Love
by Toni Morrison

I love Toni Morrison--she was a big figure in my college book-reading years and she's just an amazing person. Beyond her classically exceptional literary talents, she has a particular knack for writing slightly spooky, inter-generational tales, and Love falls into that bucket. (Remember Beloved? Sooo creepy). Love takes place in a resort town that has fallen onto hard times. The story revolves around a central (yet absent) figure-- the handsome, wealthy resort owner and the women who love him.

I don't think this is Ms. Morrison's best writing. Her prose, as always, is beautiful but the story lacked essential ingredients. Yes, it is spooky and interesting, but the story was difficult to follow-there was no particular character to identify with and root for, I suppose. There is a distracting narrator that we never really get to know (and her text is always italicized, which I find massively annoying). There's a young guy who falls for this young tough punk of a girl, but we don't really know him or her either.

All in all, a fine read, but not a spine-tingling one as I've come to expect from her.

But read it and tell me if you feel differently.

No Night is Too Long
by Barbara Vine

This one was really good, guys. Maybe even better than my previous favorite of hers, The Minotaur...

Suspenseful, clever twists and just engaging as heck. I spent all of yesterday's daylight hours (after my first horseback riding lesson-yay!) reading this and only emerged when I'd turned the last page to have dinner with the hubby.

Perfect to lose yourself in--on vacation or on a day you want to spend indoors on the couch.

A Virtuous Woman
by Kaye Gibbons

My Kaye Gibbons streak continues...I liked this book too. Not as much as Charms for an Easy Life, but holy heck, this woman is talented.

What is love? Love endures. This is a love story about an unlucky woman and man who become lucky to find each other. Their love isn't flashy, isn't heart-pounding and lusty, but it's real, long-lived and tender. These are flawed, weak and vulnerable characters, but they are also kind and real.

If you're in the mood for something sweet, a bit melancholy, but also uplifting, check out A Virtuous Woman.