Category Archives: Fiction

The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber

Posted on April 17, 2015 by bseat

As a daughter of missionaries I am always intrigued by how missionaries are portrayed in fiction. In general they don’t fair very well. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver is probably the most recent example of the missionary stereotype in … Continue reading →

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What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris

Posted on April 10, 2015 by bseat

Sebastian Alistair St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, a title he received when his elder brothers died much to the chagrin and disappointment of his father, the Fifth Earl of Hendon, was having a very troublesome day. In the very early hours … Continue reading →

Posted in Detective novel, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Legal Procedural, Mystery, Series | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Malice by Keigo Higashino, Translated by Alexander O. Smith

Posted on April 3, 2015 by bseat

Higashino, who wrote the Devotion of Suspect X  is back again with a new mystery, Malice. Although written in 1996, it was not translated until 2014 when it became an Edgar Award Finalist. It is wonderful that Higashino is getting … Continue reading →

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The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

Posted on March 27, 2015 by bseat

David Mitchell is a fascinating writer. Everytime he publishes a book it creates a big splash, and that is not just hype or good marketing. His books live up to all their acclaim by defying genres, containing well developed, compelling … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller | 1 Comment

The Children Act by Ian McEwan

Posted on March 20, 2015 by bseat

Fiona Mayes is a British High Court Judge in London’s Family Division. There she hears cases dealing with families; mostly child custody but also some divorce.  She is committed to her work and “…belonged to the law as some women … Continue reading →

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Lila by Marilynne Robinson

Posted on March 13, 2015 by bseat

In Lilla, Lila Dahl, a character we met in Robinson’s previous books Gilead and Home, tells the story of how she was found and raised by Doll, became a part of group of itinerant farm workers who wandered together, broke … Continue reading →

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The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

Posted on March 6, 2015 by bseat

“Disturbingly fabulous” is what one reader said about this book and I have to agree.  There is the lyrical prose that Flanagan uses while describing the horrors of how the Japanese used POWs to build the Thai-Burma railway, the deep … Continue reading →

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The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Posted on February 27, 2015 by bseat

Rachel is living a lie. Every day she leaves her friend’s home where she has been staying “until she can get back on her feet,”and takes the train into London.  Ostensibly she is going to work, but she lost her … Continue reading →

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The Martian by Andy Weir

Posted on February 20, 2015 by bseat

This book was recommended to me by my daughter so I should have known it would be good, but I am notoriously leery of books that are recommended to me!  So it was very gratifying to find that the story … Continue reading →

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The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

Posted on February 13, 2015 by bseat

What a stunning surprise to open a recently written book whose style is reminiscent of of a great 19th century novel by Dickens or Wilkie Collins!  With an intricate plot of grave misunderstandings, murder, a missing person, a great love, … Continue reading →

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