Review of “Mudbound” by Hillary Jordan

Mudbound provides a much more realistic picture of the post-World War II Jim Crow South than the feel-good story told in The Help. Set in rural Mississippi, the story centers around two interconnected families: the white McAllan family, and their tenant sharecroppers, the black Jackson family. Henry McAllan married his wife Laura late in life [...]

Review of “Betrayal of Trust” by J. A. Jance

This book is #20 in the detective series featuring Jonas Piedmont (“J.P” or “Beau”) Beaumont, an investigator with Washington State Special Homicide in Seattle. Beau’s partner also happens to be his third wife, Melissa (“Mel”) Soames. The State Attorney General, Ross Connors, contacts Beau and Mel to look into a special case: the step-grandson of [...]

Review of “Ghetto Cowboy” by G. Neri

This is a middle grade book, but it is so good! And yes, that was me you heard cheering and crying at the end. If you are looking for an inspirational book for young readers (and yourselves!) you can add this book to your list. Twelve-year-old Coltrane, named for the jazz artist, is being raised [...]

Review of “Prom” by Laurie Halse Anderson

I wanted to try out Anderson’s writing without being devastated by the more heavyweight issues she usually tackles, and this warm, pleasant book with its mix of teenage angst and gentle humor fit that need perfectly. Eighteen-year-old Ashley Hannigan is a senior and even has a boyfriend, nineteen-year-old TJ Barnes, but unlike others in her [...]

Review of “The Language of Flowers” by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

This enchanting story which takes place in San Francisco focuses on both the foster-care system and the language of flowers inherited from the Victorian Age. It is told in alternating chapters that chronicle Victoria Jones’s life at age eighteen when she is released from her last institution, and Victoria as a child, having been abandoned [...]

August 22, 1831 – Nat Turner’s Rebellion

In late August of 1831 in Southampton County Virginia, the 30-year-old slave Nat Turner, inspired by visions and signs, led a group of other slave rebels –eventually more than forty – who began to kill all of the white people they encountered. By the time the rebel force was captured, some 55-60 white people had [...]

Blogiversary Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the three audiotapes! Winner of Room by Emma Donoghue: Nat Winner of Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos: ikkinlala Winner of The Brave by Nicholas Evans Erika

Review of “Overbite” by Meg Cabot

In spite of its failings, Insatiable (reviewed previously, here) was fun enough for me to continue on with the sequel, Overbite. But Overbite was lacking in the light-hearted sexiness and tongue-in-cheek humor that characterized the first book. AND, to make it all worse, MY team (see second paragraph) didn’t win! ARGHHHHH! The second book picks [...]

Review of “Insatiable” by Meg Cabot

Meg Cabot climbs aboard the vampire love train with her “Insatiable Series” starring cute pixie-ish Meena Harper (irresistible to both vampires and vampire-trackers); tall, dark and handsome vampire Lucien Antonescu (from Romania, of course); and tall, blonde and handsome vampire-tracker Alaric Wulf. (Note the name Alaric WULF presumably suggests that the character is meant to [...]

Review of “The Hard Way” by Lee Child

This is number ten in the crime/adventure series featuring Jack Reacher, an ex-Military Police officer from the Army Criminal Investigation Command, or CID. (He retired after thirteen years, having received an honorable discharge “with hiccups” in his career, on account of being “not a very cooperative guy.”) Jack is “a lonely man” by choice, and, [...]