Since it’s Valentine’s Day, it seemed appropriate to read and review a romance. I like a good romance, and, no, it’s not because there’s something lacking in my life. I have my prince, thank you very much. I just like the idea of everyone finding a soulmate who will always be there for them, respect and love them and make them laugh. Which also means I like romances with a “happily ever after”, or HEA, as they say in the trade. No tragic, star-crossed lovers for me. Continue reading
Book Review The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
In The Life We Bury, college student Joe Talbert is given an English assignment to write someone’s biography. Not having anyone in his own life that would be a good subject, he goes to a nearby nursing home, where he meets convicted rapist and murderer, Carl Iverson, who has recently been paroled because he is dying. As he learns more about Carl’s life, including the details of his murder conviction, Joe becomes convinced that there’s more to Carl than meets the eye. Continue reading
Book Review: Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller
Norwegian by Night is a charming novel that explores fatherhood, aging, love and personal and societal values. It’s the story of an ordinary American man who is trying to make amends with his past as he faces the end of his life. At times sweet, funny and sad, it is always heartfelt and imaginative. Continue reading
5 Ways to Encourage Reading in the Kansas City Area
It’s not breaking news that not enough Americans read books. According to commonly cited statistics, 33% of US high school graduates will never read a book after graduation. Even if everyone was inclined to read, only 50% of US adults can do so at or above an 8th grade level. And 60% of inmates can’t read at all, so read between the lines about the effects of being illiterate. Continue reading
February’s “Kind of Like a Book Club” Book
Well, the monthly group read hasn’t been very successful, so I’m going to tweak the process and go to every other month. That will give everyone two months to read the book. Hopefully, more people will be able to participate this way.
February’s book is “A Gentleman in Moscow”, by Amor Towles. Continue reading
“The Last Painting of Sara de Vos”, by Dominic Smith
Author Dominic Smith delivers beautiful prose and a melancholy mood in “The Last Painting of Sara de Vos”. Spanning three different time periods, the book tells the tale of a 17th century artist and the 20th century forger who copies one of her paintings. Continue reading
“Killing the Rising Sun: How America Vanquished World War II Japan”, by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard
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The 75th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor seemed like a really appropriate time to read “Killing the Rising Sun”, so that’s what I did. Authors Bill O’Reilly (of Fox News fame) and Martin Dugard provide an interesting, 30,000 foot account of the war in the Pacific during WWII. Continue reading
Book Review: A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George
A Banquet of Consequences is the 19th book in Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley series. It’s a good, traditional English murder mystery with a very strong focus on character development. Continue reading
December’s “Kind of Like a Book Club” Book
For the second month of the virtual book club experiment, we’ll be reading “The Last Painting of Sara de Vos”, by Dominic Smith. It came highly recommended and received good reviews. Here’s how the library describes it: Continue reading
Book Review: Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
In Lab Girl, author and scientist Hope Jahren mixes science and biography to tell a fascinating story about her life, her work and the very special relationship she has with her lab partner, Bill. Continue reading
Book Thoughts from Bed 