Reviews + Articles
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell
No one but Sarah Vowell can manage to write about history with wry humor, while managing to also include references to Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Elvis Presley and Bruce Springsteen. At the same time, she brings the Marquis de Lafayette and the sometimes cranky...
Untimely Death by Elizabeth J. Duncan
Don't you like it when an author with one enjoyable series launches another one that's just as appealing? Elizabeth J. Duncan is the author of the Penny Brannigan series set in North Wales. Now, she takes readers to the Catskill Mountains for a summer Shakespeare...
What You See by Hank Phillippi Ryan
What do witnesses actually see at a crime scene? Can police actually trust witnesses? In less than forty-eight hours, Hank Phillippi Ryan forces her characters, homicide detective Jake Brogan and reporter Jane Ryland, to confront those questions. And, they must...
Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton
I was always a fan of Frank Warren's PostSecret books. For some reason, Brandon Stanton's Humans of New York books remind me of those. Both collections allow complete strangers to give readers a glimpse into their lives. Warren's postcards are anonymous, though, while...
The Old Man and the Cat by Nils Uddenberg
That cat in the photo on the cover of Nils Uddenberg's The Old Man and the Cat isn't the only appealing part of this translated memoir. Let's start with the subtitle, "A Love Story". The sketches in the book are enchanting. The story is just delightful. Nils Uddenberg...
A Halloween Giveaway
It's the perfect time of year for a Halloween giveaway. I have two mysteries that should arrive just in time for the holiday. Have you read Leigh Perry's Family Skeleton mysteries? In The Skeleton Haunts a House, Sid the skeleton is excited. It's the only time of year...