-
Recent Posts
Meta
Category Archives: Reviews by Bethany
A Review of J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
On the one hand, reacting to the Trump victory by immediately reading a bunch of books about poor people is a condescending and despicable thing to do. I feel a little dirty about it, honestly. On the other hand, the … Continue reading
A Review of Laurie R. King’s The Beekeeper’s Apprentice; Or, On the Segregation of the Queen
This is the first installment in a series about a young woman who becomes Sherlock Holmes’ apprentice and, later, his lover and wife. The fact that Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character is pooh-poohed at the beginning of the novel, … Continue reading
A Review of Gary Paulsen’s The Haymeadow
I came to this novel by accident, when a student I tutor chose it for a book report. We agreed to read the first six chapters before our next meeting. He read ten pages or so, declared it two thumbs … Continue reading
A Review of Larry Watson’s As Good as Gone
I was surprised to look my Yarn Along post from a few weeks ago and see that I used the word “enjoying” to describe my relationship with As Good as Gone. How much has changed. I’ll tell you a bit … Continue reading
A Review of Stephen F. Knott and Tony Williams’ Washington & Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America
I came to this book because of my obsession with Hamilton, of course; I was interested to read a book that focused entirely on the relationship between Hamilton and Washington, and I was also interested to learn about the years … Continue reading
A Review of Brad Watson’s Miss Jane
Fair warning: this book is not about Jane Austen. I learned to make this disclaimer when I was reading the book, and everyone who saw the title said, “Oh! Jane Austen!” And then I had the pleasure of replying, “No! … Continue reading
Final Thoughts on Kia Corthron’s The Castle Cross the Magnet Carter
This novel has transcended everything I wrote about it in my earlier review. It’s still a novel about two sets of brothers, though both families grow estranged, and the brothers are separated (in one case, permanently – by a death) … Continue reading
A Review of Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend
Earlier this week when I took my Yarn Along photo, I had read about 90% of My Brilliant Friend. I had already started to warm to it after feeling disappointed with the first half of the novel. When I scrolled … Continue reading
Thoughts on Paul Kriwaczek’s In Search of Zarathustra: Across Iran and Central Asia to Find the World’s First Prophet
I read this book because the protagonist of one of the many novels I want to write was born into Zoroastrian family. I am well aware that the previous sentence way well be the most interesting sentence in this review, … Continue reading
Postcards From Purgatory 