Five Decembers
Written in the hard-boiled style of the mid-twentieth century, Five Decembers has diverse characters, a gripping plot and exotic locales. Detective Joe McGrady chases a disembowling serial killer from Hawaii to Hong Kong... and back again where the murderer proves closer to home. Told with wonderful historical detail.
Parfait, Not Parfait
Funny, brilliant, wacky, almost da-dadist in design. Hard to describe, not a story exactly but a fun exploration of wordplay.
...SPORK!
...SPORK!
O Caledonia
Absolutely gorgeous writing. A reissue of the 1991 novel by Elspeth Barker. The story follows the young Janet as she grows up in a Scottish castle in the 1940's and 50's. A girl with huge feelings, a passionate love of nature and language, she loves too much and is unable to fit into the conventional world around her. The beautiful descriptions will make you want to pack up and move to Scotland. Also a murder mystery of sorts.
Novelist as a Vocation
In a series of essays, novelist Haruki Murakami explores what it takes and what it means to be a novelist. Conversational, autobiographical, Murakami describes his early attempts at writing, his evolution as a writer, and his process of writing. A fascinating window into the mind of a great writer whose thoughts and writing practices can be applied to writers everywhere.
