New Year’s Eve Day in Tucson, 2010

Review of “Stronger Than Iron: The Destruction of Vilna Jewry 1941 – 1945: An Eyewitness Account” by Mendel Balberyszski

I have read quite a few books written by Holocaust survivors, but I think this one stands out because of the astute observation skills of the narrator, who was a prominent member of the Jewish community in Vilna, Lithuania. (The book was originally written in Yiddish by Theodore Balberyszki, and translated into English by his [...]

Review of “All Clear” by Connie Willis

All Clear is in essence “Part Two” of Willis’s previous book, Blackout (see my review, here). In my opinion, there is no way All Clear can (or should) stand alone. The titles of the books refer to the status of war alerts in Britain in World War II, but in addition, one could say that [...]

Review of “An Audience for Einstein” by Mark Wakely

Professor Percival Marlowe, a Nobel Prize winning astrophysicist, is dying, much to his regret. But he is not without hope: years before, Doctor Carl Dorning, a neurosurgeon, had talked Marlowe into financing his research into preserving the brain in another body. In the waning days of Marlowe’s life, Dorning sees the necessity for finding a [...]

Merry Christmas from Arizona!

Christmas Traditions in the Southwest On Christmas Eve, those of Mexican heritage celebrate las posadas, or “the inns,” which commemorates Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter before the birth of Jesus. The tradition began in Mexico in the 1500s. It usually starts Dec. 16 and ends on Christmas Eve. In some communities in Mexico, the [...]

December 24, 1822 – Birthday of Matthew Arnold

Matthew Arnold was an English poet who worked as a school inspector. He himself described the work as drudgery but traveling across England gave him a lot of time to write. It turns out he was quite a romantic under his bureaucratic façade. This is the last verse of one of my favorite poems, Dover [...]

Book Blogger Holiday Gift Exchange Report

This is my first year participating in the Book Blogger Holiday Gift Swap, but won’t be my last! Shown above is a picture of the load of goodies from my Secret Santa, who chose to remain secret! Thank you so much, Secret Santa! I also participated in the Reading in Color Book Swap, and received [...]

Best Books I Read This Year – 2010

Top Ten Books I Read This Year That I Loved (Listed In Alphabetical Order): 1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie – this semi-autobiographical and delightfully illustrated story deserves the 22 awards it received. 2. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver – Honest to goodness, this book will change your [...]

Total Lunar Eclipse December 20/21, 2010

This eclipse is supposed to be one of the best ever. What makes this years’ eclipse so special is the fact that the moon will be very high in the sky and so the eclipse will be seen from coast to coast. (And as Trish of Love, Laughter and Insanity points out in a comment [...]

Review of “Shakespeare’s Landlord” by Charlaine Harris

This is the first of a dark but “cozy” mystery series by the author of the Sookie Stackhouse books that is set in Shakespeare, Arkansas. The main protagonist, Lily, wanted to pick up and start her life over, and settled on this town because her last name is Bard. Lily, thirty-one, was the victim of [...]