look like what they are tricks.

Comic mystery driven by quirky characters

Achieving success in one literary genre is difficult enough. There are thousands of writers out there working daily toward goals that only a scant percentage will actually achieve. And of those who achieve their goals and become published novelists, a tiny fraction will find a modicum of fame within the trappings of their chosen style.