These past few months saw a lot of books, both fiction and nonfiction, about violence (war, murder, sexual assault), suicide, mental illness, and adoption. I tend to gravitate towards darker … Continue reading Bookends: December 2019 – February 2020
Helen Moran is in her shared studio apartment in Manhattan accepting delivery of her roommate’s new IKEA sofa when she gets the call telling her that her brother is dead. … Continue reading Sorry to Disrupt the Peace by Patrick Cottrell
The Art of War is the first of the titles on my Cavalcade of Classics, Round 2 list that I’ve finished this year. Making progress! Filled with guidance about war … Continue reading The Art of War by Sun-Tzu
Our November was filled with mad science, unexpected reunions with family, and more rain than we usually see around these parts. With all of that going on, December snuck up … Continue reading Bookends: November 2019
Ah, October! Santa Ana winds, a three-day jaunt to the desert (the “real” desert, not the coastal Southern California desert), taking my kids to the thrift store to buy costume … Continue reading Bookends: October 2019
This month’s book totals are a little inflated due to the picture books and early readers I read for the Birth and Beyond Reading Challenge (#BBRC) on Litsy. Still, even … Continue reading Bookends: September 2019
Plot summary, gleaned from the book jacket flap: “A recklessly idealistic girl dares to test the perimeters of her tightly controlled (future) world and is punished by being sent back … Continue reading Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates
Usually, I like reading books quickly. I like immersing myself in the world, a quick dive to the bottom of the pool and then back up again for a deep … Continue reading History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund
Well. I’m done. Actually, I’ve been done since 9:00 last night when I finished All Quiet on the Western Front just before my alarm went off signalling the end of … Continue reading 24in48 January 2019 Wrap-up
Twenty-four hours into the January 2019 24in48 readathon, and I’m still in the game. I finished Ali Smith’s Winter (which I was already halfway through at the start of the … Continue reading 24in48 Halftime Report
January 2018’s 24in48 readathon came when we were deep in moving mode. I made some half-hearted plans to participate, but reading took a backseat to finding lodging and figuring out … Continue reading Cautious Optimism: Preparing for the 24in48 Readathon, January 2019
A bit of background: The Epic of Gilgamesh is old. It’s very, very old. So old, it’s more than a little amazing that any of it has survived, let alone … Continue reading The Epic of Gilgamesh
Imperfect Happiness 