5/17/13
Abandon common sense all ye who enter here. Dan Brown's new novel, Inferno — its name borrowed from and its plot built around Dante Alighieri's 14th century epic poem of that title — will no doubt be the bestselling novel of the summer, if not the year. Led by his 2003 blockbuster The Da Vinci Code, Brown's thrille …
Nightstand
Erika Robuck
Robuck, best known for her novel Hemingway's Girl, credits her childhood in Annapolis, Md., as a key influence on her becoming a historical novelist. "There's always people dressed up giving historical tours along the cobblestone streets, and it somehow got …
Book Talk
Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County's Four Seasons Author Series presents University of South Florida criminology professor Kathleen Heide (Understanding Parricide: Why Sons and Daughters Kill Parents) discussing and signing her book at noon Friday at the University …
When I'm reincarnated, I want to come back as a robot. Being a human again, or a poodle, or a goldfish, will seem so sadly biological. Robots, on the other hand, will have all the fun — at the very least, juggling a dozen balls, seeing around corners and walking up walls on sticky feet — if you believe the …
Abandon common sense all ye who enter here.
Summertime, and the reading is easy.
For many of us, vacation is a golden chance to get into a good book, and publishers make sure to provide us with a new crop of them every summer.
Goyo Herrera, old and sick and angry, has only a couple of reasons to stay alive. Second among them is that "he didn't want to miss the pachanga in Miami when word spread of the tyrant's death. Other cities had disaster relief plans, backup generators, designated emergency shelters. Miami had a victory parade prepared …
Notable
No more Mr./Ms. Nice Guy
Guess which one of these self-help books is a parody; the other two are serious.
The chew-and-tell food memoir has subgenres. One is the behind-the-kitchen-door romp, like Anthony Bourdain's excellent Kitchen Confidential or Gabrielle Hamilton's Blood, Bones & Butter, which proves every restaurant entree comes with a free side of crazy sauce.
With few exceptions, characters in mysteries change and grow throughout the series. Not only does that reflect real life, but it also allows authors to stretch their storytelling skills.
Book Talk
Former Sen. Bob Graham discusses and signs his thriller, Keys to the Kingdom, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at East Lake Community Library, 4125 East Lake Road, Palm Harbor.
For book reviews and book news, browse the Books section of the Tampa Bay Times.
