September 2022

    Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Boylan

    In 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2021 I read and reviewed Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things, Spark of Light, The Book of Two Ways, and Wish You Were Here…and each one earned five stars (with two or three getting my “You HAVE to read this book”). I also noted in every review that  “when a friend …

    American Mother by Gregg Olsen

    I was familiar with the early 1980s deaths in Chicago that resulted from people consuming tainted Tylenol capsules…but I truly don’t remember the (copycat?) tainted Excedrin capsules in the Seattle area in the mid 1980s. In 2002, prolific author (of both fiction and nonfiction) Gregg Olsen published  Bitter Almonds : The True Story of Mothers, …

    All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay

    Years ago, I read and loved Defending Jacob, and I was thrilled to receive a copy of  William Landay’s new book, All That Is Mine I Carry With Me. I’m a big fan of legal thrillers/courtroom dramas, and this promised to MAYBE be the Landay book I had waited so long for… In 1975, ten-year-old …

    The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

    For some reason, I haven’t been a fan of Sally Hepworth…but The Soulmate sounded intriguing, and was described as a “one night stand” – you know, one of those books you have to stay up reading until you finish it! With thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley (for providing a copy in exchange for …

    The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy

    My husband is a HUGE fan of Cormac McCarthy. I, on the other hand, have never really appreciated his books. But I decided to give The Passenger (the first in a two-book series) a try, hoping that because it sounded like it might be a mystery/suspense thing (right up my literary alley) that finally I …

    Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

    I’ve been a big fan of Kate Atkinson (particularly the Jackson Brodie series), so I was happy to receive a copy of Shrines of Gaiety from Doubleday and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review. If you are a fan of  family sagas and historical fiction, grab this one!  It’s set in the roaring 20s, …

    Former Guy by G. B. Trudeau

    Wondering how long I’ve been reading and enjoying the Doonesbury comic strip, I looked it up and was initially shocked that it has been going for over FIFTY years. And it STILL makes me laugh (although it is frequently more of an “ouch” as Trudeau’s columns in the time of Trumpism seem to skewer the …

    Lucy By The Sea by Elizabeth Strout

    I was happy to receive a copy of Elizabeth Strout’s Lucy By The Sea (thanks to Random House and NetGalley) in exchange for this honest review. I recall reading her Oh William! But couldn’t remember much about it…looking back, I realized I had never gotten around to writing a review…so it clearly wasn’t a grabber …

    A Death on W Street by Andy Kroll

    As Washington, D. C. Bureau Chief for Rolling Stone, Andy Kroll is well situated to report on the pervasive craziness that seems to have taken over since 2016. Seth Rich’s name has become synonymous with conspiracy, and his rumored influence among Democratic Party operatives as a tech wizard who just may have been involved in …

    What Every Woman Needs To Know About Her Gut by Barbara Ryan, MD, and Elaine McGowan, RD

    Written by Professor Barbara Ryan, M.D. (a gastroenterologist and Professor at Trinity College, Dublin) and her colleague Elaine McGowan, R.D., a clinical dietitian), What Every Woman Needs to Know About Her Gut is “…the go-to guide for women living with bloating, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and other digestive problems who want step-by-step medical, dietary, and …