Playing Catch Up: Four Mini-Reviews

Christmas at High Rising 

by Angela Thirkell

(purchased)

Christmas at High Rising  is a delightful collection of cozy and comforting stories featuring characters I love from Thirkell's Barsetshire novels... I just wish there had been more Christmas. Virago's beautiful cover definitely enhanced my reading experience.

My rating:

By the Book:

Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from The New York Times Book Review

Pamela Paul, editor

If you need a last minute gift for the literary-type on your list, look no further. This compilation of columns from the New York Times provides endless hours of bookish enjoyment. Reading through the interviews, I often paused to investigate a title or two and several were added to my list. Be sure to pick up a copy for yourself, too.
Disclosure:  review copy provided by publisher

My rating:

Starting Out in the Evening

by Brian Morton

I love a good character-driven novel and Morton's recently-released Florence Gordon  is among the best I've read. After finishing that unexpected gem (a 5-star read and favorite of 2014) I dove straight into his backlist, selecting this 1998 title because it was on my library's shelf. Once again I found an introspective, intelligent novel, a slow unfolding of characters, and beautiful writing.

My rating:

The Paying Guests (audio)

by Sarah Waters 

(purchased)

I consider myself a Waters fan and this was a good novel, but it will not go down as a favorite. She nailed the setting (1920's London) and characters, as always, but the story went on a little too long and the ending was more of a non-ending. Juliet Stevenson's narration, however, was perfection.

My rating: