Tag Archives: Reviews
What I Learned from Alexander Hamilton
Happy Fourth of July! As we celebrate American independence today, I thought I’d share my review of Ron Chernow’s biography Alexander Hamilton. The hardcover version of Chernow’s book is about 818 pages long. And those are about 818 reasons why I opted for the audiobook version–which clocks in at a whopping 36 hours and 2 minutes […]
When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning
It’s no secret that I am a book lover–just take a minute to glance around at some of the posts on the blog. As a dedicated bibliophile, I’m always looking for books about books–books that tell me more about why we love to read and why reading matters. When Books Went to War by Molly […]
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Every once in a while I have a free day that I can dedicate to reading a book cover to cover. It’s becoming a rare occurrence, but it does happen sometimes. Yesterday was one of those days. I spent most of the day reading Chris Cleave’s novel Little Bee. I don’t really want to say too much […]
Words with Friends: Laura McCoy
Today I am excited to introduce a new series of guest posts! Each month, I’ll be asking one of my friends to share with you a book that has been meaningful to them in some way. It might be their favorite book, a book they never expected to love, or a book that shaped them […]
Poetry for Everyone!
Poetry is kind of an intimidating thing. Often the poems we read are too abstract or convoluted to carry much meaning. And in our day-to-day, outside-of-the-classroom lives, we don’t have a lot of time to sit around and annotate a poem to try and figure it out. So today I thought I’d share a few […]
Author Spotlight: Kate DiCamillo
This week, I’ll be posting a lot about children’s books. It’s summer time, and if your kids are home from school you might be looking for something to keep them entertained. On a rainy day like today, there’s nothing better than curling up with a good book. My goal for the next few posts is to share […]
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by L…
The year is 1915. Mary Russell, a brilliant and feisty young woman, takes a walk on the Sussex Downs and bumps into Sherlock Holmes, the great consulting detective. The Holmes of 1915 is older, semi-retired, and amazed at Mary Russell’s powers of deduction. The two strike up a friendship, Holmes mentors his new pupil, and they […]
One Summer by Bill Bryson
A lot happened in the summer of 1927: Charles Lindbergh made his historic flight across the Atlantic, Babe Ruth was closing in on his home run record, and President Coolidge took a three month vacation in South Dakota, to name a few things. Bill Bryson’s book One Summer is an in-depth look at just about everything that […]
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Sometimes I think the authors we read in school deserve a second chance outside the classroom. Today’s example: John Steinbeck. I read Of Mice and Men and The Pearl while I was in school, and I did not enjoy either of them. So when I started East of Eden I had to try and forget those negative experiences. I’m so glad I did, because this novel was, for me, another Tess experience. The book is so full of symbolism and Biblical references that I know I will be thinking about it for a long time.
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
A bildungsroman is a type of novel that tells a coming-of-age story, a story of education or growth. There are many, many examples of this type of novel, from the Harry Potter books to The Kite Runner. Brooklyn is a beautiful coming-of-age story about a young Irish immigrant who moves to New York. Eilis Lacey, the protagonist, leaves […]
Book Fifty 