Mind blown. When books connect on a personal level, they can transcend beyond words on the page. That was THE OVERSTORY for me. I couldn’t help but think Richard Powers wrote this book for me. It was an immediate connection not only to the author, but to the characters he populated […]
Book Review: THE MURMUR OF BEES by Sofía Segovia
THE MURMUR OF BEES by Sofía Segovia was among a handful offered as a free e-book by Amazon Crossing, as part of World Book Day in March. Otherwise, it likely would not have been on my radar. Translated from Spanish, The Murmur of Bees was a fun read for me […]
Book Review: CORRAG by Susan Fletcher
Heartbreaking, breathtaking, hopeful… of Jacobites and the fierce loyalty to kings … and the Glencoe Massacre Read More…
Book Review: THE GLOVEMAKER by Ann Weisgarber
Pitch-perfect writing …quite a tale about members of the Mormon community in rugged 1888 Utah. Read More…
Book Review: WASHINGTON BLACK by Esi Edugyan
Oh how I loved WASHINGTON BLACK by Esi Edugyan! I was in need of lovely, sensory language and an engaging tale – and perhaps, more so, I was in need of a journey with incredibly rich characters. As the book jacket copy hints, this is a bit of an adventure […]
Book Review: THE WIFE by Meg Wolitzer
I picked THE WIFE by Meg Wolitzer for our book club, as I thought it would be so much fun to have a corresponding “go to the movies night” to compare the novel with the new movie featuring Glenn Close. Unfortunately, the movie’s actual release date came later than our […]
Book Review: THE NATURE FIX by Florence Williams
I don’t review a great number of nonfiction on Goodreads, but to those who know me (and my penchant for fiction writing that includes sensory nature descriptions), it’s probably no surprise that THE NATURE FIX: WHY NATURE MAKES US HAPPIER, HEALTHIER, AND MORE CREATIVE by Florence Williams had been on […]
Book Review: ELMET by Fiona Mozley
This little book took me by surprise in a big way. A debut with a long list of well-deserved literary honors.
Book Review: GODS OF HOWL MOUNTAIN by Taylor Brown
The language is poetic and lyrical. Taylor Brown creates an incredible sense of place that transports the reader.
Book Review: THE LOST LETTER by Jillian Cantor
Jillian Cantor is a natural at her first dual-narrative novel… fascinating insight about a little-known resistance tool during WWII …
Books Community Culture Environment Fitness Governance Health Inspiration Knowledge People Science Social Sustainability Technology
Book Review: GOOD MORNING, MIDNIGHT by Lily Brooks-Dalton
I loved GOOD MORNING, MIDNIGHT by Lily Brooks-Dalton – which surprised me, since this novel was billed as a post-apocalyptic story. I have read only a handful of such stories and warmed only slightly to them (The Age of Miracles, The Dog Stars, and Station Eleven). Why did I fall […]
Animals Books Culture Environment Featured Books Health Inspiration Knowledge Money People Social Sustainability
Book Review: TRUE PLACES by Sonia Yoerg
For starters: that cover! It spoke to me immediately. But what is beneath the beautiful artwork is equally delightful. While I have enjoyed all of Sonja Yoerg’s novels, TRUE PLACES has to be my favorite, with its juxtaposition of nature and affluent suburban living. If you enjoy book club and upmarket […]
Book Review: WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens
I was fascinated by WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING when I first learned about author Delia Owens’s background studying wildlife in Africa, and her awards as a nature writer. I was in the mood for a book lush in setting and critters and love of the earth. I had hoped this […]
Animals Books Community Culture Environment Governance History Inspiration Knowledge Women's History
Book Review: THE REMOVES by Tatjana Soli
Wow. I could probably stop there, honestly, because that’s about all you need to know. But… I can’t do that because I loved this book too much not to talk about it. THE REMOVES by Tatjana Soli is an intense portrayal of yet another of America’s darkest periods of history. And […]
Animals Books Community Environment Featured Books Health History Inspiration Knowledge Science Sustainability
Book Review: PECULIAR SAVAGE BEAUTY by Jessica McCann
In Jessica McCann’s PECULIAR SAVAGE BEAUTY you get a front-row view of the horrors of the American Dust Bowl. Your skin will sting with torrents of dust, your eyes will burn from the grit, your heart will race. Yes, you will feel for the jackrabbits escaping the biting dirt, and the […]
Book Review: THE WEIGHT OF INK by Rachel Kadish
THE WEIGHT OF INK by Rachel Kadish is one of those books that, when you close its covers upon reading the final pages, you know you’ve read something special. It is also the kind of book that, days later, sinks even deeper into your subconscious and makes you realize just […]
Book Review: THE SHAPE OF IDEAS by Grant Snider
First, a confession: I’ve long been a fan and a follower of Grant Snider’s “Incidental Comics.” Seeing one of his comic strips pop-up in my Twitter feed is like a gift of sunshine to brighten my day. My eyes delight in his whimsical artistry; my mind gleefully applauds his […]
Book Review: THE RIVER OF KINGS by Taylor Brown
Wow! What a fascinating book written with absolutely gorgeous, transporting prose. I tend to enjoy dual-period books, but THE RIVER OF KINGS by Taylor Brown actually is a rare treat in that it weaves a third period into the storyline, and does so expertly. The novel follows the stories of […]
Book Review: GOODBYE, VITAMIN by Rachel Khong
“…there is a bit of magic in this author’s ability to tell a deeply affecting story with interspersed humor” I will be honest: I don’t know how to feel about this book. Prior to picking up GOODBYE, VITAMIN by Rachel Khong, I had just finished reading a heavily literary, epic […]
Book Review: HOMEGOING by Yaa Gyasi
Wow. What an ambitious accomplishment for a debut author (any author, really) – a story following the lives of one family over 300 years, and written in only 320 pages. I don’t think many readers are familiar with the origins of American slavery – how slaves got to the U.S., […]
Book Review: THE SECOND MRS. HOCKADAY by Susan Rivers
As a fan of Civil War-era historical fiction, I thoroughly enjoyed the slim debut of THE SECOND MRS. HOCKADAY. An epistolary novel told in its entirety through letters, legal court inquests and journal entries, it mirrors the real-life story of a husband and wife in 1864-66 (with flashbacks and flash […]
Book Review: THE SPORT OF KINGS by C.E. Morgan
What I’ve come to learn about myself as a reader is that I am patient enough (who knew?) to enjoy epic novels that span generations (This one was 545 pages). And I’m nerdy enough to enjoy puzzling out long, beautiful literary sentences that may ramble (This book does include some […]
Book Review: ALL THE BEST PEOPLE by Sonja Yoerg
I’ve read all of Sonja Yoerg’s work and with each novel, she brings something different to the table. In her first novel, hidden secrets; in her second, a search for self among the wilderness; and in ALL THE BEST PEOPLE, a fight to understand and survive a damning family legacy. […]
Books Community Culture Governance Health History Inspiration Knowledge People Social Women's History
Book Review: THE FIRE BY NIGHT by Teresa Messineo
There is something about THE FIRE BY NIGHT by Teresa Messineo that packs a big punch. Perhaps it’s the reality of nurses who volunteered to serve during the war and who were put into the same horrific, life-threatening predicaments as soldiers, but who were never fully recognized for it? Perhaps […]
Book Review: THE BONES OF PARADISE by Jonis Agee
I’m not generally a reader of mysteries, and frankly, I’m not sure THE BONES OF PARADISE by Jonis Agee can be billed as one. It is a fabulous conglomerate: a family saga, literary fiction, historical fiction, a love story, a western, and a mystery all wrapped into one. Admittedly, the […]