Category Book Reviews

2019 Favorites

Another year gone, can you believe it? Christmas break has been a great time of reflection and rest, but all the same I feel like I’m limping across the finish line of 2019. The worst part of that feeling is I know the starting line of 2020 is coming quickly–with a whole set of different […]

Loch Lomond and The Power of Place

One of the things I love about reading is that, often without meaning to, I find similar themes and ideas popping up in the texts I’m reading for pleasure and for work. Most recently this happened during my preparations for this year’s Spring Term trip to Scotland and my time planning and teaching the British […]

What I Read in January

With the end of January in sight, I though it was time for me to share the books I’ve been reading this month.

A 2019 Reading Challenge

Another year has come and (almost) gone, and in about two hours we’ll be celebrating the arrival of 2019. Whether you’re a fan of New Year’s Eve or not, the time for goals and resolutions is upon us.

Best Books of 2018

I can’t believe how fast 2018 has flown by, and even though I say that every year, I really mean it! 2018 has been full of good things and hard things, and I’m so thankful to have a chance over Christmas break to sit down and reflect over the past 365 days. Part of that reflection, […]

12 Months of Books: August Suggestions

This month’s theme for our 12-month reading challenge is “Lazy Days,” but for me the month of August is anything but lazy! I picked this theme to focus in on one of my new favorite ways of discovering great stories: audiobooks. With school starting back, there’s no way I’ll be able to read as many […]

Review: Circe by Madeline Miller

I’ve said often on the blog that I’m not always one to jump in on new releases or contemporary fiction trends. I usually prefer to wait until a book’s been around for a while before I decide if I want to read it. But when Circe by Madeline Miller debuted in April, the cover alone caught […]

Review: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

When I started listening to audiobooks a few years ago, I was worried that true book purists might consider listening to a book “cheating.” I’m happy to say that I’ve completely gotten over that fear; in fact, I’m convinced that some books are actually better enjoyed and understood when heard rather than read. Born a Crime […]

Half Gods by Akil Kumarasamy

Half Gods by Akil Kumarasamy is a new collection of short stories that all touch in some way upon the journeys of two brothers who are both named after demigods from the ancient text The Mahabharata. These stories, while spanning great distances in geography and time, all feel like parts of a larger work, a […]

Review: Maisie Dobbs

Over Spring Break I picked up the first book in the Maisie Dobbs series at a used bookstore, and I managed to have one of those fun reading days where you get to camp out and read a book from cover to cover beforethe day is over. I love it when I can finish a […]