For historical fiction lovers, this one is a winner! One night in 1928, a whale washes up on the shores of the English Channel. By law, it belongs to the King, but twelve-year-old orphan Cristabel Seagrave builds a theater from the whale’s skeletal rib cage. Within the Whalebone Theatre, Cristabel escapes her stepparents and governess, and her imagination comes to life.

When World War II starts, Cristabel and her beloved younger step-brother Digby become British secret agents on separate … [Read more...] about The Whalebone Theatre

A little masterpiece is how I’m referring to this gem of a book. The protagonist, the other characters, the writing—all so unexpectedly WONDERFUL. I wish you could see me holding it next to my heart. … [Read more...] about Dinosaurs: A Novel

Reading these treasures that Marilyn wrote on scraps of paper, or typed out without censoring herself, or jotted down on  sundry items gives new insight into this cultural icon. More importantly, reading her words reminds us that she was much more than a "ditzy blonde" as she was often portrayed. In fact, she was well-read and thought deeply about life, love, and death. Utterly fascinating. … [Read more...] about Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes by Marilyn Monroe

This is an excellent book that offers a concrete explanation of how and why we feel anxious and tips and strategies for dealing with anxiety. Really enlightening and helpful. … [Read more...] about Unwinding Anxiety

My daughter stopped by while her car was being worked on and picked up this book that I was reading. After 50 pages, she insisted that she had to take it home to finish it, even though I was already halfway through. Such a fun read.

Meet Elizabeth Zott: scientist by training, cooking show host by default. One meal at a time, she galvanizes her audience to question the lives they’ve been served.

Here's why Elisabeth Egan of the NYTimes picked it: Like the lunches Zott packs for her … [Read more...] about Lessons in Chemistry

Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott is a suspense novel that turns the age-old “woman in trouble” plot on its head.

I loved Abbott's other bestseller, The Turnout. I learned from my favorite NPR book reviewer Maureen Corrigan that Abbot has a Phd in literature and that she wrote her dissertation on the figure of the macho “tough guy” in the mysteries of writers like Dashiell Hammett. Corrigan says, “Abbott is one smart dame when it comes to sussing out the sexism inherent in those mysteries that … [Read more...] about Beware the Woman

The Power of Wonder!

Author Monica Parker in her new book The Power of Wonder reveals what wonder is, why we need it, and how to cultivate it in your life.

In our technology-obsessed world, Parker points out that many have traded wonder for the “facsimile of electronic novelty-seeking": scrolling on Facebook, Instagram, or whatever your current jam is.

Whether you’re aware of it or not, wonder spirals its way through our shared human experience. From artistic expression to religious … [Read more...] about The Power of Wonder

Hoover was THE best-selling author of 2022. The NY Times describes her books this way: Hoover is eclectic. She’s written romances, a steamy psychological thriller, a ghost story, harrowing novels about domestic violence, drug abuse, homelessness and poverty. Though her books are hard to categorize, most of them have an addictive combination of sex, drama and outrageous plot twists.

Her top-selling book, “It Ends With Us,” a drama about a florist who falls for a brooding, abusive neurosurgeon, … [Read more...] about It Ends With Us

Some of the most significant moments in American history have occurred over meals, as U.S. presidents broke bread with friends or foe: Thomas Jefferson’s nationbuilding receptions in the new capital, Washington, D.C.; Ulysses S. Grant’s state dinner for the king of Hawaii; Teddy Roosevelt’s groundbreaking supper with Booker T. Washington; Richard Nixon’s practiced use of chopsticks to pry open China; Jimmy Carter’s cakes and pies that fueled a détente between Israel and Egypt at Camp … [Read more...] about Dinner With The President