NwahNoir new haven noir, Anthology Collected & Edited by Amy Bloom (2017) I'll admit to some personal bias up front: I was pretty stoked to read this book. Proper noir is one of my favorite genres for one, but throw in the "everything takes place in New Haven written by people who are or were intimately familiar … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Hot Pink Farmhouse
Tony Dorset The Hot Pink Farmhouse, David Handler (2002) This is the second in David Handler's Berger and Mitry Mystery series. As always, I will sprinkle in random passages because they are just so Connecticut. I'm trying. Really, I am. I'm trying to get past the absurdity of this series of mysteries all … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Diane Smith Canon (Books 1-3)
Positive I've Read Them All? Positive The Diane Smith Canon Diane Smith is one of those ever-present Connecticut people. I've lived in this state since 1991 and she's always been somewhere on television or radio - or on the book racks. She is a consummate media professional and champion for Connecticut. She's a New … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Cold Blue Blood
Blue Bloods and Blood. Lots of Blood. The Cold Blue Blood, David Handler (2001) This is the first in David Handler's Berger and Mitry Mystery series I'm going to introduce this mystery series by using the publisher's introduction: Welcome to the quaint historic village of Dorset, the jewel of Connecticut's … [Read more...]
Book Review: Loop Year
I'm Loopy Loop Year, John Sheirer (2008) You'd think I'd really like this book. Heck, you'd think I'd love it. I thought I'd love it. I really wanted to love it. I can say I love the idea of it. Any longtime CTMQ reader (or personal acquaintance) will nod along when I say that the book is a daily chronicle … [Read more...]
Book Review: Connecticut Farms and Farmers Markets
Yee-Haw Connecticut Farms and Farmers Markets Eric D. Lehman and Amy Nawrocki (2022) I didn't plan on actually reading this book. I don't think the prolific Connecticut authors plan for anyone to read read Connecticut Farms and Farmers Markets. That's not the point of it at all. I, however, actually read the … [Read more...]
Top 5 Books I Read in 2022
Top 5 Books I Read in 2022 CTMQ's Reading Challenges and Lists … [Read more...]
Modern Library Top 100 Books 81-90
Because They Made a List... Modern Library Top 100 Books of the 20th Century (Books 81-90) I used to think I was qualified to write actual reviews of these books. I am not. So 20 years into this effort, I've dumbed it down for the good of us all and now just write a few sentences. 90. Midnight’s Children … [Read more...]
Modern Library Top 100 Book Reviews 91-100
Because They Made a List... Modern Library Top 100 Books of the 20th Century (Books 91-100) I used to think I was qualified to write actual reviews of these books. I am not. So 20 years into this effort, I've dumbed it down for the good of us all and now just write a few sentences. 100. The Magnificent … [Read more...]
Books & Reading Challenges
2,400 Books Note: If you found this page via a stamp from a book you grabbed from a Little Free Library, say hello in a comment or via email! Especially if you found the book outside of Connecticut! I love lists and when I turned 50 in 2022, I began more seriously reading book lists that interest me. (My wife … [Read more...]