The Glass Castle; a review

by Lydia Nolan, copywriter Wall, Jeanette. (2005). The Glass Caste. New York, NY: Scribner, A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc. I will discuss this book academically, as I had to use it for a class I taught, and I was not the primary teacher. I would have rather a different book, however, this is the one we completed and analyzed critically for class.  I invite others to tell me what they…

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The Heavens May Fall, by Allen Eskens

Reviewed by Lydia Nolan You may have noticed, I am a fan of Allen Eskens. This is the last review of his novels since he’s written seven and I’ve read and reviewed them all, except this one. I have to wait until he writes another before I can review any more of his books, so here is the last review. I will say, this one is a favorite of mine, although I say that about them all. I love that he…

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Dead Wake

by Eric Larson Reviewed by Jeanne Garrett. In May of 1915 the British Cunard Line cruise ship, the Lusitania on a return voyage from New York to Liverpool, was torpedoed by a German U-boat in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Ireland, and sunk. This action led the Germans I boats for a time  to stop  civilian ships as targets on open waters but later German Military reinstituted this…

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Review of the Novel, “Wave” by Sonali Deraniyagala

Review of the Novel, “Wave” by Sonali Deraniyagala

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala Reviewed by Lydia Nolan ©January 8, 2023 This novel is a true story, it is a devastatingly heart wrenching journey of loss and love beyond our wildest imagination. It is hard to believe people in other places from our own lives might be suffering so severely to where their therapist even encourages them to write a true narrative about it, publish it, and see its…

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Red Flags, by Lisa Black

Red Flags, by Lisa Black

Red Flags by Lisa Black Reviewed by Lydia Nolan © December 4, 2022 Author Lisa Black has managed to do this feat carefully, as she moves the plot through, while we learn through foreshadow and deliberate character building, what happens when people create havoc through greed and what happens when people try to remedy their lives by secrecy—it never works out as planned. Dr. Ellie Carr is a…

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Review of "The Shadows We Hide" by Allen Eskens

Review of “The Shadows We Hide” by Allen Eskens

Review of The Shadows We Hide, by Allen Eskens By Lydia Nolan © January 10, 2023 This novel is a sort of, but not exactly, a sequel to “The Life We Bury” because it is about the same protagonist who is found in Allen Eskens’ award winning novel “The Life We Bury.”  It may be similar: a death, murder, discovery of a person’s true history. But where the two novels diverge is at the consequences…

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Review of "The Guise of Another" by Allen Eskens

Review of “The Guise of Another” by Allen Eskens

Author Allen Eskens has a knack for writing fantastic plots This plot has a unique angle, Eskens takes a cop with prestigious history into a questionable character of criminal corruption. While this occurs much more happens in subplots. The most intense is that this detective has a brother who is also a detective and is trying to find out if his brother’s truly a criminal. Alexander Rupert is an…

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Review of "The Stolen Hours," by Allen Eskens

Review of “The Stolen Hours,” by Allen Eskens

Another great read, how do I know? When a book keeps your nose in it, the book is worth reading, because it achieves the first step of writing, which I did not claim, but to which I do subscribe: “The first duty of the novelist is to entertain. It is a moral duty. People who read your books are sick, sad, traveling, in the hospital waiting room while someone is dying. Books are written by the…

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Review of "Nothing More Dangerous" by Allen Eskens

Review of “Nothing More Dangerous” by Allen Eskens

It occurs to me that I have been reading this author quite a bit. For a couple of reasons. Firs, his writing–while grammatically and syntacticallyt correct, as well as well developed plot and characters, Eskens’ writing is not that difficult. I would gauge his content as easy to read for eighth to twelfth grade and beyond. But the plots, being that they are linear and not difficult to follow are…

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The Theory of Friendship

The Theory of Friendship

A friend sticks to, through thick or thin, If they don’t, then, they aren’t your friend.

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The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

Review: The Life We Bury By Allen Eskens This novel is a thriller about a college student named Joe Talbert. He must write a biography on an elderly person, so he goes to a nursing home and meets a man named Carl Iverson, a Vietnam veteran who is  a convicted murderer and rapist. Iverson served thirty years in prison but was paroled to a nursing home because he has terminal Cancer. Joe Talbert…

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The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

Review: The Life We Bury By Allen Eskens This novel is a thriller about a college student named Joe Talbert. He must write a biography on an elderly person, so he goes to a nursing home and meets a man named Carl Iverson, a Vietnam veteran who is  a convicted murderer and rapist. Iverson served thirty years in prison but was paroled to a nursing home because he has terminal Cancer. Joe Talbert…

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This is my creation/founding, with a book club to join as well. Our site, www.ibcafe.net, is open to comments and suggestions. Please come visit. We also have a Facebook page at /IBCafe.NetEditor . Come and see.

Peripherals

Being a writer isn’t always glamorous. In fact, it’s not glamorous at all, at least not while you are actually writing. But there is an extra lot of components to writing besides the actual stories or essays, or whatever it is you write. I call these components peripherals, and they are just as necessary as your written works. To name a few–we’ll name three–let me explain how these three…

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Review: Ceremony

by Leslie Marmon Silko ISBN-13: 9780140086836Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) IncorporatedPublication date: 3/28/1986Edition description: ReprintPages: 272 While “Ceremony” is not a new book, it is a classic Native American book, with lots to teach us about the concept of coming home, and ceremonious ideology. Leslie Marmon Silko is Native American. She has written a book that still to this day,…

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The Returned, a Review

The Returned, a Review

 Review of: The Returned “The Returned”by Jason MottISBN-13: 978-0-7783-1533-9Copyright 2013 by Jason MottPublisher: Harlequin  MIRA$24.95 US, $27.95 CAN.352pp. Nothing is more satisfying than reading a spellbinding book from a new author who knows how to apply all the necessary ingredients to keep you reading. I have had that satisfying experience this weekend. Author, Jason Mott, is a unique…

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Wall, Jeanette. (2005). The Glass Caste. New York, NY: Scribner, A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc. I will discuss this book academically, as I had to use it for a class I taught, and was not the primary teacher. I would have rather a different book, however, this is the one we completed and analyzed critically for class.  I invite others to tell me what they thought in more depth. I can also…

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