4 Stars. I’ve always liked Ari Shapiro on NPR so I was excited to read his memoir when I saw it. I was listening to a very long audiobook at the time so I decided to read The Best Strangers in the World in print, but I would hazard to guess that the audio is even better. I truly enjoyed reading […]
I’ve been missing in action for quite a while (again? as usual?) but I was hoping to get settled into a routine in time for Nonfiction November. I’m not quite there yet, but I am here for the second week of this annual nonfiction lovefest. Apparently the event almost didn’t happen this year? I’m out […]
Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share reading goals we would like to accomplish before the end of the year this week. I have so many of those, I can’t possibly accomplish them all. But since this is Banned Book Week, I decided to share a list of the thirteen most frequently challenged […]
4 Stars. Now, hang with me for a minute here. Flora is a difficult character. I struggled a bit with her, to be honest. She’s really prickly and she can get a little too self absorbed at times. I understand that she’s suffered an unimaginable loss but watching her repeatedly push away people who genuinely care for her got to be […]
5 Stars. I just need to say that this book was fantastic. It’s hefty, coming in at 518 pages, but there’s even more to to chew over and unpack than meets the eye. It’s written in three parts (because of course a book about wishes would be written in three parts) and each takes a slightly different approach […]
3 Stars. I am a surprisingly big fan of Ms. Willig’s Pink Carnation series for someone who doesn’t consider herself a fan of romances. But the witty banter, intrigue, and Napoleonic settings sucked me right in. I inhaled that entire 12-book series and wished for more. The author’s newer books look more serious to me so I’ve […]
Welcome to my weekly update for August 20, 2023! I hope those of you in the path of tropical storm Hilary are staying safe. We’ve been keeping an eye on it because my husband’s cousin and his family live in San Diego. They’re all good so far. We’re supposed to get some rain off the storm here in northern Idaho on Monday. We […]
3 Stars. According to the introduction to this edition, Northanger Abbey is the earliest of Jane Austen’s published novels but the last to be published, and even then it was published posthumously. I could tell this was an early work of hers, because her sarcasm and social commentary is much more obvious and pointed than in the other […]
4 Stars. Overall, I enjoyed this more than the first book. I missed her frequent conversations with God, but I found it easier to relate to troubled teenage Marjane than activist child Marjane. I was busy playing with Barbies when I was ten, not trying to figure out how I could sneak out to political rallies that frequently […]
Welcome to my weekly update for August 13, 2023! My husband had a long weekend last weekend so we drove the scenic International Selkirk Loop. A lot of it was along Kootenay Lake in British Columbia. We’ve been lucky to avoid most of the wildfire smoke here in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho but we noticed it as soon as we crossed into […]
4 Stars. I loved Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles so I eventually decided to read her take on a superhero story. I like superhero movies but that’s about as far as I go (no comics or other books), so this was a bit of a step outside my comfort zone. I really liked it. Sometimes superhero stories feel entirely too “good vs […]