Naughty, but nice!

Book Review for "The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules" by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg. Imagine if you will that you are one of group of elderly people stuck living in a facility that is bleeding you dry while providing less and less in return (except for the medication to keep you quiet). Imagine you've … Continue reading Naughty, but nice! →

A Nobel Introduction?

Book Review of "Vintage Munro" - a collection of short stories by Alice Munro. In 2013, Alice Munro received the Nobel Prize for Literature. What made this award unique was that it was the first time they gave it to an author who exclusively writes short stories. To honor this, Vintage books put out a … Continue reading A Nobel Introduction? →

The Merchant Prince’s Woman

Book Review for "What the Lady Wants: A Novel of Marshall Field and the Gilded Age" by Renee Rosen. One of the first jobs I ever held was as a salesperson for Marshall Field & Co., in their Evanston branch (just north of Chicago). At the time, all new employees had to undergo three days … Continue reading The Merchant Prince’s Woman →

Marshmallow Mayhem Blitz

Buy it now on Amazon for 99 Pennies…or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited. Blurb: In this sequel to BANANA BAMBOOZLE, all Cassidy Dunne wants is a road trip to bond with her niece and some gooey campfire s’mores. What she gets is an extra serving of mayhem — marijuana brownies, creepy locals, an … Continue reading Marshmallow Mayhem Blitz →

Becoming Nora

Book Review of "Nora Webster" by Colm Tóibín. Everyone loved Maurice Webster. While she was married to him, Nora lived quietly in his shadow. Then he fell ill, and as his death approached, Nora was totally devoted, practically ignoring her sons and daughters in order to care for him. Now that he's gone, Nora has … Continue reading Becoming Nora →

Trying Youth

Book Review of "Campari for Breakfast" by Sara Crowe. Sue Bowl has been through a lot more in life than most 17-year-olds have. Her mother, Buddleia, committed suicide, and not long after that, her father took up with another woman. Buddleia's sister, Aunt Coral, was still mourning the loss of their father when Buddleia took … Continue reading Trying Youth →

The Last of Will and his Testament

Book Review of "Will" by Christopher Rush. Biographies can often be terribly boring, academic tomes that find interest only to those fascinated by the subjects. Autobiographies can be terribly indulgent works that leave out anything negative about the person. In general, it is far more fun to read fiction. What makes this book different is … Continue reading The Last of Will and his Testament →

Capturing Memories for Eternity.

Book Review for "I Stopped Time" by Jane Davis. When Lottie Pye died at the age of 108 she left her whole collection of thousands of photographs to her son James, who she hadn't seen in almost 80 years. When James happens upon Jenny Jones, a University student studying photography, he decides to let her … Continue reading Capturing Memories for Eternity. →

The Other Side of a Journey

Book Review for "The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy" by Rachel Joyce. Readers of Joyce's debut novel The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry will know Queenie Hennessy, or at least know of her. She is the woman Harold Fry worked with, who is dying of cancer. When Harold Fry gets the letter telling him … Continue reading The Other Side of a Journey →

The Army for Enlightenment

Book Review for "The Brotherhood of Book Hunters" by Raphaël Jerusalmy. Author Jerusalmy introduces this book as follows: "Born at the end of the Middle Ages, François Villon is the first modern poet. He is the author of the famous Ballad of the Hanged and Ballad of Dead Ladies. But Villon was also a notorious … Continue reading The Army for Enlightenment →