Linda Vista By: Tracy Letts

A curmudgeonly man in his 50s with a fucked up life, fucks it up even more in this charming and funny new play by Tracy Letts. There is a glimmer of hope that Wheeler will get his act together as we look in on his new life as he gets a divorce and navigates life on his own as he ages. At times out right hysterical, it's also a deeply moving piece and brilliantly put together by Letts!

Absence of Alice By Sherry Harris To Be Published: January 2021

 

When this one comes out in January, everyone is in for a real treat!  This installment of the Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery series put Sarah's friendships/relationships on the line, tests trust, and offers a twist at the end taht will give you whiplash!!!  This is a must for your "to get when it comes out" list!

The Rose Tattoo By: Tennessee Williams

I've always adored Tennessee Williams' work, but in all the years I've been reading his plays (and seeing them), and his poetry I never got around to The Rose Tattoo. I'm so glad this edition includes some extras! I'm so used to the high drama of Williams' more well know works, so it was a joy to read Rose Tattoo with it's melodrama, it's comedy and it's borderline slapstick. An over the top romantic comedy complete with a witch and a renegade goat. This edition also includes the short play that would eventually become the full length Rose Tattoo, an insightful intro by John Patrick Shanley, a critical essay showing the genesis of the short play to the full length play, Tennessee' explanation of the meaning of The Rose Tattoo as well as a chronology of Williams' life and publications.

Slave Play By: Jeremy O. Harris

This play has so much going on that I can't even begin to describe it's brilliance. It is deeply disturbing, deeply moving, at times oddly funny, and exceedingly thought provoking. It's the type of play that you NEED other people to read/see so that you can discuss it and "process" it (read the play and you'll know why I used the quotation marks)! I can only imagine the impact of seeing this presented on stage! Jaw droppingly amazing!!!!

Betrayal By: Harold Pinter

Read this one again, because it was revived on Broadway again.  I still enjoy this one!  An ingenious look at an affair(s) and the many ways in which we betray each other and ourselves!

 

 

The Sound Inside By: Adam Rapp

A stunning two-hander!  Words escape me as to how to describe this piece...it didn't go where I thought it was going, which adds to the mystery of it.  It's haunting and powerful, and will stay with me as I try to figure out why I was so moved by it!  This is a must read!

Booked for Death By: Victoria Gilbert

A gorgeously envisioned B&B with a literary theme the perfect setting for a cozy. A vivid cast of characters, plenty of suspects, a big twist and a satisfying conclusion. A lovely little read!

A Soldier's Play By: Charles Fuller

A stunning look at racial issues faces Black soldiers in the military, and amidst themselves. A mystery told in real time and in flash back, this play is a punch in the gut!

Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune

Have to say, not my favorite McNally play. I didn't particularly care one way or the other for Frankie and I detested Johnny-frankly his character made me very uncomfortable. It's kind of hard to get into a play when it's a two hander and you don't like either one of them.

Sea Wall By: Simon Stephens

A gorgeously rendered piece about family, loss and God.

High Crimes By: Joseph Finder

 I think I've discovered my new favorite Joseph Finder book!  I pretty much held my breathe throughout the reading of this superb courtroom and family thriller. The ending will have you reeling!!  This is one not to miss!

 

red speedo By: Lucas Hnath

I've waited a Loooong time to read this play and it was Sooooo worth the wait! An inventive look at what people will do for their American Dream-no matter the cost or because of the cost!  Rich layers to each character, judgement is left up to the reader.  Hnath is quite an amazing playwright!

The Zero Hour By: Joseph Finder

It's always very hard to remember to breathe while reader a Joseph Finder book, and The Zero Hour was no exception. A cat and mouse game of the highest order; twist and turns around every corner; precisely drawn characters; and a nail-biter until the bitter end. Finder brings humanity to a genre that so often lacks this in exchange for gadgets and violence. A high octane thriller!!!

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay By: Michael Chabon

I read this fabulous tome 20 years ago, and have just re-read it and enjoyed it more now than I did when I originally dove into the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. This stunning novel follows the lives of two cousins from 1939 to the mid 50s. One a refugee from Prague, one an American recovered from Polio. Both have a knack for storytelling, one via pictures one via words. Together the create a stable of comic books. Their two lives are hopelessly intertwined, yet very different. Chabon is a master storyteller as well as historian, as this beautiful tale also includes the rich history of the comic book and it's often unsung artists!

Extraordinary Powers By: Joseph Finder

Not your typical espionage story! Finder manages to add a specific twist to this tale of intrigue, that in lesser hands would have been laughable, but e deftly inserts it as a major plot line and the reader is so captivated that we go along with it! Full of twists and turns and the usual jaw-dropping surprises at the end this is a heart pounding and satisfying read!

The Moscow Club By: Joseph Finder

This is where the Finder legacy began!  An Everyman accomplishes amazing things without the aid of modern technology to thwart and international plot to destroy the US and Russia simultaneously.  Finder takes the reader on a taut journey all around the world, keeping us on the edge of our seat dropping delicious nuggets of information along the way, saving the biggest nugget until the very end!  A breathless, exhausting and totally thrilling and satisfying read!

Homegoing By: Yaa Gyasi

On the surface this is a tale of two half-sisters (unbeknownst to each other) on the Gold Coast of Africa the follows the two branches of their descendants down through the centuries to present day. Barely underneath the surface is the entire history of colonization and slavery and all that they lead too, throughout the centuries. At times a very uncomfortable and rage-inducing book to read, but this is an extraordinary writing achievement!