Vida Winter is called the Charles Dickens of her age. No one has ever been able to find out the story of her life. Any reporter who tries gets a beautiful story, but still, it’s only a story. But now Vida is old and sick and she must share her story with the world. She Continue Reading…
Dog On It by Spencer Quinn: Book Review
Chet and his human, Bernie, are a private investigating team. When a missing teen case comes their way, Bernie is initially reluctant to take it. He eventually does and the girl shows up under her own steam hours later. But then she goes missing for real. Bernie can just feel that something is really wrong Continue Reading…
Journey to Inuyama by Lian Hearn: Book Review
Picking up exactly where Episode 1 left off, Episode 2 finds Takeo and Kaede en route to a marriage at Lord Iida’s stronghold. Takeo is still bent on revenge and Kaede is just trying to survive this brutal world of men. There’s still a lot of potential in this series, it’s just not getting places Continue Reading…
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer: Book Review
A successful WWII columnist, Juliet Ashton, has just published a collection of her popular wartime columns. But now she’s looking to write a “meatier” book, she just can’t find a topic she wants to live with throughout years of research. Then she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a native of Guernsey. He shares with Continue Reading…
The Sword of the Warrior by Lian Hearn: Book Review
Tomasu is out wandering the mountains where his village is located, as he has countless times before, but this time when he comes back, a warlord has destroyed it and apparently killed all the inhabitants. Tomasu makes his escape after embarrassing the warlord and earning his eternal enmity. A kind stranger on the trail Tomasu Continue Reading…
Songs of Love & Death edited by George R. R. Martin: Book Review
4 Stars. As with almost any anthology, there were stories that I loved and some that just didn’t do anything for me. I was a little afraid that it would start to get depressing (star-crossed love just doesn’t sound happy, now does it?) but there was a good balance of happy and sad endings. Favorite story: “Hurt Me” by […]
The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon: Book Review
On a dark and stormy night in 1968, a widow is alone at home, as she usually is. She hears a knock on her door. She isn’t expecting anyone, but, these being simpler times in many ways, she answers anyway. A young black man and white woman are outside, drenched, in obvious need of help. Continue Reading…
The Inferno by Dante Alighieri: Book Review
To summarize for those who don’t know, this is an epic poem, part of a greater poem called The Divine Comedy. Dante the Poet travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise at the behest of his dead true love, Beatrice. His guide for his tour of Hell is the great Roman poet, Virgil. This was tough. Continue Reading…
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón: Book Review
FermÃn Romero de Torres is finally getting married. He’s got one problem though–he’s living under an assumed name. He has absolutely no proof that he legally exists. How is he supposed to get married without all the paperwork to prove that he is whom he says he is? As he explains this to Daniel Sempere, Continue Reading…
Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris: Book Review
Morgan McClain and his brother are shipping out to Europe in the last year of WWII. They spend their last night in the States at a USO dance where they meet Liz Stephens. Liz and Morgan immediately feel a connection, despite the fact that Liz is practically engaged to someone else. Complicated circumstances arise, as Continue Reading…
Drama by John Lithgow: Book Review
In this memoir, Lithgow writes of how his early years shaped him as an actor, from his childhood, to his time at Harvard, to his studies in the UK as a Fulbright scholar, and on to his breakthrough on Broadway and film. I truly enjoyed listening to Lithgow narrate his own personal history. I don’t Continue Reading…