Reviews

This movie tells a story of a contemporary French-Moroccan family.  In order for the aging illiterate father to fulfill his religious obligation of a pilgrimage to Mecca (while the oldest son is not available), the youngest son is summoned to accompany his father. They drive in a borrowed old car 3000 miles across beautiful landscapes from the south of France to Saudi Arabia.

Upon picking up Lithgow’s memoir, I was surprised to find him, not only charming, but kind-hearted and caring. In the forward, Lithgow describes the difficulties of moving in with his parents after his father undergoes a difficult surgery, yet refuses to move to a retirement community.

Would my review seem unprofessional if I simply said, “I la-la-la-loooooved this book” and left it at that? John Bingham recounts his transformation from a child who played for the sheer joy of it to a small and un-athletic high school music geek, desperate to be one of the cool school athletes. He then recounts his next transformation, from an over-weight, beer-swilling, chain-smoker to an “adult onset athlete,” running simply for the joy of it. Most of us can relate to the crushing disappointments and humiliations inherent to competitive sports.

Billed as a modern-day Rebecca, this gothic tale of love and mystery is set in a crumbling villa in Provence.  Eve and Dom, after a whirlwind romance, have moved in and begun the slow process of renovation.   The summer is glorious but at the advent of cooler weather Eve begins to have suspicions about Dom’s past and the disappearance or death of his

It is indeed a Lightning Time.  John Brown of Osawatomie is travelling among abolitionist supporters in Massachusetts, raising money for his fighters back in Kansas Territory.  Theodore Worth is 14, a Quaker, and quite taken with the thrilling drama Brown

Hearing the wonders of Quinoa (do not try to pronounce this at home – its keen-wah) as a plant-based food that is also high in protein, I decided to give it a try. Quinoa 365 was to be my ticket to a new way of eating.

In the introduction, Maria Rodale, granddaughter of organic gardening pioneer J.I. Rodale, says her book is a “season-by-season guide to covering all the basics, the beauty, and the fun”.  And it is that, but more so it’s a lovely book to be savored and perused over time.

The Tiergarten is the magnificent park in the center of Berlin.  The name translates to “Garden of the Beasts”.  The major embassies and fine mansions of social notables were located along its edges.

Lidie Harkness is destined for spinsterhood; at least her older step-sisters think so.