Category Archives: adult
The Importance of Being Seven: A 44 Scotland Street Novel – Alexander McCall Smith
Once again we are provided with a glimpse into the lives of the Edinburgh residents of Scotland Street, and once again it is a delight, filled with humor and philosophical musings. Matt and Elspeth are settling into life as newlyweds. … Continue reading
The Solitary House – Lynn Shepherd
From where we stand, the air is so deadened with a greasy yellow fog that you can barely see three paces ahead, and risk stumbling in the street over milk-cans, shattered bottles, and what look at first like rat-ridden heaps … Continue reading
Roadside Picnic – Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugasky
Aliens have visited the earth, stopping briefly at several sites and leaving behind their trash in areas known as Zones. Though most of the mystifying debris is extremely dangerous, some of it accidentally proves to be useful. The scientists can’t … Continue reading
Mission to Paris – Alan Furst
Frederic Stahl, an internationally famous Hollywood film star is making a film in Paris. Having spent a few years there as a young man, Stahl was looking forward to the visit. As soon as he arrived, he changed into a … Continue reading
The Long Earth – Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
The Long Earth is a sizzling brain stimulator full of what if scenarios and philosophical musings delivered in doses of witty banter between explorers Joshua and Lobsang. Folks on Datum Earth, our Earth, discovered the Long Earth, an infinite number … Continue reading
Rose: My Life in Service to Lady Astor – Rosina Harrison
When Rosina Harrison was a girl in North Yorkshire she confided in her mother that she wanted to travel when she grew up. Taking her wishes seriously, her mother told her that in order to do that she must “smarten … Continue reading
Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China – Paul French
The eastern section of old Peking has been dominated since the fifteenth century by a looming watchtower, built as part of the Tartar Wall to protect the city from invaders. Known as the Fox Tower, it was believed to be … Continue reading
Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Spain – Julia Fox
The five surviving children of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Quen Isabella of Castile were given the best of educations, were taught the nuances of statecraft and were raised to realize that their role in life was to increase the … Continue reading
The Child Who – Simon Lelic
Leo Curtice, an attorney in a town in southern England, is excited when asked to defend a 12-year-old boy accused of murdering an 11-year-old girl. This is a career-making case. The excitement is short lived however, as Leo experiences the … Continue reading
The Technologists – Matthew Pearl
The inaugural class at the new Massachusetts Institute of Technology is just a few months away from graduation. The handful of seniors is working hard to finish their coursework and is engaging in a bit of rivalry with nearby Harvard. … Continue reading
Strinberg’s Star – Jan Wallentin
While exploring a flooded mine shaft in Sweden, seven hundred feet below the surface, cave diver Erik Hall, finds a well preserved body holding an ankh, the Egyptian symbol for eternal life. The press appears and for a few days … Continue reading
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