The Return of Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer

So excited to read Lavender's Blue!

When I read Jennifer Crusie’s romantic comedy, Bet Me, when it came out in 2004, I knew I was reading something extraordinary. I’d been a Crusie fan well before that book, but with this delicious story of love and Chicken Marsala and friendship–with it’s meta narrative about romance and falling in love provided by an… Continue reading The Return of Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer

Book Review: FROM BEAVER CREEK TO HANOI by Cheryl Grant Gillespie

In a literary world that turns its roving eye to the big, the glittery, the famous–and more recently the furious–we sometimes miss out on smaller, quieter nonfiction books that fill an important niche in our cultural and social history. One such book is Cheryl Grant Gillespie’s FROM BEAVER CREEK TO HANOI: A Mother’s Quest to… Continue reading Book Review: FROM BEAVER CREEK TO HANOI by Cheryl Grant Gillespie

Book Review: LOST MY WAY IN THE DARKNESS by Mack Ames

LOST MY WAY IN THE DARKNESS, an indie penned by educator Mack Ames, is hard to categorize. Set in the 1980s, it’s a boyhood Coming of Age story with Christian and Inspirational themes. Despite the religious undertones, Ames doesn’t hold back in terms of realistic, rough language, sensitive and gritty topics, and realistic situations. Episodic… Continue reading Book Review: LOST MY WAY IN THE DARKNESS by Mack Ames

Book Review: LIVING WITH MR. FAHRENHEIT by Lisa Beecher

LIVING WITH MR. FAHRENHEIT: A First Responder Family’s Fight for a Future After a Mental Health Crisis A memoir of great pathos and greater courage, LIVING WITH MR. FAHRENHEIT grabbed me from the very first page, blazing so hot I couldn’t look away despite the pain, relentless and brutal, recounted throughout the book. There is… Continue reading Book Review: LIVING WITH MR. FAHRENHEIT by Lisa Beecher

Book Review: Aventurine and the Reckoning by Anne Britting Oleson

I finished  Aventurine and the Reckoning  by Anne Britting Oleson in the wee hours of the morning, propelled by a suspenseful story that started out in a slow roll and gathered momentum toward a tense and satisfying conclusion. Oleson’s lovely writing style drew me in as did her descriptions of English cities, villages, restaurants, meals,… Continue reading Book Review: Aventurine and the Reckoning by Anne Britting Oleson

Book Review: WENDIGO by Vaughn Hardacker

During a major west-coast heatwave, temps in the 90s, and energy conservation necessitating the turning off of the air conditioner after 4 pm, I plunged into Vaughn Hardacker’s frozen Maine landscape to follow the hunt for a supernatural creature–the Wendigo, an Algonquin manitou (god), monstrous and ravenous for human flesh. Hardacker’s prose sucked me in… Continue reading Book Review: WENDIGO by Vaughn Hardacker