TASTE by Stanley Tucci (2021)
March 2022 Stanley Tucci is an actor, director, producer, and writer whom you’ve probably seen in many movies. Most recently, he’s known as a lover and promoter of fresh Italian food in his CNN 6-episode show “Searching for Italy.” In it, he travelled to various parts of Italy from the far north to Sicily to learn about and eat regional dishes. I...
A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE by Marlena De Blasi (2002)
February 2022 In honor of Valentine’s Day, I want to share with readers perhaps my favorite romantic story. It’s true, it’s a story of the middle ages (not to be confused with The Middle Ages), and by every standard of reason, should never have happened...yet it did. Marlena and Fernando lived half a world apart, spoke different languages, but...
CLOUD CUCKOO LAND by Anthony Doerr (2021)
January 2022 Some of you have read Anthony Doerr’s popular bestseller All the Light We Cannot See, liked it very much, and looked forward to his next book. After a 4.5-year wait, you’ll be happy to know that his new bestselling book, Cloud Cuckoo Land, is even more ambitious. Doerr’s unique imagination has been given full reign to cover 3...
LAST TRAIN TO PARADISE by Les Standiford (2002)
December 2021 If you’ve never lived in or visited Florida, chances are good that you never heard of Henry Morrison Flagler (1830-1913). You wouldn’t know of his life’s astonishing work; never heard that many people in his time considered him to be either a crackpot or a visionary. Does a crackpot see things that others don’t, make it reality, and...
AUNT DIMITY AND THE KING’S RANSOM by Nancy Atherton (2018)
November 2021 Autumn has arrived. As the daylight hours give way to long evenings arriving earlier each day, we readers gain more time to curl up with a good cozy and a cup of hot cider. This month’s choice is a story filled with characters created for just such a scene. First, I’ll describe the backstory of this cozy, which is the 23rd volume in...
BIG SUMMER by Jennifer Weiner (2020)
October 2021 Growing up in the 21st century is not easy. Not that it's ever been easy, but at least previous generations didn't have to cope with all the technical advancements purported to make our lives easier, or so they say. Now a young person's "job" isn't just to figure out who they are and what they're going to do with their lives....
HOW TO FIND LOVE IN A BOOKSHOP by Veronica Henry (2016)
September 2021 I didn’t expect to like this book. I liked the “bookshop” part, but if the “love” part was too mushy or maudlin, I’d set it aside. I decided to read a little to get the tone of the book; give it a fair chance. I’m so glad I did! Nightingale Books is a place I’d like to go, and the people and their stories are lovely and...
THE PARIS LIBRARY by Janet Skeslien Charles (2021)
August 2021 In 2010 Janet Skeslien Charles began working as the Programs Director at the American Library in Paris where she learned the history of this wonderful Library founded in 1920. The years of Nazi occupation of Paris and their effect on the Library especially drew her interest. A lot of research into those years supplemented with her own...
THE PARIS HOURS by Alex George (2020)
THE PARIS HOURS by Alex George (2020) July 2021 Paris in 1927 was perhaps the most exciting and vibrant city in the world. It was a magnet for talented artists, musicians, writers, and various other creative souls. Hemingway had just married his second wife and birthed a new novel. Gertrude Stein was famous for her salon and for investing in...
Women War Photographers in WWII and Vietnam
THE WOMEN WHO WROTE THE WAR by Nancy Sorel (1999) AND YOU DON’T BELONG HERE by Elizabeth Becker (2021) June 2021 I dedicate this month’s blog to the memory of murdered Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi and to the courage of jailed Belarussian dissident journalist Roman Protasevich. Earlier this year I saw an interview with Elizabeth...
