A Portrait of an Artist

Book Review of "Notes from an Exhibition" by Patrick Gale. To try to describe the plot of Patrick Gale's novel "Notes on an Exhibition" is as difficult a task as to try to explain a piece of abstract art. In fact, this novel is less of a story than it is a portrait of a … Continue reading A Portrait of an Artist →

When Souls Collide

Book Review of "The History of Love" by Nicole Krauss. Alma Singer is almost 15 years old. She was named after every girl in a book called "The History of Love." Alma believes that she can find the real Alma from the book. She doesn't know is who Leo Gursky is, that he was the … Continue reading When Souls Collide →

Plowing Through the Family Problems

Book Review of "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" by Marina Lewycka. Nicolai is an 86-year-old immigrant from the Ukraine, living in Peterborough, England, who has been a widower for about two years. The loss of his wife was a blow to him, but he has begun coping. One way is by writing his … Continue reading Plowing Through the Family Problems →

Stories that reveal much but say little

Book Review for "White Tiger on Snow Mountain: Stories" by David Gordon. I've always believed that short stories are far too under-appreciated. However, I continue to live in hope that since Alice Munro received the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature for her career of writing only short stories, more people will become interested in and … Continue reading Stories that reveal much but say little →

The Masters of Misogyny

Book Review for "The War on Women in Israel: How Religious Radicalism is Smothering the Voice of a Nation" by Elana Maryles Sztokman. When I began reading this book, I was truly hoping that I wouldn't be learning anything new. I thought I was fully aware of how the Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) parties manipulated the governments … Continue reading The Masters of Misogyny →

Take the Time to Travel with This Book!

Book Review of "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger. This is such a well-known book it is almost redundant to bother summarizing the plot - especially since they made a movie out of it (which I refused to watch). However, for the uninformed, this is the story of Claire and Henry. Claire is an … Continue reading Take the Time to Travel with This Book! →

Cauliflower Gratin vs. Trout Almandine

Book Review for The Author and Me by Eric Chevillard. This is more of a dialog between the author and his protagonist than a straightforward story. In the story part, we have a man speaking to a woman, telling his tale of woe because someone brought him a cauliflower gratin instead of the trout almandine … Continue reading Cauliflower Gratin vs. Trout Almandine →