I love Maggie O’Farrell, and I wanted to love this book. Ultimately, it didn’t move me as much as Instructions for a Heatwave or her other novels, even though critics might feel it’s a stronger book. This Must Be the Place tells the story of one complicated family over many years – one couple really, … Continue reading
I expected Amy Schumer to be clever and funny. I like her in-your-face style of humor and I like that she wants women to talk about sex. Let’s face it: we can be drunk, stupid screw-ups just as much as men. I can identify with that. But it’s more than that. Sex is funny, but it’s … Continue reading
I haven’t done anything this year for the Women’s Classic Literature Event, which is hosted by the Classics Club, but since it’s September and it’s Back to School time, I was thinking about re-reading favorite classics by women authors. I’m looking specifically at books published before 1950 and in about the 8-10 age range. When … Continue reading
I don’t normally write catch-up reviews, for two reasons. First, I read these books in the middle of July so I don’t remember them so well, and I wasn’t exactly taking notes. And second, I’m not a big fan of the mini-review. You know I like to go on and on about a book. But … Continue reading
Hello readers! My August wrap-up is also my 20 Books of Summer Wrap-Up, and it will tell you something about me that I ended up at exactly 20 books at the end of the month (hint: I’m a bit on the goal-oriented side.) I’m always sad when summer ends. As a kid, summers meant long, … Continue reading
One of my favorite reads of the summer, this book has it all: great characters and story; a fun, almost movie-like plot (it will be a movie this fall); and really thoughtful writing. It’s a book I’d recommend this book to both science fiction lovers and non-science fiction readers (similar to, say, The Martian). It’s … Continue reading
As August comes to a close, I’ve finished 18 books for the 20 Books of Summer Challenge, but here are a couple I didn’t make it through. I don’t really change my reading in the summer. I’m not a fan of the “summer page turner.” But if you’re on a plane or on the beach, … Continue reading
Ghost Talkers is an ideal summer vacation read if you like historical and paranormal fiction. Set in Le Havre during World War I, it’s about a team of women who are helping the British troops by serving as mediums. Their role is to channel the dead, collecting the last messages and more importantly, the last observations of … Continue reading
I had heard so many good things about this book (it won the 2016 Bailey’s Prize) that I was nervous it might not live up to expectations. It absolutely did. I was immediately drawn into the story of Ryan, a fifteen-year-old boy with an abusive, alcoholic father who is experiencing love (and as he tells … Continue reading
This is the third book I’ve read by Carolyn Parkhurst, and each one has left me with deeply mixed feelings. There are many books you put down and don’t really remember. Hers are the opposite. She gives you beautiful writing and compelling characters, but a story that’s impossibly unrealistic and leaves you wishing for more. … Continue reading
July was a fantastic month because of our trip to Hawaii. When I travel, I don’t necessarily try to tie my reading to my trip location. But on this trip I noticed a few interesting parallels. First, I read The Dictionary of Mutual Understanding, which is about the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, while we … Continue reading
Wanted to share a bit about our vacation in Hawaii. I feel a little guilty posting this, since you didn’t get to go. But Hawaii is one of the most beautiful and interesting places on earth. If you think Hawaii is just about beaches and Mai Tais, you’d be wrong! I have admit, I’ve been feeling … Continue reading
