THE IMPERFECTIONISTS by Tom Rachman
This debut novel is the memoir of a newspaper and the story of the people who work there. Formatted in much the same way as OLIVE KITTERIDGE, each chapter can stand on its own as a short story about one of the newspaper’s employees. Each chapter fits well into the whole and provides insight into the chapters that follow. Interspersed between the chapters about employees’ lives outside their time at the newspaper, is another story, the history of the newspaper itself and of the characters that both create and dismantle it. Tom Rachman writes with a sharp eye and a cunning wit. Often the chapters end with a sharp turn of events or a huge surprise. Because his writing is top-notch, I was surprised that this is a debut novel.
April 6, 2010
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Judi Clark · 
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Tags: Rome, The Dial Press, Writing Life · Posted in: 2010 Favorites, Contemporary, Debut Novel, italy, Literary, Short Stories
THE SERIALIST by David Gordon
THE SERIALIST is a quick-witted, rhythmically-moving, false-positive of a novel – pick it up, put it down, pick it up…..you won’t get lost. See, the author “talks” to you (the reader) through the whole story. Actually, the author is basically sitting on the sofa with you, reaching over to turn the page. It’s kind of flattering, really. He doesn’t want you to miss anything.
April 5, 2010
· Judi Clark · One Comment
Tags: Writing Life · Posted in: 2010 Favorites, Humorous, Mystery/Suspense, Satire
THE ROOM AND THE CHAIR by Lorraine Adams
Once a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at the Washington Post, Adams, revisits familiar terrain—international terrorism—in her latest novel, THE ROOM AND THE CHAIR. Set alternately in Washington D.C., Iran and the Afghan-Pakistan border, the novel looks at the interplay between the media and the government and how they work together to determine what information the public is really fed.
February 24, 2010
· Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: Arabic World, Knopf, Political, Writing Life · Posted in: Iran, Thriller/Spy/Caper, Washington, D.C.
THE BROKEN TEAGLASS by Emily Arsenault
In Emily Arsenault’s THE BROKEN TEAGLASS, two young employees of a dictionary publishing company become obsessed with an unsolved murder. Billy Webb, who is twenty-four, joins the ranks of editorial assistants at the Samuelson Company, and soon befriends Mona Minot, a bright, aggressive, and forthright colleague. Together, they relieve the tedium of their jobs by digging out citations written by Dolores Beekmim, author of a non-existent book called “The Broken Teaglass.” Dolores’ mysterious citations appear to be some sort of confession, but what crime did she commit and why would she place incriminating information in old card files?
November 6, 2009
· Judi Clark · 3 Comments
Tags: Job-centered, Writing Life · Posted in: Contemporary, Debut Novel, Mystery/Suspense
LAST NIGHT IN TWISTED RIVER by John Irving
I had dinner recently with a friend who asked me what I was reading. “The new John Irving book,” I told her. She became instantly animated. “I love John Irving,” she declared. “I’ve read everything he’s written, and watched the movies too.” I was almost finished with the newest Irving book, LAST NIGHT AT TWISTED RIVER, and was exhausted at what I found to be its inherent ups and downs. I needed her enthusiasm. “Tell me why you like him so much,” I asked. “Well,” she began, “his characters are always so interesting. And the stories, they’re usually tragic but still somehow funny. I love how he can do that.” I understood both these comments–and agreed. “He’s just different than all other writers.” I understood that too–I think.
October 26, 2009
· Judi Clark · One Comment
Tags: Happiness, John Irving, New Hampshire, Small Town, Writing Life · Posted in: Canada, Contemporary, Literary, NE & New York, y Award Winning Author
GENEROSITY: AN ENHANCEMENT by Richard Powers
There are many reasons why Thassadit Amzwar should not be the way she is—always happy. For one thing, she has lost most of her family in the ongoing Algerian civil war. Her father is killed and her mother dies soon after from pancreatic cancer. She has left her home behind and is now a refugee studying in a mediocre college, Mesquakie, in Chicago. It is here that she runs into Russell Stone—who is teaching the creative writing course she is enrolled in…
October 18, 2009
· Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: 21st-Century, Chicago, FSG, Happiness, Richard Powers, Sciences, Writing Life · Posted in: 2009 Favorites, Contemporary, Literary, US Midwest, y Award Winning Author
