Book Review: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
This is a remarkable historical novel set at the cusp of the nineteenth century on the Dutch trading post of Dejima outside Nagasaki, Japan.
Book Reviews
Book Review: The Invention of Wings
I loved this book and give it five stars. It is probably the best novel I will have read this year, and that is quite a statement in June!
Book Review: Fifty Shades of Kale
I’m not terribly keen on kale, but this beautiful cookbook is doing its best to change that.
Book Review: Peaches for Father Francis
I enjoyed this sequel to the book /movie Chocolat and give it 5 stars. It is written in two voices, those of Vianne and Father Francis, which helps navigate the story through different points of view.
Book Review: Joseph
Both my husband and I throughly enjoyed this book! I give it an enthusiastic five stars.
Book Review: Mom Candy
This is an inch and a half thick book full of a thousand quotes for moms, perfect for mother’s day.
Book Review: Cooked
I became a fan of Michael Pollan’s over his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma which was a watershed read for me. This new book from him I enjoyed but found more spotty and laborious to get through than the former one.
Book Review: Wonderbook (Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction)
This book is a total delight; take this thick, detailed work slowly and treasure and contemplate every morsel.
Book Review: Schooled
It was a quite scathing expose– in novel form –of the world of the elite New York City private schools: their teachers, students, parents, and tutors.
Book Review: The Burgess Boys
I give it four stars as well; I am glad I read it, even though it is not really a “fun” book but rather one that is humanizing in a tough, good way.
Book Review: Where’d You Go, Bernadette?
Unexpectedly, I really enjoyed this fun, light book, and give this romping novel four stars.
Book Review: Harvest of Rubies
I loved this book and give it five stars; I am eager to read the sequel (titled Harvest of Gold). It is set in Old Testament times; Sarah, cousin to Nehemiah, is a Jewish scribe in the Persian court. She knows many languages, can handle complex accounts, is quick-witted and intuitive when it comes to … Read more
Life with my Teen (& Book Review)
Our youngest daughter is deep in her 11th grade year, when a lot of kids feel an enormous amount of stress. She just took the ACT for the first time last Saturday, and she’s got the SAT as well as SAT Subject tests coming in a couple months, which is a lot for a homeschooler … Read more
Mollie Katzen’s New Cookbook
When I became a vegetarian 35 years ago, there weren’t many cookbooks relevant to me, which is why Mollie Katzen’s soon-to-be-classic Moosewood Cookbook became a standby. I grew up as a cook by her side, so to speak, and who would have imagined all those years ago that we’d become actually acquainted over something called … Read more
Book Review: Hundertwasser for Kids
When I became interested in Hundertwasser, I interlibrary loaned the couple books available on him. One of them was this rather well done children’s book, which gets into not only his biography and work, but also the issues that he thought about and what motivated him. There are tangential projects throughout to help kids relate … Read more
Book Review: Brewster
I read this book mostly because my friend at Byrd’s Books (one of my favorite independent bookstores) was having an author event about it. Not only is the author local, but this novel is set locally as well. It is a story of a friendship between two guys in Brewster High School, in the late … Read more
Book Review: Longbourn
I enjoyed this new retelling of Pride and Prejudice from the servants point of view, with their own drama front and center, and the familiar Bennet’s storyline in the periphery. I’m surprised it took so long for one to be written, given the success of shows like Upstairs, Downstairs as well as Downton Abbey. This … Read more