Mary Daniels Brown

My mother always insisted that, as soon as I was old enough to sit up, she’d find me in my crib after my nap babbling away, with a Little Golden Book on my lap. I’ve had my nose in a book ever since. I grew up in a small town, with the tiny town library literally in my backyard. As an only child in an unhappy home, I found comfort and companionship in books. As an adult I wanted to be Harry Potter, although I admit I’m more Hermione. My life has been a series of research projects. Reading has taught me that human lives are deliciously messy and that “it’s complicated” isn’t a punchline.

stack of 3 books plus open book with pen. Title: Top Ten Tuesday

#TopTenTuesday   10 Unlikable Characters I Couldn’t Help but Like

I present this list with minimal explanations to avoid spoiling the stories for you. 1. Robbie Feaver in Personal Injuries by Scott Turow I was amazed at how Turow was able to make me appreciate this shady lawyer. 2. & 3. Patty Watts and Rose Gold Watts in Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel This […]

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Book Banners Are Weaponizing Legitimate Resources: Book Censorship News, October 28, 2022 Danika Ellis writes, “One of the strategies book banners are using that makes me nervous is that they are weaponizing resources that were never meant to defend book banning.” She’s particularly concerned about “resources that were specifically made to help teachers and parents

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#TopTenTuesday 10 Lists of Books About the COVID-19 Pandemic

Today’s suggested topic for Top Ten Tuesday is a Halloween freebie. I love Halloween just as much as the next reader, but I published my Suggestions for Spooky Halloween Reading early in the month, and that’s all I’ve got on that topic. So today, instead of Halloween, I’m presenting another topic I’ve been interested in lately,

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How Do the Books We Read Change Our Brains? “Gregory Berns on Measuring the Effects of a Really Good Story” In this article, adapted from his book The Self Delusion: The New Neuroscience of How We Invent—and Reinvent—Our Identities, Emory University psychology professor Gregory Berns describes a neuroimaging experiment he devised to measure whether reading

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8 Cozy Books That Will Make You Think Sharon Van Meter writes: “I have discovered a whole subgenre of books that propose hard-hitting philosophical questions while enveloping readers in a homey, inviting atmosphere. It’s the best of both worlds, a cozy read that will make you think!” Read her list to discover what books she

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#TopTenTuesday Books I Read On Vacation

Today’s topic is Books I Read On Vacation (bonus points if you tell us where you were!). I only read 8 books over the summer on 3 different road trips, but I’m going for the bonus points on all of them, which should compensate for the shortfall. And making this list has painfully reminded me

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Opinion  Have we forgotten what a public library is for? The executive directors of the Michigan Library Association and Michigan ACLU reflected on the recent vote to defund a public library outside of Grand Rapids over its display of LGBTQ books.  Categories: Censorship, Libraries The Ultimate Guide to Wondrous Independent Bookstores Shortly after opting out

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#TopTenTuesday 8 Suggestions for Spooky Halloween Reading

Today’s assigned topic is Favorite Bookstores OR Bookstores I’d Love to Visit. Once again, this is not a topic I’ve ever thought about. I usually try to visit a local book store whenever I travel, but I’ve never drawn up a bucket list of bookstores to visit. So, in place of a bookstore list, today

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The Queen of arts: Elizabeth II in fiction “It wasn’t until 1988 that the Queen began to make appearances in fiction, but since then she’s had many, largely sympathetic portrayals” Categories: Fiction, Literary History How Will Overturning of Roe v. Wade Influence Book Trends? “Without Roe v. Wade, we probably never would have gotten the

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