This novel well deserves the recognition it received: ITW Thriller Award Nominee for Hardcover Novel (2021), Los Angeles Times Book Prize Nominee for Mystery/Thriller (2020), Edgar Award Nominee for Best Novel (2021). Set in Los Angeles, it tells the stories of women who represent the outcasts, the marginalized and the expendable members of society. West […]
2 Novels About Communities Read More »
Learning How to Read Slowly Laura Sackton, a self-proclaimed fast reader, explains her reasons for learning “about how to shift some of my bookish energy toward slower, more deliberate reading” because, she writes, “there are some books that are better when read slowly.” I couldn’t agree more. And I was especially intrigued by her realization
“ The year 1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything – beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece
Review: “The Rose Code” by Kate Quinn Read More »
Magda Szabó and the Cost of Censorship “The Hungarian writer’s fiction examines how silence—politically enforced or self-imposed—can warp and disfigure a life.” Charlie Lee profiles Magda Szabó, whose life under Hungary’s repressive political regime “was an experience that seeded her fascination with the cost of silence in all its forms—politically enforced, self-imposed—as well as her
Before we get started on this month’s exercise, here’s a bonus offering: What Does the Term ‘Six Degrees of Separation’ Mean? Moving on, we start this month with a book on the Stella Prize 2023 shortlist – Hydra by Adriane Howell. From the Amazon description, I think this novel would be squarely in my wheelhouse:
6 Degrees of Separation: From Dark to Darker Read More »
I’m a fair-weather walker. Here in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. we finally started having what I consider to be fair enough weather to walk in around the first of April. And walking means audiobooks. Here are reviews of two that I completed recently. “ An innocent father serving life for the murder of
2 Recent Audio Reviews Read More »
‘Little Banned Library’ featuring books removed from schools opening in Houston’s Heights neighborhood Many of the current book challenges are coming out of Florida. Here’s a heartening story about a Little Banned Library erected in a Houston suburb featuring books that have been challenged in or removed from public schools. Be sure to take a
Inklings Bookshop in Yakima, WA Today is Independent Bookstore Day! To celebrate, I’m featuring a delightful store we visited last summer (July 2022) on our first road trip emerging from COVID-19 lockdown. Because it had been so long since we could travel anyplace to visit a bookstore, we made it a priority to look for
Independent Bookstore Day Read More »
“It’s a strange thing but writers can only write what they want to write. I used to be a commissioning editor and I remember wishing that I could point authors towards a particular genre or subject. ‘Books about librarians in Sheffield are popular this year, can you write me a couple?’ But, of course, this
Elly Griffiths on Writing Read More »
Resources National Library Week Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022 State of America’s Libraries Report 2023 Florida at Center of Debate as School Book Bans Surge Nationally
Celebrate National Library Week Read More »
