I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Mikita Brottman lives in Baltimore too and the book club she starts is right in Jessup south of the city. I always like a local connection. Each chapter focuses on a different novel or play she has the prisoners read and their reactions to it. There is also a … Continue reading
I’ve read all of Dani Shapiro’s memoirs (she has several) and so, of course, I read her latest one, Hourglass, where she reflects on her 18-year long marriage to her husband a former war reporter turned screenwriter. It is always a little weird to read so many memoirs about one person. You feel like you … Continue reading
I’ve been a big fan of Illeana Douglas’ work for a long time so I was excited when this finally came in for me at the library. I Blame Dennis Hopper is certainly an intriguing title so luckily she starts off with a chapter with an explanation of why, exactly, she blames Dennis Hopper.* She has good … Continue reading
Sue Klebold’s book was the story of an ordinary woman who raised one of the shooters in the Columbine school shooting. Her son, Dylan, and his friend killed twelve students, a teacher and wounded twenty-four others. I remember the shooting quite vividly, I was just a couple years older than the shooters and had rather recently … Continue reading
I’ve always sort of liked Jennifer Weiner’s books. They are fluffy but generally well-written, normally set in the Mid-Atlantic, frequently feature dogs, characters are normal people and they are not too romance novel-y. I had read her blog back in 2002 (when even her publisher had to ask her what a blog was) and follow … Continue reading
Perhaps it was a mistake reading this right after Schadenfreude which I enjoyed so much. I had both out of the library and they seemed like a natural pair: both were written by American women writers who lived abroad in a country where English was not a first language. I was wrong. When in French is well … Continue reading
Schadenfreude almost made me want to go to Germany. Rebecca Shuman did a great job of weaving in her personal story (she basically became a German major–without knowing German!–because she had a crush on a boy in high school who introduced her to Kafka), the sites and sounds of Germany and Prague, and the struggles of … Continue reading
Kat Kinsman is a food writer so I’ve been familiar with her work and connected with her on social media for years so I was excited that she had a book coming out. It isn’t food related (although she does explain how she got various food writing related jobs) but you know I love a … Continue reading
I’ve been a Lauren Graham fan since I saw her on Caroline in City. I am possibly the only person who watched Conrad Bloom for the two or so episodes that actually aired because she was on it (and Ever Carradine, another fave). I, of course, watched Gilmore Girls. I even didn’t get to take … Continue reading
I’m a little too old to have seen most of Mara Wilson’s movies. I’ve seen Mrs. Doubtfire but I certainly didn’t see a Thomas the Train Engine movie and while I probably would have like Matilda when I was younger, it came out when I was in high school so I was not the target … Continue reading
