Sylvie Kurtz - Reader's Page

Reader's Corner
I've put this page together to prove a friend, who believes there are no good books out there, wrong. I can personally attest with my book-hoarding tendency, that there are good books out there. I don't guarantee that the listings you'll find here will all be of current books—my to-be-read pile is too huge for that. Because I read a little bit of everything, I don't guarantee any kind of sense to the list, either. The only criteria that apply are that I've read the book and liked it.

The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander

Penguin Books, 2000 ISBN 0-87584-770-6 (hc) ISBN 0-1420-0110-4 (pb)

I thought this page would end up being for fiction only, but I decided to include this book. This is a good read not only for those in creative pursuits, but really for anyone who's trying to make anything out of their lives. The anecdotes make the book and get you to look at things in a different way. Rule Number 6 is now tacked on my bulletin board and I make the effort to give an A.

The Resurrectionist by Jack O'Connell

Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2008 ISBN 978-1-56512-576-6

This is a strange, dark tale of a father trying to reach his comatose son. Sweeny's quest leads him to Dr. Peck and the Peck Clinic. From there the story travels through a surrealist landscape that takes you on strange, violent, yet compelling journey. The way the mind works fascinates me, so this trip to a different level of consciousness was intriguing, but it's definitely not a story for everyone.

Charley's Web by Joy Fielding

Atria Books, 2008 ISBN 978-0-7432-9601-4

Charley Web writes a weekly column for a newspaper. A woman serving time for killing three kids asks her to write her story. What follows is a twisted manipulation that makes for a fascinating read. After reading the flap synopsis, I almost didn't pick up this book. I've read too many serial killer books lately and just didn't want to read another. I'm glad I read it, though, because the author did a terrific job of portraying not only family ties that twist and bind, but the utter charm and manipulation that sociopaths are capable of.

Standing Still by Kelly Simmons

Atria Books, 2008 978-0-7432-8972-6

Claire, who suffers from an anxiety disorder, catches a kidnapper stealing one of her children and offers to take her daughter's place. The kidnapper takes Claire, and the story that follows is Claire's life told through a series of photographs she keeps in a secret box and her time with her kidnapper. T he writing is lyrical. Definitely worth reading for the psychological turns of Claire's mind.

Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz

Simon & Schuster, 2008 978-1-4165-3241-5

The Spellmans are a dysfunctional family of San Francisco private investigators and their adventures are told through Isabel, the middle daughter's, point of view. Isabel is suspicious of her new neighbor's behavior (as well as several family members'). Although I figured out the neighbor's secret quickly, the mystery isn't what this book is about as much as the Spellmans' take on life. I was laughing out loud so much that my husband threatened to take the book away from me, saying it was impolite to laugh and not share the joke. But sharing the joke out of context just doesn't work. I hadn't realized that this was the second installment of the Spellman family. Now I'm going to have to go out and find the first one.

Last updated on: June 08, 2008

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