Reviews + Articles
What Are You Reading?
I'm a little over halfway through a debut mystery, Radha Vatsal's A Front Page Affair. It's a story of a young female journalist in 1915 who started out on the Ladies' Page. But, she was covering an event when a guest was murdered, and she's asked to talk with some...
Shakespeare Basics for Grown-Ups by E. Foley & B. Coates
E. Foley and B. Coates really have put together "Everything You Need to Know About the Bard". Shakespeare Basics for Grown-Ups isn't comprehensive, naturally, because it's the basics. But, the authors do an excellent job providing the background to the...
The True Tails of Baker and Taylor by Jan Louch with Lisa Rogak
If you're a librarian, you'll recognize the names of Baker and Taylor. For those who are not, that's the name of a library book wholesaler. Those were also the names of two Scottish Fold cats, the mascots of a public library in Nevada. The True Tails of Baker and...
Prayers the Devil Answers by Sharon McCrumb
The opening of Sharon McCrumb's Prayers the Devil Answers takes readers into the superstitions and traditions of the people who live in the mountains of eastern Tennessee. But, that opening, as unusual as it is, is only a small element in McCrumb's novel....
The Highwayman by Craig Johnson
Longmire. Need I say more? Thanks to Jen Forbus, I've been a fan of Craig Johnson's writings for years. I'm particularly fond of his novellas and short stories. Every word is precisely chosen to set the tone, the atmosphere, to build a character. The...
The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews
Once again, the queen of the beach reads, Mary Kay Andrews, kicks off her latest novel, The Weekenders, with drama, great characters, and tension. Andrews knows how to tell a story, and, she knows how to capture the atmosphere of a summer island...