"You did a good job of keeping me warm today, jacket." "Thank you for keeping me dry, umbrella." "You were comfortable last night, bed." Talking to objects as if they are human is a focus of the book, The Life-changing Magic of Tidying: A Simple, Effective Way to Banish Clutter Forever by Marie Kondo. I read several positive reviews 0f … [Read more...]
Book Review: Saving Grace
Novelist Ted Chapman and his trophy wife, Grace, seem to live a fairy tale life. They are successful, with a beautiful home, a high society standing and a devoted daughter. But we all know looks can be deceiving. Ted actually has terrible rages, and Grace is afraid to make a wrong move in her own home. When Grace hires a new assistant to … [Read more...]
Book Review: My Sunshine Away
A seemingly random act of violence can change a neighborhood and the people in it. My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh is about how a community copes with the rape of a teenage girl in their neighborhood and how the rape changes them all. Lindy Simpson, 15, was raped one evening in 1989 while riding her bike home to her Baton Rouge neighborhood. … [Read more...]
My Favorite Books of May
Where the heck did May go? I know months don't really move slower or faster (with the exception of a couple of days), but it seemed to me that May just flew by. No worries, though. I still found time for reading, despite May's pace. I gave two non-fiction books perfect ratings in May. The ratings I provided and the authors' first names are … [Read more...]
Book Review: Lacy Eye
If you only read one book this year, it should be Lacy Eye by Jessica Treadway. The book is my favorite of the year so far. I could not put it down and stayed up all night reading to see how it ended. When I was finished, I read everything I could find by Treadway. That's when you know a book is good. Lacy Eye is about a couple, Joe and Hanna, … [Read more...]
Book Review: Where They Found Her
The body of a newborn baby found in the woods near a university campus seems like the beginning of a book full of mystery, and it was. But, in Where They Found Her, Kimberly McCreight took too long to develop that mystery, leaving the reader bogged down and pushing through the text until about mid-book. Molly Sanderson, a reporter for the local … [Read more...]
Book Review: ‘Saints’ Rates Reading Backseat
I nearly stopped reading Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson a handful of times. I’m glad I finished it, but I wouldn’t read it again. The book tells the story of Rose Mae Lolly, a housewife whose husband physically abuses her. When an airport Gypsy tells Rose that she must kill her husband or die herself, the woman is faced with attempting to … [Read more...]