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2021 Underrated Gems

December 15, 2021

underrated

Every year I read books I loved, but that seemed to go under-the-radar for most people. Yes, reading is a very personal endeavor and what is 5 stars for me may not be 5 stars for you, but I’ve got 7 underrated gems I read this year that I’m almost evangelical about—I loved them that much. So, I’m spreading that love in the hopes that you might discover your next great read ... Read More...

10 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: book clubs, coming-of-age, favorite books, literary, marriage

The Art of Bob Mackie

November 19, 2021

mackie

After a week of reviewing tense and scary novels I wanted to end with a book that was a sheer delight. As a child of the 70s I grew up with a now defunct form of television, the variety show. Two classics were The Carol Burnett Show and The Sonny and Cher Show. While their format may have differed, these shows had one thing in common, one thing that made them stand out. Bob ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: fashion, history, pop culture

State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton

October 25, 2021

state

We’ve all heard of crossover artists. Singers who become actors. Actors who become writers. But politicians? Not so much. Politicking is a skill that doesn’t often translate to other arenas. I tried reading fiction by a politician that I admire tremendously and I quit at 10%. So, it was with great trepidation that I decided to read Hillary Clinton’s fictional debut, State of ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, mystery, political intrigue, thriller

Three Girls from Bronzeville

October 21, 2021

bronzeville

Dawn and her baby sister, Kim, live in an apartment building in the South Chicago neighborhood known as Bronzeville. In the apartment above them lives Debra, Dawn’s best friend. The area is the hub of the Great Migration—Blacks fleeing the Jim Crow South for the prospect of prosperity and equality. Three Girls from Bronzeville is a memoir by Dawn Turner about how she, her ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: friendship, memoir, racism

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman

October 14, 2021

magic

What you put out into the world came back to you threefold. In The Rules of Magic Jet Owens and her siblings Franny and Vincent were dealing with their family’s curse about falling in love. Decisions were made and prices were paid. Now decades later both Jet and Franny live in the family’s house on Magnolia Street with their niece Sally, who’s suffered the most, losing two ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: England, family, family saga, magic, New England, women

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

September 20, 2021

cloud cuckoo

At long last, author Anthony Doerr, whose last novel, All the Light We Cannot See is one of my all-time favorite books, has come out with a new novel. Massive in its scope, Cloud Cuckoo Land covers everything from the life of a young girl in 1450s Constantinople, that of young man conscripted into the sultan’s army as it marches on the city, the small town of Lakeport Idaho ... Read More...

7 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: historical fiction, literary, science fiction

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