Amodini's Book Reviews

Book Reviews and Recommendations

Archive for the 'penguin_books' Category

Book Review : The Track of Sand

Title : The Track of SandAuthor : Andrea CamilleriPublisher : Penguin Genre : Crime / MysteryPages : 258Rating : 4/5Source : Publisher ARC They tell me that Camilleri is the author of best-sellers, but I was skeptical to say the least, since this book is a translation of the Italian original, and I think translations […]

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Book Review : Instruments of Darkness

Title : Instruments of DarknessAuthor : Imogen RobertsonGenre : Historical MysteryPublisher : Pamela Dorman BooksPages : 384Rating : 4/5Source : Publisher ARC I started on Imogen Robertson’s “Instruments of Darkness” having had no prior introduction to her writing or work. The jacket flap promised a dark, intriguing mystery and I’m glad to report that this […]

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Book GiveAway : Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

Geraldine Brooks is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March and The New York Times bestseller, People of the Book. Her fourth and newest novel is CALEB’S CROSSING (Viking; On sale, May 3, 2011). Thanks to the publisher, I’ll be giving away 2 galleys of the book. If you’d like to enter the draw, please email […]

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Book Review : Heartstone

Title : HeartstoneAuthor : C.J. SansomPublisher : Viking AdultGenre : Historical fiction/ mysteryPages : 626 (Hardcover)Published : Jan 24, 2011Rating : 4.5/5Source : Publisher ARC Heartstone is the 5th book in C.J.Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake series. In it, Sansom’s hunchbacked lawyer hero takes on another intriguing case. The time is of Catherine Parr’s reign on the […]

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Book Review : Fadeaway Girl

Title : Fadeaway GirlAuthor : Martha GrimesPublisher : Viking AdultGenre : Mystery Pages : 336Rating : 3.5/5Source : Publisher ARC “The Fadeaway Girl” is a the 4th book of the Emma Graham Series. I haven’t read the first three so this was my first introduction to our 12 year old protagonist. In this book Emma […]

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Book Review : The Shadow Woman

Title : The Shadow WomanAuthor : Ake EdwardsonGenre : Crime / ThrillerPublisher : PenguinPages : 352Rating 6.5/10Source : Publisher ARC What with the success of Steig Larsson’s trilogy, translated Swedish thrillers seem to be coming out in full force. Ake Edwardson’s “The Shadow Woman” is one such book, translated by Per Carlson. This novel is […]

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Book Review : Girl with a Pearl Earring

Title : Girl with a pearl earringAuthor : Tracy ChevalierGenre : Historical fictionPublisher : PlumePages : 256Rating : 4/5 The Girl with a Pearl Earring is Tracy Chevalier’s second book. In it she tells of a painting by the famous Johannes Vermeer. The subject of the painting and the heroine of the novel is a […]

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Book Review : Faithful Place

Note : The edited version of this review appears at Womens Web, here. Title : Faithful PlaceAuthor : Tana FrenchGenre : Crime/mysteryPublisher : Viking, Penguin GroupPages : 400Release Date : 13 July 2010 (US)Rating : 4/5Source : Publisher ARC My father once told me that the most important thing every man should know is what […]

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Book Review : Remarkable Creatures

Title : Remarkable CreaturesAuthor : Tracy ChevalierGenre : Historical fictionPages : 320Rating : 4/5 A spinster in search of fossils. Sound interesting ? Well, it should, because like it’s title “Remarkable creatures” this book is pretty remarkable too. I haven’t read this author’s previous novel “Girl with a pearl earring”, but when I came across […]

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Book Review : Angelology

Title : AngelologyAuthor : Danielle TrussoniGenre : (Mythological) FantasyPages : 452Publisher : Viking PenguinRating : 3.5/5 You might say “don’t judge a book by its cover”, but I did. It looked so intriguing – a large “angel” wing attached to a human (?) body. Yes, this is fantasy, and I was under no impressions that […]

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