This dark, captivating novel portrays contemporary life in the Ozarks. Focusing on 16-year-old Ree Dolly, and the rest of the Dolly clan, Daniel Woodrell paints a stark examination of an impoverished community. Emma Galvin’s performance is simply superb. Whether Ree is asking difficult questions or learning family secrets, the listener is absorbed by the young woman’s search for her missing father, who cooks methamphetamines. Now he must be found—or the Dollys will lose their home to the bail bondsman. Ree’s character is a complex figure. Galvin conveys both the young woman’s innocence and surprising worldliness through the tone and depth of her voice. D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2011 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
Whatever kind of reading you like best in life, you can find your match in a good noir detective novel. Great stories with complex plots? Noir. Hilarious humor, albeit of a generally dark variety? Noir. Unforgettable characters? Noir. Breathless action? Noir again. If you’ve fallen behind the curve on noir fiction, now’s the time to […]
The film adaptation of Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games, doesn’t come out for a few more weeks, but star Jennifer Lawrence is already looking ahead to her next film project, and she’s bringing a familiar director along with her.
I’m from the Midwest, and contrary to stereotype, I don’t have a beaming smile, freckles, or the ability to cow tip. But I will say there is something unique about being from the region. When I meet other Midwesterners in my current hometown, New York City, I feel myself drawn closer to them by an indescribable force. […]
There is so much to love about April’s YA books—especially because so many of them are about love, both queer and straight. Whether you prefer fantasy quests, realistic contemporary dramas, rom-coms, or historical fiction (the 1990s!), you’re certain to find the perfect spring read to make your heart pound from excitement, mystery, and feels.