Reviews

In my reviews I often write such things as “not just for dog-lovers” and “you don’t have to own a dog to enjoy this book”. In the case of NPR’s Dog Tales, however, I suspect you probably do have to belong to a dog to appreciate these stories.

This book takes us to the early 1900s when male Japanese immigrant field workers were requesting so called mail order brides, where both parties were known to each other only via letters and pictures exchanged through the mail.  In many instances the groom’s pi

My husband recently took our daughter to Science City.  I was pleased to hear she loved it, but I had to set my husband straight when he proclaimed, “Everybody loves science.”  Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.  Who is my husband kidding?  Most kids I know graduate from high school without knowing how to spell t

Rules of Civility is the highly acclaimed debut novel by New Yorker Amor Towles.  The cover of the August issue of Oprah magazine referred to this book as “the one we couldn’t put down.”  The first portion does take off with gusto, but loses steam (or

“Luce’s new stranger children were small and beautiful and violent.” Thus begins this novel, which takes place in rural North Carolina in the early 1960s. The central character, Luce, inherits her murdered sister’s deeply disturbed children. This changes Luce’s isolated and independent living arrangement in both fearful and hopeful ways.

Chip Linton’s life and the lives of his wife and twin daughters changed forever when – through no fault of his own - the plane he was piloting crashed into Lake Champlain.   Thirty-nine on board lost their lives.  The Linton’s relocated to a rambling Victorian house in northern New Hampshire.  Chip, suffering from depression and PTSD, retired fro

Pirates, political intrigue, gold, tropical islands …and hidden histories!  I love it!  Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean is a grand topic.  And instead of being based on just lively imagination, there’s actually some real information an

In an attempt to broaden my reading horizons I set out to read international fiction, a genre I’m not familiar with.

It all started so innocently with a morning shave of a trademark moustache – but, nobody noticed. Nobody.  Neither the wife, nor the boss. All tried to convince him that he never even had a moustache ever before.