REVIEW: THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE by Thomas Harding

Do not be taken in by tranquil thoughts of a summer house by the lake. Though many hours of pleasure were spent in the cabin, it has seen far more distress and tragedy. Harding recounts the story of five families who lived in the house, including his own ancestors who built it. The house serves as…

REVIEW: KINO by Jurgen Fauth

I’m not exactly sure where to begin.  This book is incredibly fresh and exciting, yet nostalgic and wise.  The narrative centers around Mina, a newlywed whose husband is hospitalized during their honeymoon.  She mysteriously receives cans of film reels, a lost movie made by her grandfather, a German director.  Intrigued, she takes them to Germany…

REVIEW: IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS by Erik Larson

For more than a decade now Erik Larson has been digging up episodes lost to history and bringing them to the forefront.  In Issac’s Storm, he revealed a fledgling National Weather Service and recounted a hurricane of horrifying magnitude in 1900.  With The Devil In The White City, he pitted the very best and very…