MADreads

Weddings, cake, and other disappointments
A review of I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley

 I'd been underwhelmed by Sloane Crosley's book I Was Told There'd Be Cake: Essays, and was all ready to return it to the library.  But then, for some reason, I decided to read one last essay, and settled on the one titled "You On a Stick." First, I have to ask: any women out ...read more

Reviewed by Sarah - Alicia Ashman on April 29, 2008 | 2 comments

In-N-Out burgers with a side of couture
A review of Celebutantes by Amanda Goldberg

 Attention fans of Tinseltown and Oscar Week:  celebrate the Academy Awards twice this year! Celebutantes by Amanda Goldberg (daughter of producer Leonard Goldberg) and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper (daughter of Easy Rider Dennis Hopper) depicts the fictional account of Lola Santisi (daughter ...read more

Reviewed by Molly - Central on April 28, 2008 | 0 comments

Thank you Masterpiece
A review of An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aidan

 Well, thanks to Masterpiece, I have been seduced back into Jane Austen's world.  But where to go once you've watched (and maybe rewatched) all the episodes and maybe re-read the books themselves? Here are a few suggestions: Pamela Aidan has ...read more

Reviewed by Liz - Alicia Ashman on April 27, 2008 | 0 comments

Comfort food served with a pinch of nostalgia

A review of Apple Betty & Sloppy Joe by Susan Sanvidge

 Open a can of tomato soup, grill a cheese sandwich,  and enjoy a nostalgic trip through  food and middle class family life of the 1950's in Wisconsin.  Mid-western baby boomers and their parents will enjoy browsing  ...read more

Reviewed by Mary K. - Central on April 25, 2008 | 0 comments

Baltimore, the new Hollywood
A review of Another Thing to Fall by Laura Lippman

 Laura Lippman's new Tess Monaghan mystery, ...read more

Reviewed by Lesley - Central on April 24, 2008 | 0 comments

Healing journey
A review of Gone Boy by Gregory Gibson

 April 16, 2008 marked the one year anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre, which ended with 33 people dead (32 murders and one suicide). The intervening year has seen other school shootings, although thankfully not with the body count suffered in Virginia.  If you've struggled like everyone else to understand and make sense of it, then read on. Gregory Gibson's ...read more

Reviewed by Barbara - Alicia Ashman on April 23, 2008 | 3 comments

Just read
A review of Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

 One of my favorite YA novels is Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak.  I like it for the silent, but ...read more

Reviewed by Jane J - Central on April 22, 2008 | 0 comments

No experience necessary
A review of A Pinch of Snuff by Reginald Hill

 I've stuck with Dalziel and Pascoe because of Dalziel.  Pascoe I could take or leave.  But Dalziel is one of those characters that lives and breathes beyond the boundaries of the pages they inhabit.  Reginald Hill skillfully drops in details that make you wonder what he's really like.  We're told that ...read more

Reviewed by Jon - Central Library on April 21, 2008 | 0 comments

Shockingly good
A review of The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

 Do you have a pile of back-up books at home?  Books you've bought (or were given) that you haven't gotten to because they haven't got a due date?  But books you really DO want to read one day?  Ones that you are pretty sure will be great? I just read one from that pile... and it was truly fabulous. ...read more

Reviewed by Liz - Central Library on April 18, 2008 | 0 comments

The rise and fall of Chicago's favorite pleasure palace.

A review of Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbott

 Ah, Chicago, the home of so many pleasurable pasttimes:  deep dish pizza, lazy afternoons at Wrigley Field, walks among gorgeous, massive skyscrapers.  A constantly bustling, exuberant place, Chicago has a long history of enjoying itself.  Journalist Karen Abbott's  ...read more

Reviewed by Katie H. on April 17, 2008 | 0 comments
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