Coogan’s latest foray into Irish history commences on the eve of the 1916 Easter Rising. In subsequent chapters Coogan examines the implications of this event. Ireland fought for independence from England, but at what cost? Amid redefining the [...]
As soon as I began reading The Adventures of John Carson in Several Quarters of the World: A Novel of Robert Louis Stevenson by Brian Doyle, I was hooked. Right off, I found myself reminiscing about Stevenson’s many novels of adventure, [...]
The Real Peter Pan is a sort of group biography, encompassing the lives of J. M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, and the five Llewelyn-Davies boys who inspired his work in this and other plays. The focus of the text is from the meeting of [...]
Barbara Leaming’s biography of the often forgotten Kennedy sister vividly brings to life both the life of upper crust America in the early 20th century, as well as the Britain of the immediate post-war period. Kathleen Kennedy, sister to [...]
Here is a well-informed, smoothly crafted, fast-paced novel based closely on events in Berlin during the crucial months of 1938-39, and the European politics leading inevitably to war. The author conveniently explains all this, and more, in his [...]
For anyone living in Chicago in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Brian Doyle’s Chicago: A Novel speaks in a descriptive language akin to that of Mike Royko and Studs Terkel. It is earthy and brimming with passion for the “City of the Big [...]
Once upon a time, there was a girl named Vasilissa, called the Beautiful. Her departed mother left her a memento – a doll – which she could ask three questions of at the full moon and it would answer truthfully. One night, [...]
There is no doubt that is it quite an accomplishment to visit every country in the world in 50 years. Several of the countries are little known, yet this gentleman managed to visit all of them. Albert Podell tells of his adventures with gusto, [...]
Brian Doyle’s novel Martin Marten unfolds on the southwest shoulder of Mt. Hood in the Oregon Cascades. Doyle never mentions the name Hood: he calls it by what the ancient Multnomah tribe knew it as: Wy’east. The land and its occupants have [...]
Kings and Emperors by Dewey Lambdin is a fascinating window into a turbulent time in European nautical history. This is the 21st installment of the Alan Lewrie Naval Adventure series, with this one taking place in Spanish speaking territories [...]
If you are unfortunate to have celiac disease yet love bread and baking, Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day may be some help. J. Hertzberg and Zöe François devised a system of premixing large batches of gluten-free dough, ready to [...]
James MacManus has written an immersive, beautiful book centered on the events leading up to the US entry into WWII. MacManus chronicles the efforts of Harry Hopkins, Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Roosevelt trusts Hopkins [...]
By Kara Taylor Thomas Dunne Books, $9.99, 310 pages Don’t judge this book by its (LOUD) cover – Kara Taylor’s Prep School Confidential series is Veronica Mars meets Dennis Lehane. In Wicked Little Secrets, Taylor’s precocious girl [...]
The Rise and Fall of a Political Dynasty By Robert Hutchinson Thomas Dunne Books, $17.99, 360 pages Robert Hutchinson’s biography takes on a figure the has recently re-emerged into notoriety, Thomas Cromwell. Thanks to Hilary [...]
Historical fiction focused on a king’s court is wildly popular, and Chase explores the Stuart court in her book The Queen’s Dwarf. Jeffery Hudson (aka Lord Minimus) is a dwarf sold to the Duke of Buckingham by his father. Buckingham presents [...]
Brian Doyle’s latest, The Plover, is an intimate read. Doyle tells us very little about the unforgettable characters he craftily weaves through our experience, but he shows us everything. Declan O Donnell, owner and captain of the intrepid [...]
A Beloved British Uncle Tells Stories By Peter Ackroyd Thomas Dunne Books, $16.99, 486 pages Peter Ackroyd’s Foundation does exactly what its title proclaims. It traces the history of Britain from the earliest history and signs of [...]
Father Knows Best? By Cameron Strauth Thomas Dunne Books, $27.99, 400 pages In 1974, Richard Nixon and several of his Christian Scientist aids helped erect a shield against wrongful death prosecutions when faith failed. Once again, money and [...]
Flying And Love are Difficult By Tiffany Hawk Thomas Dunne Books, 216 pages, $24.99 Love Me Anyway by Tiffany Hawk, a former flight attendant, gives the reader a glimpse of life working in the sky. Emily leaves her abusive [...]
How the Brain is Physically Changed by Winning and Losing By Ian H. Robertson Thomas Dunne Books, $25.99, 306 pages Why is someone who wins a showdown more likely to win again? This exciting and informational book is a compilation [...]
