Tag Archives: comfort

The Tapestry of Love, by Rosy Thornton

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Thistle

Divorced and with her children grown and out of the house, 48-year-old Catherine Parkstone leaves England and settles into a mountain home in Southern France, where she plans to set up a business in tapestry. I know that doesn’t seem … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Callback: Crossed Wires

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Thistle

I first read/reviewed Crossed Wires last fall, and it ended up being one of my favorite books of 2009. I remember debating at the time whether or not I should do a giveaway – I wanted more people to have … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Thistle

Renee is a concierge in her mid-50s. She’s spent most of her life maintaining her invisibility, hiding her intelligence under a mask of stereotypical peasant ignorance. Paloma is a super-smart twelve year old girl who lives in the building where … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , | 1 Comment

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith

Posted on December 12, 2009 by Thistle

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a classic coming of age story set around the turn of the century in immigrant-heavy Brooklyn. It’s so much more than a coming of age story, though. This is the third time I’ve read … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Housekeeper and the Professor, by Yoko Ogawa

Posted on November 10, 2009 by Thistle

The Professor was once a brilliant mathematician, but an accident in 1975 left his short-term memory damaged. While he is able to clearly remember events prior to the accident, his memories since then are limited to the past 80 minutes. … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Time of My Life, by Allison Winn Scotch

Posted on September 6, 2009 by Thistle

Spoilers. Jillian has the seemingly perfect suburban life with a supportive husband and a cute toddler that she gets to stay home with. But underneath the facade, she’s dying. Slowly withering away trying to keep up the perfect-wife-and-mother act. She … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Crossed Wires, by Rosy Thornton

Posted on August 3, 2009 by Thistle

Mina is a 27-yr-old single mom caring for her 10-yr-old bookworm daughter and her (Mina’s) 17-yr-old juvenile delinquent sister. She works at an auto insurance call center, and hasn’t thought about romance in a long time. Peter is also a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Death Comes for the Archbishop, by Willa Cather

Posted on June 23, 2009 by Thistle

It’s been awhile since I read a slow classic, over several days, and Death Comes for the Archbishop was just perfect for me: nicely paced, quiet and calm, evocative, and something that transported me to a different time. This was … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Love Walked In, by Marisa de los Santos

Posted on December 2, 2008 by Thistle

Back in late November, I read an interview with Marisa de los Santos on a writing/publishing blog. Her second novel, Belong to Me, just came out in April. It was her answer to the question “What’s most important to you … Continue reading →

Posted in 2008, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | 4 Comments