Reviewed by Johnnie Bernhard Lead me Home by Amy K. Sorrells hits the sweet spot between adult and YA Christian Fiction with its compelling tale of teenage angst, abandonment, and loss. Sorrells’s writing is often poetic, emotionally moving with vivid imagery of the setting and characters. However, she often relies on stereotypical characters and situations […]
“Understanding Larry McMurtry,” by Steven Frye
September 12, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Johnnie Bernhard Steven Frye’s Understanding Larry McMurtry is a scholarly overview of the Pulitzer-Prize winning author’s body of work. It’s part of the Understanding Contemporary American Literature series published by the University of South Carolina Press. Founded by the late Professor Matthew J. Bruccoli, this series explores modern American writers. Bruccoli is quoted in […]
“Miss Julia Weathers the Storm,” by Ann B. Ross
July 13, 2017 by 1 Comment
Reviewed by Johnnie Bernhard Ann B. Ross, New York Times bestselling author of the “Miss Julia” series, returns with the eighteenth installment, Miss Julia Weathers the Storm. And like the seventeen books before, this comic southern tale makes for great summer reading as protagonist Miss Julie battles a hurricane during a trip to the beach with […]
“Letters from Paris,” by Juliet Blackwell
May 30, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Johnnie Bernhard Juliet Blackwell’s Letters from Paris is solid reading entertainment with a lovable protagonist, Claire Broussard, whose small-town Louisiana beginnings lead to tragedy. Blackwell builds suspense without sacrificing seriousness or believability, two common victims of the mystery genre. Perhaps that’s the key to Blackwell’s novel – everything about it is “just right.” […]
“The Tears of Dark Water,” by Corban Addison
April 26, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Johnnie Bernhard The mastery of Corban Addison’s The Tears of Dark Water lies in its multi-tiered plot and timely social commentary, as well as its soulful examination of the human condition. The external conflict of a father and son held hostage by Somali pirates resonates with the internal conflicts of a troubled marriage, […]
“Prayers the Devil Answers,” by Sharyn McCrumb
March 2, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Johnnie Bernhard Sharyn McCrumb’s Prayers the Devil Answers is a satisfying novel with interwoven subplots and gifts of dialogue and character development. The reader is transported to rural Tennessee during the Great Depression as the novel’s heroine, Ellie Robbins, carves out a life for herself and her children, despite the shroud of poverty, superstition, […]