Their Way.

Book Review for “Strangers in the Night” by Heather Webb. Summary: "In the golden age of Hollywood, two of the brightest stars would define--and defy--an era... She was the small-town southern beauty transformed into a Hollywood love goddess. He was the legendary crooner whose voice transfixed the world. They were Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra. … Continue reading Their Way. →

Arrivals and Departures.

Book Review for “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano. Summary: "William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him. So it’s a relief when his skill on the basketball court earns him a scholarship to college, far away from his childhood … Continue reading Arrivals and Departures. →

New Stories about Old People.

Book Review for “Old Babes in the Wood” Stories by Margaret Atwood. Summary: "The two intrepid sisters of the title story grapple with loss and memory on a perfect summer evening; "Impatient Griselda" explores alienation and miscommunication with a fresh twist on a folkloric classic; and "My Evil Mother" touches on the fantastical, examining a … Continue reading New Stories about Old People. →

The Acts of Friendship.

Book Review for “Goodnight from Paris” by Jane Healey. Summary: "Paris, 1939. Hollywood actress Drue Leyton, married to Frenchman Jacques Tartière, lives as an expatriate in love. But when her husband is dispatched to Brittany to work as a liaison for the British military, Drue finds herself alone with her housekeeper, adrift and heartsick in … Continue reading The Acts of Friendship. →

Cannabis Confections.

Book Review for “A Half-Baked Murder” by Emily George. Summary: "Formally trained pastry chef Chloe Barnes is opening a cannabis bakery. That’s not at all what the twenty-eight-year-old envisioned while living the dream in Paris with a hot fiancé and a Michelin star restaurant gig around the corner. But the rising “it girl” of choux … Continue reading Cannabis Confections. →

Finding Nita.

Book Review for “The Direction of the Wind” by Mansi Shah. Summary: "Sophie Shah was six when she learned her mother, Nita, had died. For twenty-two years, she shouldered the burden of that loss. But when her father passes away, Sophie discovers a cache of hidden letters revealing a shattering truth: her mother didn’t die. … Continue reading Finding Nita. →

Historical Highlands’ Legends.

Book Review for “Sisters of Castle Leod” by Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard. Summary: "Lady Sibell Mackenzie is a spiritualist, a believer in reincarnation, and a popular author of mystical romances. Petite and proper, she values tradition and duty. Her younger sister Lady Constance, swimming champion and big game hunter, is a statuesque beauty who scandalizes British … Continue reading Historical Highlands’ Legends. →

Sisterly Scandals.

Book Review for “The Mitford Affair” by Marie Benedict. Summary: "Between the World Wars, the six Mitford sisters dominate the English political, literary, and social scenes. Though they've weathered scandals before, the family falls into disarray when Diana divorces her husband to marry a fascist leader and Unity follows her sister's lead, inciting rumors that … Continue reading Sisterly Scandals. →

Good Lies.

Book Review for “The Lipstick Bureau” by Michelle Gable. Summary: "1944, Rome. Newlywed Niki Novotná is recruited by a new American spy agency to establish a secret branch in Italy's capital. One of the OSS's few female operatives abroad and multilingual, she's tasked with crafting fake stories and distributing propaganda to lower the morale of … Continue reading Good Lies. →

DNA of a Female Scientist.

Book Review for “Her Hidden Genius” by Marie Benedict. Summary: "Rosalind Franklin has always been an outsider―brilliant, but different. Whether working at the laboratory she adored in Paris or toiling at a university in London, she feels closest to the science, those unchanging laws of physics and chemistry that guide her experiments. When she is … Continue reading DNA of a Female Scientist. →