by Scott W Clemens | Jun 1, 2026 | Uncategorized
So here we are, halfway through 2026, and I’ve just finished The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans. What a beautiful book. It’s an epistolary novel that builds layer upon layer until you know the character(s) so well that you inhabit her world, past and present. A deeply affecting tour de force.
And what of the other books I’ve read so far this year? They are:
Just After Sunset, Stephen King, (2nd reading)
The Return of Little Big Man, Thomas Berger
The Winter of Our Discontent, John Steinbeck (7th reading)
Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop, Jenny Colgan
The Secret Christmas Library, Jenny Colgan
The Winemaker’s Wife, Kristin Harmel
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
The Winds From Further West, Alexander McCall Smith (2nd reading)
The Lost Vintage, Ann Mah
The Lost Language of Oysters, Alexander McCall Smith
Broken Country, Clare Leslie Hall
The Strangers We Meet on Vacation, Emily Henry
The Lathe of Heaven, Ursula K. Leguin
Firestarter, Stephen King
The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop, Fannie Flagg
Transatlantic, Colum McAnn
Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven, Fannie Flagg
Misery, Stephen King (2nd reading)
The Night the Lights Went Out, Karen White
The Running Grave, Robert Galbraith
How to Solve Your Own Murder, Kristen Perrin
The Hallmarked Man, Robert Galbraith
Cherry Baby, Rainbow Rowell
Whose Body, Dorothy L. Sayers
Slow Dance, Rainbow Rowell
Brenda Barker’s Next Chapter, Wendy Tokunaga
Bertie’s Theory of Ice Cream, Alexander McCall Smith
Of these, which would I recommend? Obviously, those I read for a second or third time. But of those I read for the first time, I was most taken by:
- The Return of Little Big Man, which was as good as its predecessor — wonderful historical characters, great Voice. It’s a big book, but I wished it was even longer.
- The classic Jane Eyre, recommended for its lovely turns of phrase and articulate use of language.
- Cherry Baby, by Rainbow Rowell. Believable thirty-something characters with all their foibles, and expression of complicated emotions.
- Brenda Barker’s Next Chapter, by Wendy Tokunaga. A warm, funny novel of reinvention, introspection, doubt, hope, and resilience, and just plain fun to read, it’s set at a Writers Conference in Dry Creek Valley, and is filled with a disparate array of characters, from Boomers to Gen Z. I spent a weekend chuckling over scene after pithy scene.
by Scott W Clemens | Dec 11, 2025 | Uncategorized
Rhys Bowen does a marvelous job of keeping all the balls in the air in this latest installment of the Royal Spyness series. The ongoing characters continue developing their narrative arcs, while organically introducing information that sparks Georgie’s growing suspicion that what initially seem a series of unrelated accidents are, in fact, several perfect and related murders. Almost as much fun as the mystery itself is Fig’s long-overdue comeuppance, and Georgie’s newfound confidence. For those of us outside the U.K., the audible edition is essential to understanding the place regional accents play in that society’s hierarchy. The late, great Katherine Kellgren voiced the first eleven books in the series with aplomb. Jasmine Blackborow, who took over for the next seven, was almost up to Kellgren’s level. Now Gemma Dawson takes over for this nineteenth volume. It’s not an easy act to follow, but she does a serviceable turn.
by Scott W Clemens | Dec 31, 2022 | Uncategorized
Zafon’s writing (at least in its English translation) is darkly atmospheric and haunting. There lurks a promise of mystery, the melancholy of love lost, as well as the shadow of impending doom. I was unprepared for the horror; I’d missed the subtitle on the cover “A Gothic Tale.” Because the thirty-year-old narrator is reflecting on his adventures as a fifteen-year-old, booksellers categorize this as a Young Adult novel, but it’s no more a novel aimed at a young adult audience than King’s Carrie, or The Institute. Great writing combined with great storytelling should appeal to any age. I enjoyed the audiobook narration by Daniel Weyman, who could not have done a better job of setting the atmosphere and voicing the various characters.
by Scott W Clemens | Nov 16, 2022 | Uncategorized
Colleen Hoover caught my attention when she held Amazon’s #1 spot ahead of Stephen King’s Fairy Tale with her latest book It Ends With Us. In fact, when I looked at the number of ratings and reviews (three to six times anything Rowling, King, Grisham, or Brown have amassed from their greatest hits) I thought it was unlikely. Perhaps she was scamming the system somehow. Then I read the NY Times article about her emergence as a publishing phenomenon. The comments that the piece elicited were politically polarizing, often framed in terms of blue-collar values versus literary snobism. Everyone seemed to have an opinion, even if they’d never read her work.
So, before I weighed in with an opinion, I bought the audiobook version of her 2021 novel Verity. Despite suffering criticism from some who accuse her of peddling trauma-porn, I found Verity to be competently written and expertly plotted, crossing the genres of suspense and erotica. Throw in two narrators, one of whom is unreliable, and Verity is hard to put down. It doesn’t make a pretense of being anything other than what it is — excellent entertainment. And that’s no small feat in itself. Does the book have its faults? Sure. Personally, I would have preferred that the characters’ relationships revolved around more than just marathon sexual athleticism. But that won’t keep me from recommending the book. Verity will keep you entertained. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
by Scott W Clemens | Oct 10, 2022 | Uncategorized
BookBub calls The Seal Cove Theoretical Society “an existentially funny read about unlikely friendships and community!” Readers of Humorous Literary Fiction seem to agree.
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