Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist My rating: 4 of 5 stars There have been countless vampire stories set in so many different eras and geographical locations. … Continue reading How Do You Spot a Monster? (Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett My rating: 3 of 5 stars I lived in North Carolina for six years. Upon her return from a church trip to Mississippi, one of … Continue reading Beauty and Tragedy in Southern Culture: Kathryn Stockett’s The Help
Home by Marilynne Robinson My rating: 5 of 5 stars Upon the return of his son, Jack, from a 20-year absence, Robert Boughton, the patriarch of the Boughton family, finds … Continue reading There is a Balm in Gilead: Home by Marilynne Robinson
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin My rating: 3 of 5 stars During summers when I was in college, I did a lot of babysitting. One summer, I filled in … Continue reading On the Lighter Side: The Nanny Diaries
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson My rating: 5 of 5 stars “This whole town does look like whatever hope becomes after it begins to weary a little, then weary a little … Continue reading A Book I Wish I Had Written: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion by Oliver Van DeMille My rating: 5 of 5 stars Do you know that thing where, when you’re pondering what direction to take, everything … Continue reading Lessons for Life: A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali My rating: 4 of 5 stars On the cover of this book there’s a quote from The Boston Globe about how Ayaan Hirsi Ali has become … Continue reading Rethinking Tolerance: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey My rating: 4 of 5 stars We rode the swan boats in Boston last weekend. All the while, I was thinking of this … Continue reading Perfect Follow-Up to a Swan Boat Ride
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier My rating: 5 of 5 stars I bought this book on a very bad day. I was overwhelmed with our situation—the layoff, the uncertainty, along … Continue reading Longing, Hope, Despair: Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century by Oliver Van DeMille My rating: 4 of 5 stars I find it somewhat funny that I … Continue reading Leadership Learning: A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille
Look at Me by Jennifer Egan My rating: 4 of 5 stars I loved the beginning of this book, but once she started getting into the “Ordinary People” reality TV/social … Continue reading You Don’t Own Me, I Don’t Own Me: Identity and Jennifer Egan’s Look at Me
The Dive From Clausen’s Pier by Ann Packer My rating: 4 of 5 stars In an interview with Ann Packer that I heard on NPR, she said that she generally … Continue reading After the Escape: Ann Packer’s The Dive From Clausen’s Pier
Imperfect Happiness 