In a society driven mainly by scientific fact and logical reasoning, it’s nice to believe that perhaps magic does still exist. While believing in God and in the miracles of faith as experienced by believers of various denominations, it’s sometimes nice to read about a sort of magic that requires minimal effort. What can I… Read More Book Review: ‘The Dress Shop of Dreams,’ by Menna van Praag
Nancy G. West’s Fit to be Dead is the first humorous mystery in a series following Aggie Mundeen’s brush with the darker side of society. Single and approaching forty, Mundeen fears nothing – except perhaps middle age. She quits her high paying, high stressful job in Chicago and moves to San Antonio to expand on… Read More Book Review: ‘Fit to be Dead’, by Nancy G. West
Reviewing auto-biographies is a delicate venture, to say the least. A reviewer has to learn to draw the line between reviewing the book and reviewing the person’s life. In some cases it can be easy – when an auto-biography is both well written and the author is someone the reader can easily relate to. The… Read More Book Review: ‘Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)’ by Mindy Kaling
Stella Newman’s Pear Shaped is the story of the journey of a young woman in her early thirties whose self-confidence is shattered by the immature views on life and a woman’s physique of her much older boyfriend. Sophie Klein is out with a friend for a typical Friday girl’s night. They step into a bar… Read More Book Review: ‘Pear Shaped,’ by Stella Newman
This third book of the PSS Chronicles series by Ripley Patton continues the story of Olivia Black and her runaway friends, led by the elusive Marcus, straight after the brutal tragedy in the final pages of Ghost Hold. Some of the valiant band are held hostage, some are dead, some are hurt, and some on… Read More Book Review: ‘Ghost Heart’ by Ripley Patton
The most magical aspect of fiction is its ability to create a safe environment in which we can closely examine important issues, however sensitive they might be. It was with the hope of finding between its covers a story that could create such an environment for a conversation on social media’s role in our relationships… Read More Book Review: ‘Populatti’ by Jackie Nastri Bardenwerper
They used to be two peas in a pod. Being inseparable from Brianna made a lot of things easier, including navigating middle school with lethal food allergies. Her friend is the reason why Nina was able to avoid sitting at the table reserved for others like her – other students with food allergies, who presence… Read More Book Review: ‘My Year of Epic Rock’ by Andrea Pyros
Celebrity culture pervades our day to day lives. We have an unhealthy relationships with the people that influence our lives, placing them on pedestal and deifying them. When it comes to someone like Coco Chanel, whose influence, even a little over 40 years after her passing, infuses to many lives around the world, that deification,… Read More Book Review: ‘Mademoiselle: Coco Chanel and the Pulse of History’, by Rhonda K. Garelick
I have to confess from the beginning that I am particularly demanding when it comes to books written for preteens. After all, they are particularly vulnerable to the influences of their environment, be they positive or negative. The Prank List by Anna Staniszewski made for an interesting read. The main character, Rachel Lee, is set… Read More Book Review: ‘The Prank List’ by Anna Staniszewski
The music we are most exposed to is that which is deemed worthy by big companies with big reach. Unfortunately, these companies are more interested in making a profit than creating uplifting, inspiring music, encouraging audiences like ourselves to accept that the formulaic songs they churn out at breathtaking speed is, indeed, good music. How… Read More Book Review: ‘Your Band is a Virus!’ by James Moore