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):

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First Reads from Goodreads:

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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