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The Year of the Horses: A Memoir

August 17, 2022

horses

Courtney Maum’s memoir opens with a scene of a young daughter refusing her mother’s help to put on her socks despite the fact that they’re going to be late for an appointment. Maum is the mother and her frustration, veering into internal rage and the immediate weight of guilt, is so well-written my jaw clenched reading it and I don’t even have children. The book is called The ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: book clubs, marriage, memoir, motherhood, women, writers' lives

Joan: A Novel by Katherine J. Chen

August 15, 2022

joan

Fresh week and time to really start sharing my summer reading. I’m coming in hot with a 5-star novel that is on track to be a favorite of the year. It’s Joan by Katherine Chen. The novel is about Joan of Arc, but is cast from the same mold as renderings of great men from historical times with few written records. Embellishing? Maybe, only this time, I’m here for it. What is ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: 15th century, France, historical fiction

Remarkably Bright Creatures

August 11, 2022

remarkably

Hello, everyone! I’m easing back in today with a novel that melted my curmudgeonly heart. Remarkably Bright Creatures is a debut by Shelby Van Pelt that takes place in Sowell Bay, a fictional small town in northern Washington State. Tova is an elderly woman, who works nights cleaning the town’s aquarium. It’s quiet work that, on the one hand, suits her wish to avoid prying, but ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: contemporary life, debut, Pacific Northwest

The Move: Seattle Edition

July 29, 2022

moving

I was going to use some soothing and aspirational graphic (like the one from last week), but I decided reality would be best. Here you go, my room, my haven and where I do most of my work. Triple this and you have some idea of the joys of moving and what remains to be done. Of course, there is happiness in being back in an area we enjoy (I’ve had sushi 4 times in 6 days) and ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Feature Tagged: life, reading

Fun Summer Reading

July 18, 2022

  Hello, lovely readers! Remember me? Remember fun? Let's pretend I'm sitting on a chaise relaxing by the lake in this photo. Ha. I survived the 2,200 mile drive from Ann Arbor, but am now ensconced in a utilitarian, extended stay hotel that is to put it kindly, dreary. My poor husband tries to manage Zoom calls at 5am with me sleeping in bed 3’ away. The fire alarm went ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Feature Tagged: chick lit, contemporary life, mini-reviews, satire, thriller, women

June Reading Recap

July 1, 2022

reading

June. What a month. Normally, this is a recap of my reading, but no matter how I try to stick to the subject of books my brain refuses to cooperate. By this time next week we’ll be starting the 2,200 mile trip from Ann Arbor to Seattle. The unending list of what needs to be done before then is one of the things that has me awake at 4am. But that’s not it, I can power through ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: dystopia, fantasy, literary, Manhattan, wealth

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