Capturing Children’s Imaginations with Mozart’s Golden Notes

Book Review for "The Case of the Haunted Swamp" by Cliff MacGillivray and Kelly Ward, illustrated by Phil Mendez. Legend has it that Mozart wrote his "Perfect Symphony" using gold ink. But as soon as the ink had dried, the notes magically came alive and flew right off the page, scattering themselves across the world. … Continue reading Capturing Children’s Imaginations with Mozart’s Golden Notes →

Presto, a Perfect Book!

Book Review of "The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox" by Maggie O'Farrell. The mental institution that housed Euphemia Esme Lennox since she was 16 is closing down. After over 60 years being there, Esme has almost no relatives who could help. The one person they find is her great-niece, Iris Lockheart. The problem is that … Continue reading Presto, a Perfect Book! →

A 21st Century Holden Caulfield?

Book Review of "The Universe versus Alex Woods" by Gavin Extence Alex Woods is probably one of the most remarkably famous people in the world. That's because he's only the second person in recorded history (after Ann Hodges) who survived being hit by a meteorite. Alex was only 10 at the time, and his meteorite … Continue reading A 21st Century Holden Caulfield? →

A Haunting Read

Book Review of "Anil’s Ghost" by Michael Ondaatje. Anil Tissera is a forensic archaeologist who was born in Sri Lanka (where author Michael Ondaatje also hails from). After having been an ex-patriot for nearly 15 years, a human rights commission asks her to investigate a gravesite in her home country. What she finds there, and … Continue reading A Haunting Read →

A Story of Sins and Fashion

Book review of "The Devil Wears Prada" by Lauren Weisberger. Amanda Sachs has just gotten her first job out of college, but it’s not just any job; it's THE job that "millions of girls would kill for." She's the new junior assistant to Miranda Priestly, editor-in-chief of the world-famous fashion magazine, "Runway." The only problem … Continue reading A Story of Sins and Fashion →

All about Alice; All about Us

Book Review of "After You'd Gone" by Maggie O'Farrell. Alice is a woman very much in love after a terrible tragedy happens to her. The book starts with the line: “The day she would try to kill herself, she realized winter was coming again”. With an opening like that, there’s no way you won’t want … Continue reading All about Alice; All about Us →

A Story of Vistas and Passions

Book review of "Ardor: A Novel" by Lily Prior. This is a story of love - misdirected love, unrequited love and love between people who, for one reason or another, never find a way to bring their mutual affection out into the open. What makes this story unusual is that at the center of this … Continue reading A Story of Vistas and Passions →

Oh, the tangled (ww)web we weave…

Book Review of "Kiss me First" by Lottie Moggach. How many friends do you have on Facebook? How many of them are people you met online? How many are "real life" friends you haven't seen for months, maybe even years? I'm betting those people make up a pretty big percentage of your list. In fact, … Continue reading Oh, the tangled (ww)web we weave… →

Get Jazzed with this Bolden Book

Book Review of "Coming through Slaughter" by Michael Ondaatje. The name Buddy Bolden probably means absolutely nothing to most readers. That is, unless you're a Jazz enthusiast and/or a music historian. In which case, you'll probably know that Bolden was a coronet player in New Orleans at the turn of the previous century. You'll also … Continue reading Get Jazzed with this Bolden Book →

I Wanted a Bit More

Book review of "All He Ever Wanted" by Anita Shreve Nicolas Van Tassel was enjoying a quiet meal when the fire broke out in the hotel's kitchen. Luckily, he escaped, and there, among the survivors was Etna Bliss. For Nicolas, it was love at first sight, and from that moment on, Etna was all he … Continue reading I Wanted a Bit More →