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 …
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 […]
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 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: 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: EVERGREEN by Rebecca Rasmussen
EVERGREEN by Rebecca Rasmussen — “The imagery pops, the emotion ignites…” ~ It’s no surprise to anyone who knows me that novels with natural settings are my ‘thing.’ The title of this book alone suggests an outdoorsy feel. The wonderful pine trees stamped on the book jacket, the bird … they speak […]
A Second Mother To Nature
Mother Nature has seen it all! But sometimes we can’t help wondering if she needs a back up too. Please welcome new contributing writer Melissa Crytzer Fry, who experienced all the anxiety of a hovering second mom as she watched the progress of her Hummingbird Babies being streamed in from […]
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“Happy Earth Day?” Thoughts From a Fledgling Phoebe
Happy Earth Day thoughts from a fledgling Say’s Phoebe Happy Earth Day? Seriously? One Day? You’re going with that? A “Happy” Earth Day, when everyday is Happy Human Day? Earth to humans — we are not planet Human! Earth is all day, every day, and every where you go. Earth […]
For The Joy of Animals: Hummie Cam (New Baby Hummies)
Spring is in the air and I’ve been celebrating the season of renewal by going over to Melissa Crytzer Fry’s What I Saw… blog and watching her Hummie Cam. She set a camera up to record the hummingbird nest in her breezeway. Melissa graciously allowed me to share a couple of […]