Review of “The Giver” by Lois Lowry

In the perfect world of The Giver, a variety of rules and practices enforce “sameness,” emotional suppression, and strictly directed lives. Children are produced by breeders and then assigned to parents who have been carefully matched to each other on the basis of fit. (“Stirrings” that might predispose people to make decisions based on love [...]

Review of “The Man From Beijing” by Henning Mankell

This book has one of the best beginnings of a suspense/mystery that I’ve read in a long time. But the second half of the book left me in major zoning out mode. The story begins in 2006 in the remote Swedish village of Hesjövallen. Nineteen residents have been brutally massacred, and there is no clue [...]

Readalong – Review of “The May-Pole at Merry Mount,” Excerpted From “In the American Grain” by William Carlos Williams

I decided to participate – sometimes – in the online book club (open to anyone who is interested) cohosted by Claire of Kiss a Cloud, Emily of Evening All Afternoon, Sarah of What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate, Frances of Nonsuch Book, and Richard of Caravana de Recuerdos. Here’s a list of [...]

Review of “Shine, Coconut Moon” by Neesha Meminger

A “coconut” is slang for someone who is brown on the outside, but white on the inside. After 9/11, seventeen-year-old Samar Ahluwahlia (“Sam” or “Wally” to her friends) finds out that living as a “coconut” doesn’t protect you from the prejudice of ignorant, small-minded people. Sam and her mom Sharan have been on their own [...]

Review of “The Myth of the Great War” by John Mosier

Note: This review is by my husband Jim. In The Myth of the Great War, John Mosier seeks to dispel several views held by historians about WWI. He shows that the Germans were invariably more successful on the battlefield than either the British or the French, even though Germany lost the war. He concludes that [...]

August 22, 1920 – Birthday of Ray Bradbury

Was anyone else’s life changed by reading The Martian Chronicles? I don’t remember what year I first read this book, but Bradbury’s vision opened up a new world of possibilities for me. I think his website gets it exactly right: Ray Bradbury is one of those rare individuals whose writing has changed the way people [...]

Review of “The War Lovers” by Evan Thomas

At the end of the 19th Century, men came of age who were too young to have fought in the Civil War, but not too young to have forgotten the excitement and bravado of the soldiers who did go. And they wanted their own war. The quest for independence from Spain by Cuban nationals provided [...]

Review of “Flygirl” by Sherri L. Smith

Some of you know that when I was little one of my idols was Amelia Earhart. I was told to give up the dream of being like her, because at that time, girls were not accepted into many flying programs, and the few that did accept females were quite costly and widely scattered. This story [...]

Review of “In Harm’s Way” by Ridley Pearson

I used to like Ridley Pearson’s work quite a bit, especially his series involving Seattle Police Sergeant Lou Boldt. But ever since he changed to a series that takes place in Sun Valley featuring Sheriff Walt Fleming, I haven’t been knocked out by him. In Harm’s Way seeks the best of both worlds by adding [...]

Sunday Salon – “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Baby”

In the dog days of summer, many Arizonans head West. We just returned from a weeklong driving trip to California. On the road, we listened to music from the Sixties and Seventies, and I realized I [still] don’t know what at least half the lyrics mean. What the heck is “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” and why didn’t I [...]