Love and Other Hazards

Love and Other Hazards

by Claudia Ries

published by River Grove

May 2017

ISBN 9781632991225

I am having trouble figuring out how to best classify Claudia Ries's Love and Other Hazards.  It is contemporary, yet, for some reason, has a nostalgic feel.  It shares a lot of characteristics with woman's fiction, but I see no reason why some men would not enjoy it.

Glenda Fieldston keeps crossing paths with Eugene Lerman at work and at her daughter's school.  The two strike up a tenuous friendship, led by Glenda's forwardness.  Both have other relationships at the moment, but the pull between them is palpable.

Love and Other Hazards is a nice work of fiction, whatever genre it falls in.  There are a lot of characters to keep straight, especially when first getting into the story, but it is worth wading through and getting to know Glenda and Eugene.  Claudia Ries excels at characterization as Glenda's and Eugene's personalities saturate the page.  All in all, a good read.

Rating: 4/5

The Address

Title: The Address
Author: Fiona Davis
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9780525499596

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Very atmospheric historical fiction that almost feels gothic.  The more modern storyline has the same feel.

Rating: 5/5

Heather, the Totality

Title: Heather, the Totality
Author: Matthew Weiner
Publisher: Little, Brown
ISBN: 978-0-316-43531-4

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: A strange, quick read that runs head-long where it needs to go.

Rating: 3/5

Bluebird, Bluebird

Title: Bluebird, Bluebird
Author: Attica Locke
Publisher: Mulholland
ISBN: 978-0-316-36329-7

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Very interesting mystery combining race and family secrets.  Not sure if all the appropriate clues were really obvious, though.

Rating: 4/5

Stacking the Shelves: 11/12-11/18

For possible review (on Bookloons):

Be the Parent, Please by Naomi Schaefer Riley

First Reads from Goodreads:

Guilty Blood by Rick Acker

Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix

Bubblegum Blonde

Title: Bubblegum Blonde
Author: Anna Snow
Publisher: Gemma Halliday
ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: Fresh Fiction

Thoughts: Great PI cozy, but the romance was rushed and thus awkward in the beginning.

Rating: 4/5

Mrs. Fletcher

Title: Mrs. Fletcher
Author: Tom Perrotta
Publisher: Simon Schuster
ISBN: 9781508232834

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Best described as a coming-of-middle-age novel  Odd yet compelling.

Rating: 4/5

Stacking the Shelves: 11/5-11/11

First Reads from Goodreads:

The Widening Gyre by Chuck Grossart

The Husband Hunter's Guide to London by Kate Moore

A Boy Made of Blocks by Keith Stuart

LibraryThing Early Review:

Dead Sea Games by J. Whitworth Hazzard

Received in November's Scriptd:

Sunset Baby by Dominique Morisseau

Ironbound by Martyna Majok

Beyond the Bright Sea

Title: Beyond the Bright Sea
Author: Lauren Wolk
Publisher: Dutton
ISBN: 9781101994856

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Wonderful historical fiction about some topics that are not normally discussed in modern MG novels.  The ending is exactly what is needed.

Rating: 5/5

The Curious Tale of Gabrielle

Title: The Curious Tale of Gabrielle
Author: Zachary Paul Chopchinski
Publisher: Createspace
ISBN: 9781523401987

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Great concept, but story was confusing and characters seemed too distant.

Rating: 2/5

Lucky Penny

Title: Lucky Penny
Author: Ellie Ashe
Publisher: Gemma Halliday
ISBN: 9781943587278

Why Read?: Fresh Fiction

Thoughts: A fun cozy uniquely featuring forensic accounting.

Rating: 4/5

A Good Cry

Title: A Good Cry: What We Learn from Tears and Laughter
Author: Nikki Giovanni
Publisher: William Morrow
ISBN: 978-0-06-230045-8

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: A collection of poetry on the bittersweet topics of aging, death, and the past.

Rating: 4/5

Stacking the Shelves: 10/29-11/4

For possible review (on Bookloons):

Fragments of the Lost by Megan Miranda

First Reads from Goodreads:

Hardheaded by Kim Law

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Appropriate

Title: Appropriate
Author: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Publisher: Dramtists
ISBN: 9780822231912

Why Read?: Scriptd

Thoughts: This was twisting and twisted, but really gives you a lot to ponder, especially the various meanings of the title.

Rating: 5/5

Final Girls

Title: Final Girls
Author: Riley Sager
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9781524776800

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Started off slow, but really picked up halfway through.  I figured there was a twist, but it caught me off guard, and ended up being more satisfying that the one I imagined.

Rating: 4/5