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Confessions Press
Here are selected features, interviews, round-ups, guest posts, and "best-of" lists. For reviews, please click on "Confessions" or "Press & Reviews" in the menu bar above.
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10 Great Summer Books for Women
By Sharon O’Brien
The summer of 2008 offers stunning releases by several new authors, plus an English bestseller, the hilarious real-life adventures of a man trying to go green, and award-winning short stories.
In our recommended reading list below, you'll find tales of tragedy, suspense, and magic, and the redeeming powers of love, loyalty, and laughter. If the kitchen and romance are on your agenda, check out a sexy new cookbook. And what would summer be without a fun novel about Jane Austen?
So whether you prefer a shady porch or a blanket on the beach, grab a few of these great reads and enjoy your summer.
“Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict” by Laurie Viera Rigler
First-time novelist Rigler goes beyond typical chick lit to tell the charming and funny story of Courtney, a modern young woman who is transported into 18th century England and finds herself living the plot of an Austen novel. Chafing under the limitations and expectations placed on unmarried women, Courtney copes with the usual collection of meddling parents, town gossips, scoundrels, and misunderstandings that Austen fans expect and enjoy.
“The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein
The heart of this fable is Enzo, a dog. He’s also the narrator. He tells the story of living with his human family, whose members are shaken by failed dreams, self-doubt, and tragedy. Enzo hopes to be reincarnated as a human; in the meantime, he uses his powers of observation, his sense of moral order, and his unshakeable love and optimism to help his people when he can, even without thumbs. In Stein's capable hands, this sad yet heartwarming story is believable, and leaves the reader with some of Enzo's Zen-like faith in people and possibilities.
“The Sign for Drowning” by Rachel Stolzman
After witnessing a boating accident in which her 5-year-old sister downs, 8-year-old Anna blames herself for not helping to search. She begins an imaginary, one-sided sign language conversation with her sister, which leads years later to the adoption of a 5-year-old deaf girl. As the poetic and sensitive Anna raises her daughter, she learns to confront the ghosts of her past and stop living life as a spectator. First-time novelist Stolzman tells this story of redemption with vivid detail and sensitivity.
“InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook” by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge
Tantalizing to the eye, the palate, and the imagination, “InterCourses” is a feast for lovers of food and romance. More than a cookbook, it offers histories, romantic quotes, and serving suggestions for foods thought to have aphrodisiac qualities, and sorts more than 85 interesting (but not difficult) recipes by season, time of day, and types of romantic occasions, from first dates to 50th anniversaries. Non-gourmets will enjoy the vibrant food photography that graces this sensual and romantic book.
“The Sugar Queen” by Sarah Addison Allen
As a respite from the disappointments of her uneventful life, 27-year-old Josey finds comfort and consolation in a hidden closet, enjoying sugary treats and paperback romances. When a local waitress—who is much more than she first appears—takes refuge in Josey's haven, she helps Josey let go of limitations and consider what lies beyond her safe, boring world. With humor, heart, and magical adventures, Allen tells a mystical tale of friendship, love, and real life's enchanting possibilities.
“Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living” by Doug Fine
Fine shares his yearlong adventure in reducing his carbon footprint by making his New Mexico ranch self-sustaining. With no farming experience and few mechanical skills, he attempts to walk the sometimes shaky line between living responsibly and enjoying creature comforts (like wi-fi and his subwoofers), and the results are often hilarious but always instructive. With wit and candor, Fine offers valuable insights about alternative energy, organic food, and the choices he made to live green in the land of plenty.
“The House at Riverton” by Kate Morton
A bestseller in England, this novel of passion and suspense tells the story of Grace Bradley, a servant at Riverton House, who was caught up in the apparent suicide of a young poet. When Grace is 98, she is asked to recall those events and bear witness to the changes that World War I wrought on wealthy Edwardian society. Full of secrets, some never revealed, Morton's tale pays homage to the power of memories, and offers a rare look inside a vanished society.
“O. Henry Prize Stories 2008” edited by Laura Furman
O. Henry Prize Stories have been the glittering jewels of short story collections for more than 60 years. Culled from hundreds of stories published each year, these 20 gems for 2008 represent the finest in short fiction from new and established authors. Also included are three essays written by O. Henry jurors about their favorites from this year's collection.
“Careless in Red” by Elizabeth George
This suspense novel continues the story of Scotland Yard detective Thomas Lynley, still grieving the murder of his pregnant wife. While out walking, Lynley stumbles upon the body of a teenage boy and it becomes clear that the boy's climbing gear was altered. Lynley, at first a suspect, assists the homicide inquiry as he struggles with his devastating loss. Who is that mysterious woman? Can Lynley let go of the past long enough to help solve a brutal crime? In George's capable hands, the psychological twists and turns lead to a satisfying, though not necessarily tidy, ending.
“Skeletons at the Feast” by Chris Bohjalian
Inspired by an actual World War II diary, master storyteller Bohjalian combines the bittersweet power and passions of romance with the devastation of war in his tale about a group of people who attempt to escape Nazi-occupied Poland for the safety of the British and American lines. With an unflinching eye, Bohjalian weaves the lives of 18-year-old Anna, the daughter of Prussian aristocrats who lost their land to Germany, her lover, Callum, a 20-year-old prisoner of war, and a young Wehrmacht corporal who is actually a Jew working to sabotage Nazi war efforts. Critically acclaimed, this novel is a testament to love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit.