book reviews

Craig Johnson, The Cold Dish - This is the first novel in the Longmire series, which has recently become a TV show. Having enjoyed the show, I thought I'd try the books, and I'm glad I did. Now, the book had its flaws: I deduced the identity of the killer without even trying by page 72, there were a few factual errors, and it was really slow-moving. But on the whole, I found the characters interesting and well-drawn and the plot hung together well. Definitely good enough to try the next book in the series.

Patricia MacLachlan, Sarah, Plain and Tall - This is a simple, warm book about a family coming together. It is well worth being a classic, even if the long-drawn-out tension of the final chapter doesn't hold up when considered logically, because of the sympathy it shows toward each character and the emotion it conveys in very few words.

Tim Gunn, Tim Gunn's Fashion Bible - Tim Gunn's books always seem to be impulse buys for me, and I'm always glad I gave in to the impulse. The "Fashion Bible" is a history of clothes, delving into where each type of clothing comes from, the historical trends that shaped the changes in each article of clothing, and why we wear what we wear. Tremendously informative and interesting!

Anne-Marie Cantwell and Diana deZerega Wall, Unearthing Gotham - This book has been on my TBR shelf for a long time, and I was excited when it came up in the rotation, but ultimately I found it disappointing. It was supposed to be about the archaeology of New York City, and it covered that topic, but not in nearly enough depth, or breadth, for that matter. It couldn't seem to decide if it was a history of New York archaeology or just a history of New York, and as such, did justice to neither topic. It's well-written, but there's just not enough in it.