I’m a true believer that how much you enjoy and take from a book has a lot to do with the timing and setting of where you read it. I first read Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight when I spent a year in Zambia between college and grad school. It was the perfect [...]
Archive > August 2009
Black and White and Dead All Over by John Darnton
I typically like true crime more than fictional crime but Black and White and Dead All Over looked interesting to me. At least the title was catching and I decided to give it a try. This book is about a murder of an editor, Theodore Ratnoff, that takes place in the newsroom of the Globe. [...]
In A Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
If you want to read something that will make you laugh out loud, In A Sunburned Country is the book for you. I’m a fan of Bill Bryson’s books and this is one of my favorites. I have read it multiple times, and each time I enjoy it even more. I’ve never been to Australia [...]
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie
This is the story of Kambili, a 15-year-old girl who lives with her wealthy family in Nigeria. Kambili has a brother, Jaja, and together they are connected as children in a home stifled by a cycle of extreme religious belief and abuse. Kambili’s father is involved with one of the newspapers and has factories that [...]
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
I used to be a knitter and because of that the language and some of the descriptions in this book of different types of yarns were familiar. This is not necessarily a book about knitting and yarn, it’s more about female friendship and support. Georgia Walker started a yarn store called Walker and Daughter on [...]
Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
This is the story about cousins, Anju and Sudha, who were born on the same day after their mothers learned that their fathers died on a ruby hunting expedition. These cousins were raised together and formed a bond as tight as sisters. Their mothers were very protective of them throughout their lives. Anju’s mother is [...]
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
I stumbled across Mountains Beyond Mountains at the local used book store and after reading the back of it, thought it sounded interesting. This story is more than that. It tells the true story of Dr. Paul Farmer who created a foundation called Partners In Health, started a hospital/health care facility in rural Haiti, and [...]
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
I had read Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella and had enjoyed it. I can’t quite say the same thing for Twenties Girl the newest book out by this author. It is a ghost story of sorts and I have this problem where I like even my fiction to be believable…and this was not. [...]
Lucky by Alice Sebold
Lucky is the true story of a rape that Alice Sebold experienced when she was a freshman in college. Rape is a topic most of us can hardly handle to think about let alone write or talk about, yet Alice Sebold tackles her story with honesty and frankness. This book starts quickly and harshly with [...]
Body Surfing by Anita Shreve
This story takes place at a beach side home in New Hampshire, the same home (or at least it seems) that has been the setting for some of Anita Shreve’s previous books. Sydney, a 29-year old who is once divorced and once widowed, has taken a job as a tutor for the Edwards daughter Julie. [...]
