Topping Up Destiny.

Book Review for “The President's Hat” by Antoine Laurain. Summary: "Dining alone in an elegant Parisian brasserie, accountant Daniel Mercier can hardly believe his eyes when President François Mitterrand sits down to eat at the table next to him. Daniel’s thrill at being in such close proximity to the most powerful man in the land … Continue reading Topping Up Destiny. →

TCL’s Best of the Best List for 2013-2022!

You've seen my yearly Top Five/Top Ten lists, and now it is time for another "best of the best" list! For those of you who have been following this blog, you’ll know that I’ve been producing a list of my favorite books published for each of the years I’ve been blogging. Last year, I gave … Continue reading TCL’s Best of the Best List for 2013-2022! →

TCL’s Best of the Best List for 2013-2021

You've seen my yearly Top Five/Top Ten lists, but how about a "best of the best" list? For those of you who have been following this blog, you’ll know that I’ve been producing a list of my favorite books published for each of the years I’ve been blogging. Last year, I gave you my top … Continue reading TCL’s Best of the Best List for 2013-2021 →

TCL’s Best of the Best List for 2013-2020

You've seen my yearly Top Five/Top Ten lists, but how about a "best of the best" list? For those of you who have been following this blog, you’ll know that I’ve been producing a list of my favorite books published for each of the years I’ve been blogging. While I probably should have done this … Continue reading TCL’s Best of the Best List for 2013-2020 →

#NovellaNovember – Torday’s Fantastical Tale – #ShortStorySunday

Book Review for “Theo: A Novella” by Paul Torday. Summary: “John Elliott is the recently appointed vicar of St Joseph's - a dilapidated church with a congregation of sixteen and a leaky roof. Having entered the Church more by default than through any great calling, he struggles to inject some life into his ailing parish. … Continue reading #NovellaNovember – Torday’s Fantastical Tale – #ShortStorySunday →

The Best of the Best Top 5 List for 2013-2019

You've seen my yearly Top Five lists, but how about a "best of the best" list? For those of you who have been following this blog, you’ll know that I’ve been producing a list of my favorite books published for each of the years I’ve been blogging. While I probably should have done this after … Continue reading The Best of the Best Top 5 List for 2013-2019 →

7 Centuries and 6 Families of Paris

Book Review of “Paris: The Epic Novel of the City of Lights” by Edward Rutherfurd. Epic is a word that has been bandied about far too often, and putting it into the subtitle of this novel might seem a bit pretentious. However, it is precisely the word that use be used about this book, seeing … Continue reading 7 Centuries and 6 Families of Paris →

21st Century Fairy Tales?

Book Review of "Ninety-Nine Stories of God" by Joy Williams. Some book reviews are harder to write than others are, and this is going to be one of those. As I noted in another review I wrote for the website Book Browse (review coming soon), I'm not a fan of religious fiction, including Jewish religious … Continue reading 21st Century Fairy Tales? →

Gritty New York Stories and Poems

Book Review of "Resident Aliens" by Beth Porter. "Resident Aliens" by Beth Porter is actually a collection of writings. On the menu is a novella, four poems and three short stories, all focusing on New York in the 60s. Before I discuss the various elements of this book, there is a small warning - nothing … Continue reading Gritty New York Stories and Poems →

Two World Wars, Two Women, Thousands of Letters

Book review of Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole. In March 1912, David Graham is a University student in Urbana, Illinois. He's just read a book of poetry by Elspeth Dunn, who lives on Scotland's Isle of Skye. Impressed, he decides to write to her, and thereby begins a correspondence that will change both their … Continue reading Two World Wars, Two Women, Thousands of Letters →