The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni Angie Kim, author of the bestselling novel Miracle Creek, describes The Puzzle Master as “The Da Vinci Code + The Silent Patient + sprinkle of Stephen King.” I can’t speak for The Silent Patient, but I’ve read The Da Vinci Code and my share of Stephen King. After finishing The Puzzle Master I had to think about why Kim references Stephen King and came up with King’s novel The Institute (a fantastic read, by…
Review of Hello Stranger. Joy. Heart. Laughter. That’s what you get when you read a book by Katherine Center. And the author wouldn’t have it any other way. In her essay “Read for Joy,” Center explains, “When I talk about reading for joy, I’m talking about reading from the heart.” Katherine Center continues the joy-heart-laughter triage with her newest novel Hello Stranger. Sadie is a struggling portrait artist living in the rooftop storage room of an apartment building owned by…
Navigating eczema. So, you probably noticed already (because you are very sharp) that this post does not exactly fall under my usual three R’s: reading, ‘riting, or ranting. Nope. Today I will be discussing eczema–primarily hand eczema–so if this is not a concern for you, you may want to skip this post. But actually, my eczema is related to writing because it affects my hands–bad news for a writer. The other way eczema is related to writing is that writers…
The new Book Challenge by Erin 17.0 approaches! In case you don’t know what this is, Book Challenge by Erin 17.0 is a reading challenge [you guessed that, right?] that runs from July through October. For more information and to join in the fun, check out Erin’s Facebook page. As usual, I had lots of fun coming up with books to fit the categories. If you enjoyed participating in scavenger hunts as a kid, you know the thrill that comes…
It’s Book Challenge by Erin time. And I’m already more than one month in. Cleary, I’ve been remiss in posting. As my fifth grade teacher used to say, “Fifty lashes with a wet noodle.” That done, here are the categories of the book challenge and my choices and comments so far: 5 points: Freebie – Read a book that is at least 200 pages A Trick of the Light/Penny Finished. I returned to this series after an absence, partly because…
Book banning Book burning. The Nazis did it in the 1930’s. The Red Guard did it during the Cultural Revolution. Want to know when the earliest recorded state book burning occurred? China in 213 BCE. Yep, that long ago. Emperor Qin Shi Huang burned books he deemed uncomplimentary to his regime. And since then, many countries, states, and provinces have joined in book banning and book burning. Journalist Daniel Schwartz details this history in his article, “The Books Have Been…
Every October I participate in a common read of the Supernatural Fiction Readers over at Goodreads. The group selection this time is The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. We have been having a super lively discussion of this supernatural classic. Check out the discussion here. And great news! You can read The Castle of Otranto for free here on Gutenberg. The Castle of Otranto is supernatural lite, the paranormal elements consisting primarily of a giant helmet and a haunted painting….
It’s time to announce my selections for Book Challenge by Erin 15.0! Book Challenge by Erin 15.0 is a reading challenge (you guessed that, right?) that runs from July through October. For more information and to join in the fun, check out Erin’s Facebook page. Here are the book categories and my selections: 5 points: Freebie – Read a book that is at least 200 pages Mary Coin by Marisa Silver 10 points: Read a book whose first word starts…
Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head; And this our life, exempt from public haunt, Finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks, Sermons in stones and good in everything ~William Shakespeare I’ve been thinking about some of the bad stuff that’s happened in the last year—the…
Book review of Exit by Belinda Bauer My first completed book for Book Challenge by Erin 14! Exit is about a man who belongs to a dedicated group of people called Exiteers. (No, I’d never heard that term before.) Felix aka John lives alone, is seventy-two, and watches people die. An Exiteer is a volunteer who witnesses euthanasia and then clears the scene of all evidence—the most damning item being a canister of nitrous oxide. Who knew nitrous oxide could…
It’s time to announce my selections for Book Challenge by Erin 14.0! Book Challenge by Erin 14.0 is a reading challenge [you guessed that, right?] that runs from January through April. For more information and to join in the fun, check out Erin’s Facebook page. Here are the book categories and my selections: Freebie, read any book of your choice Book Woman of Troublesome Creek I’d never heard of the blue people of Appalachia. Sounds like a fascinating read. Plus,…
Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head; And this our life, exempt from public haunt, Finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks, Sermons in stones and good in everything ~William Shakespeare I’m sitting here on election eve feeling jittery. I mean, jittery. Staying up all night…
Book review: What You Wish For by Katherine Center What You Wish For features feisty Sam Casey, librarian of a hand-crafted, progressive school and all-around awesome human. She lives on an idyllic island in a carriage house on the grounds of a historic mansion within walking distance of the school. Don’t you love books about beautiful libraries and cool librarians? I know I do. Sam has “adopted” the principal and his artist wife as her parents, which causes no end…