It isn’t an original set-up: two former lovers briefly reunite in Rome and sift through the ashes of their long-lost romance. Yet, Mary Gordon is such a skilled writer that she should have been able to pull it off. Her descriptions of Rome do bring the city to life, and she carefully develops both of the main characters. Still the book never quite lives up to Gordon’s usual standard. 

Part of the problem is the stilted dialogue of Miranda and Adam who speak in arch, overly philosophical sentences that remind you they are fictional constructs and not real people. This is a serious flaw in a novel that’s basically a series of conversations interspersed with flashbacks. In addition, the only real conflict in the book is in the characters’ past, and it doesn’t develop any real momentum until the novel is nearly over.

Despite the lovely descriptions of Rome, even die-hard Gordon fans may want to sit this one out.

Bradbury’s 1953 novel “Fahrenheit 451,” a dystopian tale of a grim future in which all intellectual expression and individuality is frowned upon and firemen burn books rather than putting out fires, is rightly considered a classic of the sci-fi genre. In this collection, 16 tales are culled from Bradbury’s own archive, tracing the progression of his work on the themes contained in his masterwork.  Some of the tales are lesser known, such as “Bright Phoenix.” Others, like “The Pedestrian” and “The Mad Wizards of Mars,” will be more familiar. Also included are “Long After Midnight,” featuring an early version of the events and characters of “Fahrenheit 451;” and “The Fireman,” the novella Bradbury used as a base for the novel. This collection serves as an essential companion piece to the novel. Highly recommended. 

There's no denying it.  The zombie apocalypse is upon us--at least judging by this recent crop of zombie books.  Our final challenge is to read a book about zombies.  It can be funny or scary, but it's finally time to face them.

How long would you survive the zombie apocalypse?

Ajvide Lindqvist, John. Handling the Undead (F)

Beamer, Amelia. The Loving Dead (F)

Brallier, Max. Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse?
(NEW F)

Brooks, Max. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War (F)

Littlefield, Sophie. Aftertime (NEW F)

Roff, Don. Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection (F)

Schlozman, Steven C. The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks from the Apocalypse (NEW F)

Tripp, Ben. Rise Again (F)

Vanessa Monroe, or Michael as she is known by her clients,  is a young woman who has had a tough life.  Leaving her missionary parents at the age of fourteen and living by her wits among gun runners in Africa, Michael developed the skills she needed to find out useful information, to defend herself, and to use her abilities to sell this information and make a comfortable, if sometimes dangerous living for herself.  When she takes on an unusual but lucrative assignment, to find out what happened to an oil executive’s daughter who disappeared in Africa four years earlier, she nearly finds herself in over her head.  As her past catches up with her, Michael works frantically to find the missing girl while keeping herself safe from enemies, both old and new.

This thriller has been a long time coming.  It features a brilliant and fearless protagonist who also happens to be a young woman.  The pacing is excellent, the story compelling, the setting is exotic, and the character is fully developed.  Highly recommended for suspense fiction fans looking for something a little different.