Category: non-fiction

My Top 5 Favorite Books of 2018

  2018: The year of “only by a whisker” books. Yes, the time has come once again for me to give you all my roundup of my favorite books published over this past year. I have to warn you however, I’m going to cheat a tiny bit with my non-fiction book this year. See, although … Continue reading My Top 5 Favorite Books of 2018 →

Continuing to be

Book review of "I am, I am, I am: Seventeen Brushes with Death" by Maggie O’Farrell Goodreads calls this book a “memoire with a difference - the unputdownable story of an extraordinary woman's life in near-death experiences.” They also say it is “Shocking, electric, unforgettable,” and comment that “It is a book to make you question … Continue reading Continuing to be →

Q&A with Eric Houston, author of The Lost Artist: Love Passion War (Part 1)

  I recently heard about Eric Houston's memoir "The Lost Artist: Love Passion War (Part 1)" and was immediately intrigued. While I couldn't fit this book into my reading list, I decided instead to feature this work here, by asking him one question. Here's his answer to: What was one of the most interesting experiences … Continue reading Q&A with Eric Houston, author of The Lost Artist: Love Passion War (Part 1) →

My Top Five (or more) Books of 2017

2017: The Year of Women - Good and Bad!   Those of my readers who have been following this blog for a while, know that I had to stuff seven novels into my favorites of 2016 list, and eight books ended up on list for 2015. This year, I have nine books that deserved a … Continue reading My Top Five (or more) Books of 2017 →

Guest Author Post by Roz Morris: Out of sight, but not out of mind

As noted in my recent review of Roz Morris' travel diary book Not Quite Lost: Travels without a Sense of Direction, Roz's afterward for that darling travel diary truly fascinated and more importantly, intrigued me. So I requested she write a post for this blog based on some of the things she mentioned there. Without … Continue reading Guest Author Post by Roz Morris: Out of sight, but not out of mind →

The Guestbook Spy

Book Review of "Not Quite Lost: Travels without a Sense of Direction" by Roz Morris It isn't often that I read non-fiction, but when I do, I often find travel books to be the most pleasurable way to remain within the realm of reality. However, sometimes these can be filled with long, drawn-out descriptions of … Continue reading The Guestbook Spy →

Now You’re an Immigrant!

Book Review of "Chutzpah & High Heels: The Search for Love and Identity in the Holy Land" by Jessica Fishman. In this memoir, Jessica Fishman details the trials and tribulations of making what we call "Aliyah" - literally meaning to "go up" to Israel. This reminds me of an old, old joke, which goes something … Continue reading Now You’re an Immigrant! →

Travels for the Mind or for the Body?

Book Review of "On Trying to Keep Still" by Jenny Diski. I was saddened to hear that Jenny Diski was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and even more saddened when she passed away. Interestingly enough, the first thought that went through my head was "why haven't I read more of her works?" I knew that I … Continue reading Travels for the Mind or for the Body? →

What a Trader!

Book Review of "One Red Paperclip" by Kyle MacDonald. Trading something seemingly worthless until you get something of real value might be a cheap trick, especially if it starts out with something as insignificant as a paperclip and ends up with a house. It may also seem like an impossible feat. However, that's exactly what … Continue reading What a Trader! →

Facing Three Hours

Review of "The Face: A Time Code" by Ruth Ozeki. In this short non-fiction piece, Ozeki takes on the Zen exercise of staring at her face for three hours. The book starts with her time clock set at 00:00:00, which ticks off the seconds and minutes as she writes whatever comes into her head while … Continue reading Facing Three Hours →