Patrick Bringley is in his 20s and working at his dream job at The New Yorker magazine when a tragedy strikes his family that leaves him unable to give the job what it requires. His grief is such that he quits, looking for a way to make money, but also to escape. All the Beauty in the World is his memoir about how his job as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art which was ... Read More...
January Reading Wrap-Up
What a month! By and large January had mostly great reading, but there were some real misses. I reviewed the books I enjoyed so this recap is going to be a bit less upbeat with the books I didn’t love. One in particular is a heartbreaker. Either I read far too much or Reef Road was not the thriller for me because I can’t remember much about it at all. Set in Palm ... Read More...
I’m Glad My Mom Died
How to review a memoir with a title so jarring I felt bad for even looking at it? Especially as my mother has always been one of the biggest supporters of my writing and reads every review (Hi, Mom, I love you!). Here goes. Jennette McCurdy was a child actor on a popular Nickelodeon show called iCarly. Now in her mid-thirties she’s released her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died. The ... Read More...
The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness
I don’t often discuss personal issues in this blog, but for those of you who have been around long enough, you know I have multiple sclerosis. Recently, I read a book that resonated so deeply with me I knew it could have the same impact on other readers. The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness by Meghan O’Rourke is a memoir of sorts about the slippery, nasty nature ... Read More...
Best Books of 2022
I’m going to cut to the chase: it was a challenging year for my reading. Not due to a lack of options, I just lost my reading mojo for a while. However, there were 8 books that broke through my broken brain and gave me all the pleasure I look for in my reading. If you got gift cards for Christmas, buying any of these will ensure book happiness. There’s no particular ... Read More...
The Year of the Horses: A Memoir
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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