It's that time of year, when a girl's thoughts turn to love, or for the more practical among us: jewelry. Are you a bling-y type of gal? Do you love anything having to do with jewelry and gems, but not interested in a dry dissertation? Then you need to read Stoned: Jewelry, Obsession, and How Desire Shapes the World by Aja Raden. She’s a snarky, modern, smart-ass who takes a ... Read More...
Books: Bits & Pieces
Unless you are the most blessed of readers you have run into slumps, books you could not finish, and those you couldn’t even start. If you’re also a book blogger there is another demoralizing category: books you’ve read that didn’t make enough of an impression to be reviewed. I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me books I loved or hated are easier to write about. A book ... Read More...
The Dreaded DNF: Mini-Reviews
There is more than one reason for not finishing a book. Sometimes it's a case of 'It's Not You, It's Me'. Other times it's the right book at the wrong time. And then, there are the cases when neither of these apply and it is more basic: life is too short for me to keep reading this book that is working my last nerve. It happens and becomes a dreaded DNF. Here are my two most ... Read More...
Last Bit of Summer: Mini-Reviews
This week is it—the last bit of summer. At least, the traditional vacation aspects of it, because who knows how much longer summer-like weather will last? Either way, I’m ready for it. The past two weeks have been unpleasant, with an air quality rating in Seattle worse than Beijing’s thanks to wildfires in Canada and eastern Washington. Enough about the weather! Time to jump ... Read More...
Tangerine by Christine Mangan
If you run into trouble at home, do not be surprised to run into trouble here. You are still the same person. Tangier can be magic, but even she is not a miracle worker. Heiress Alice Shipley has found herself, at age 20, married and living in Tangier. It’s 1956 and not a place she ever thought she would go, but her new husband John was enamored, so while he goes ... Read More...
The House of Impossible Beauties
“Passing is an art form, darling. It’s a craft. And just like any craft, the artistic ideal is always impossible to achieve. We can try and try and try as hard as possible to pass as a woman, but if I’m a biological man, I can only go up to a certain point. The rest is all imagination.” John Cassara pumps up the beat from the very beginning of his debut novel, The House of ... Read More...
