Filled with human decency, Remarkably Bright Creatures is Shelby Van Pelt’s “remarkably bright” debut novel. Add in terrific narration by Marin Ireland and Michael Urie, and you have a fantastic audio book. Continue reading
Author Archives: mmelland
Book Review: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Lessons in Chemistry chronicles the struggles of a woman scientist as she tries to succeed in a male dominated industry in the 1960s. It ranges from heavy to amusing, with a persistent hatred for Christians and the Catholic Church woven throughout (not amusing). Continue reading
Book Review: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 is Ray Bradbury’s classic warning about totalitarianism and the demise of the wisdom we gain from reading books. Is it still relevant today? Unfortunately, yes. Continue reading
Book Review: The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
The Plot is a suspense novel that explores the ethics of the origins of plot ideas. Are there still any original plot ideas, or do fiction writers just keep putting their own spin on the same tried and true story lines? Is a writer obligated to develop a plot regardless of where it came from? You be the judge! Continue reading
Book Review: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is Sherman Alexie’s semi-autobiographical narrative about a young native American boy torn between the hopelessness of his reservation and the promise of a better future at an all-white high school. The narrator, Junior, deals with serious topics with wit and wisdom that will have you laughing and also sometimes tearing up. Continue reading
The 2023 Thoughtful Reading Challenge
I’m really excited to announce the categories of the 2023 Thoughtful Reading Challenge! I think we have some fun topics that will get us out of our own reading comfort zones. Continue reading
Book Review: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
I Must Betray You is a gripping, historical young adult novel about a teenage boy’s struggle for freedom in the final days of Romania’s oppressive communist regime. It shines a bright light on a topic that isn’t well-known to young people, and I highly recommend it as an account of what true oppression looks like. Continue reading
Audio Book Review: The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill, Narrated by Katherine Littrell
The Woman in the Library is a mystery novel that brings four strangers together when they hear a woman scream in a Boston library. Unknown to three of them, the fourth happens to be a murderer. Continue reading
10 Holiday Stocking Stuffers and Gifts for Book Lovers
If you’re looking for the perfect gift for the readers in your life, there are plenty of options. This is a list of ten that caught my eye, half from Amazon and half from Etsy. All of them are affordable reader gifts, and some would make nice book worm stocking stuffers. Continue reading
Book Review: The House by the Lake: One House, Five Families, and a Hundred Years of German History by Thomas Harding
In The House by the Lake, Thomas Harding chronicles the history of the summer lake house his Jewish great grandparents built near Berlin in the 1920s. He also weaves in one hundred years of German history and its impact on the house’s different residents, creating a fascinating story. Continue reading
Book Thoughts from Bed 