I thought Hello From the Gillespies by Monica McInerney would be a cute Christmas read with a slice of drama. In that regard, it certainly met my expectation; each character had their own story that intertwined with one another accordingly, and it held a premise that was unique to the genre of holiday stories. However, […]
I first read The Devil’s Arithmetic in sixth grade. I remember being amazed not only by the subject matter but also by the way Jane Yolen laid out impending events. Even at eleven years old I was astounded by the atrocities that occur in the book and left an impression on me. Twenty years later […]
“Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?” is a highly quotable line and Anne Bancroft’s triangle leg being infamous. However, I was always curious about its novel origin. Having never seen the movie, despite knowing the pop culture references I wasn’t sure what to expected. Will it be erotic, serious, or a romp of […]
A Christmas Memory is a lovely collection of holiday stories. Prior to this small book, the only thing I had read by Truman Capote was In Cold Blood. Part of the brilliance behind that work of non-fiction was the writing, it was almost lyrical and truly remarkable. In this way, I was not disappointed by […]
Roald Dahl was a go-to author for me growing up. I loved the magical worlds he built, the palaces made of chocolate, trained squirrels and gobstoppers create a unique story that is absolutely scrumptious. The characters Roald Dahl draws in his books bounce off the wall Monty Python style. Willy Wonka was crazy like a […]
I had been curious about The Pink Carnation series as it has been billed as a “Jane Austen-inspired” series. Jane Austen does make a cameo via a letter but that is where the inspiration stops. I had been looking for a warm holiday read with a bit of intrigue, however, what I received was an […]
I had heard interesting things about the CW tv show Gossip Girl, instead of watching the program. The reader in me reached for the book. I was so disappointed. Gossip Girls was a poorly preformed Mean Girls. It lacked a Toaster Strudel heiress and a burn book. I’m not saying that Lindsey Lohan’s film is […]
I have slowly been reading A Series of Unfortunate Events in preparation for Netflix’s adaptation due out in 2017. The first three books were a little formulaic but I was hoping for something fresh in The Miserable Mill and did receive a little of that. Unfortunately, we still had the naive adults who don’t see […]
The Last Goodbye by J.A. Jance was a small accompaniment to the Ali Reynolds series. While advertised as such, I don’t think I would categorize The Last Goodbye as a mystery. It was more of a feel good Christmas wedding story with the mystery being an after thought. The lost and found dog, the center […]
When one thinks of John Grisham one thinks of legal thrillers such as The Firm and The Pelican Briefs not a Christmas story. Yet Skipping Christmas was my first John Grisham novel. Considering this was not his usual fare I was a bit hesitant but Skipping Christmas sounded like a cute holiday read and decided […]