Book lover, collector, and reviewer
There is something about getting back out to nature — especially when we are at home right now — that is so appealing and calming. While it might be harder to escape physically right now, this collection of short essays will at least allow you to imagine you’re breathing in fresh air, listening to bird … Read More “Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald” »
This book is a collection of short essays written by the children of “famous” men. Some of these men are ones you’ve probably heard of (i.e., Samuel L. Jackson, John Wayne, Miles Davis,) while there are also several included who don’t have the same name immediate name recognition (i.e., Herb Brooks, Michio Kaku, Donald Cabana.) … Read More “To Me, He Was Just Dad: Stories of Growing Up with Famous Fathers by Joshua David Stern” »
John Lennon was assassinated the year I was born and the year he turned 40. I turned 40 earlier this year, and while I’ve always been a big fan of the Beatles (my first CD ever was Abbey Road — although apparently Lennon wouldn’t have liked that!) I have never read much of their history. … Read More “All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono by David Sheff” »
Full disclosure, I was a huge fan of the Little House on the Prairie television series when I was growing up and even went so far as to buy all the DVD box sets as an adult. I bought this book for myself at the end of last year, and I was excited to find … Read More “Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated by Alison Arngrim” »
This is the story of the American Dream told from the perspective of a centenarian on his deathbed looking back on a life-shaping adventure he had as an adolescent when he drove two giraffes across the country on the back of what amounted to not much more than a pick-up truck. Honestly, for whatever reason, … Read More “West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge” »
What do you do when your 9-year-old son asks you to read a book that he’s just finished so you can discuss it with him? You put down the thriller you were about to start and pick up the one he’s handing you. My 4th grader loves graphic novels and prefers to read them over … Read More “One Dead Spy: Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales Book 1 by Nathan Hale” »
When someone asks me what my favorite genres are, I usually don’t include science fiction — but lately, each time I sit down to read a science fiction book, I always enjoy it more than I think I’m going, and this one is no exception. Sometime in the future of our planet, June is an … Read More “In the Quick by Kate Hope Day” »
As historical fiction, this was an enjoyable retelling of what became known as the Children’s Blizzard of 1888, which swept across the Dakota Territory and left at least 235 people dead, most of them schoolchildren trying to get home after school. This book centers around four main characters who find their lives permanently changed by … Read More “The Children’s Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin” »
This delightful children’s book is a fun counting book for children, set to rhyme with a clever Very-Hungry-Caterpillar-page layout with the pages arranged from smallest to largest as a single, long branch breaks and eye-catching birds fall off and walk or fly away. My 4-year-old has been hooked since it arrived, and I almost have this … Read More “Ten on a Twig by Lo Cole” »
Sometimes I like to read younger books, not just because I have a 9-year-old, but also because these genres are always trying new things. And for a middle grade book, this one is fun and exciting, even if it’s not as intense as it would be if written for an older audience. This fantasy is … Read More “Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster” »