10. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah The story of two sisters in occupied France, this is a gripping mix of Resistance history, wartime domesticity, and romance. Isabelle, the plucky heroine, joins a secret group that helps captured Allied soldiers escape through the Pyrenees. Her sister Vianne raises a Jewish child as her own after hisContinue reading “The Best Books of 2023”
Tag Archives: Memoirs
The Blahs of 2023
I’m convinced that every author, from the prodigiously talented to the mediocre, works their heart out to finish their stories. For that reason, I give bad reviews with pause. I’m not sure there even are bad books so much as there are bad matches between the writer and reader. AS Byatt wrote, “Think of thisContinue reading “The Blahs of 2023”
Reading Fun Facts: 2023
One of my favorite things about reading is the small tidbits and fun facts you learn along the way. It’s always a sign that a book is worth reading when you happen upon a kernel of information that you haven’t heard before. Here are a few things I learned from books this year: 3. 75%Continue reading “Reading Fun Facts: 2023”
Mid Memoirs
2023 will be remembered as a year that spawned a few notable celebrity memoirs. It started with the January release of Prince Harry’s unsparing Spare, in which he revealed that his brother physically assaulted him and that he visited a psychic to connect with the spirit of his late mother. Harry had a freedom thatContinue reading “Mid Memoirs”
The Magnificent Seven
The more I write about my one and done reading rule, the more the exceptions come to mind. I’ve already written about the quartet of Anne Tyler, Anne Lamott, Armistead Maupin, and Harlan Coben, all of whom have reached premiere status of ten books. It may soon be a quintet, though, with the addition ofContinue reading “The Magnificent Seven”
They Say Bread Is Life
Food is a universal pleasure and necessity, so it should be no surprise that it has been at the center of plenty of books. While few works exclude the subject entirely — it would be a challenge not to include the daily bread — there are a few genres that focus on it centrally. HereContinue reading “They Say Bread Is Life”
Reading Around The Map: Kansas
Armchair travel can take you far and wide. I have read books set in the jungles of the Congo, the mountains of Bhutan, and the languid islands of the South Pacific all without ever having left my apartment. Not all armchair travel is exotic. There can be amazing stories set just about anywhere. All itContinue reading “Reading Around The Map: Kansas”
Reading Fun Facts
One of the undeniable pleasures of reading is learning new things. Nonfiction is all about information. How lucky for readers. I read more in the fiction/memoir genres, which are less known to impart knowledge. But those titles can also surprise me at times with new facts. You never know what new information will come yourContinue reading “Reading Fun Facts”
Dark Days
Unlike the autobiography, which is a chronological narrative of a person’s life, the memoir offers a season of life. Some memoirists write mainly about their faith, relationship changes, or a year-long project they undertook. It takes courage to write honestly. As a memoirist, you should have insight into yourself and others. There is usually theContinue reading “Dark Days”
Single in the Aughts
Publishing reflects life. If something is topical, relatable, and trending, you will quickly see book projects that touch on it in some ways. Contrary to the idea that copycat projects flounder, there are often multiple competing titles within a subgenre. A few years back, before anyone had heard of catfishing, there were several books aboutContinue reading “Single in the Aughts”
Books Smitten 