The first book a friend recommended is Absolution by Alice McDermott. I enjoyed the book but kept wondering what the “absolution” was, who the absolution was for. The book is set in Viet Nam in 1963. The main characters are American women whose husbands work in the country. My friend liked it because, “the writing style is lovely, the story takes place in my young
Julia and James are both family names that show up frequently on our family tree. Don’t worry. I don’t plan to bore you with the details. These names are also the titles of two separate books that have recently been published. We can start with the one that has been getting the most attention. James, by Percival Everett, is a reimagining of Huckelberry Finn but
This photo was taken at the Morgan Library in New York City. Amazing amount of books, right? I didn’t get a picture of J. P. Morgan’s office, but I did go into the room and imagined Belle da Costa Greene standing in front of his desk. It must have been daunting for her at first. If you haven’t already, read The Personal Librarian, written by
I am aware that the books I often feature are Women’s Literary Fiction or Historical Fiction. I am not apologizing at all. I realize, however, that I could broaden the scope of the blog. This entry, therefore, will cite four new non-fictions that you probably only want to read if you want to know more about: The Bible, Baseball, Ballet or the Civil War. Actually,
Does anyone still stay up late enough to watch The Tonight Show? Do we remember who the host is now? While researching a new book by Sierra Greer entitled Annie Bot, I ran across this news flash (at least for me) that Jimmy Fallon, host of The Tonight Show, has a book club and apparently has had one for some while. He is ‘reviving’ it
Two recent books take a look at something we usually don’t notice or even think about. For example, if you have taken a cruise through the Panama Canal, you were certainly in awe of the engineering feat that made this artificial waterway and its series of locks possible. After all, the canal is one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. BUT, did you
This just in from the Charleston Literary Festival–a chance to see and hear authors from past festivals talk about their books. If you click ‘view this email in your browser’, you will see the posting from the festival. Then click on the author’s name to watch the video. These talks are very interesting and entertaining. View this email in your browser In honor of International
These following two books are very different from one another and will probably appeal to different readers. It’s always good to have a choice, isn’t it? The Beverly Hills Spy: The Double-Agent War Hero Who Helped Japan Attack Pearl Harbor, is a book by Ronald Drabkin about real life double agent Frederick Rutland. Rutland was a “James Bond-type” figure who had been a highly decorated
In this post, I feature two new books of fiction, one contemporary and one historical, one about a forest fire and the other about an icy dead body! They are both very compelling. The Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri takes place on a tiny Greek island and is about a family whose lives are traumatized by a deliberately set fire. After the wildfires in
Three books of interest that will be adapted to TV in the future. Trust, Hernan Diaz I haven’t read this book, but it won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. Kate Winslet will star in the tale of a financier couple, told in four parts, and their immersion into wealth and power. The movie will air on HBO Max–release date TBA. A Gentleman in Moscow,
