“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” Amelia Earhart In this toast to trailblazing women, I wanted to recommend memoirs and biographies of women who have changed history in eight different fields. There is a politician, an activist, a scientist, a writer, an artist, a sportswoman, a business […]

“The books that help you the most are those which make you think the most.” – Carlos Ruiz Zafón It’s no surprise that book clubs are still going strong as we head deeper into 2022. There is something immensely satisfying about connecting with other readers and discussing books. It doesn’t matter whether you hated or […]

Happy New Year! As promised in my December column, a few of our reader favorites from 2021 were The Push by Ashley Audrain, The Rainbow by Carly Schabowski, Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters, Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell, and Intimacies by Katie Kitamura. To celebrate a new year of fantastic books, I […]

As the year wraps up and we cross our fingers that our gifts will arrive on time, I am continuing the tradition I started several years ago of sharing my top books for 2021. I hope you find something new or see that one of your favorites made my list! Fiction What Strange Paradise by […]

“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble.” – William Shakespeare’s Macbeth The temperature is finally dropping, the nights are getting longer, and fall has finally arrived. While autumn may be associated with the beautiful array of colors as the leaves change, and pumpkin spice in everything, it really heralds the arrival of […]

When I was quite small, I stumbled across a copy of Edith Hamilton’s Mythology and became absolutely enthralled with the world of Greek mythology. From there, I tore through every anthology about the myths of Ancient Greece that I could get my hands on. Although there isn’t anything supremely unique about Greek mythology, in fact […]

What do Dan Brown, Michael Crichton, and Stieg Larsson have in common? They have all written books that are considered techno thrillers.What exactly is a techno thriller? It is a literary genre that combines two others into one: science fiction and thrillers. It takes the best of science fiction, a world without limits, and pairs […]

Wedding season has officially returned! After the quiet of last year, the summer weather has arrived and brought with it an extremely full calendar of ceremonies, showers, and parties. Weddings can certainly bring out the best and the worst in us: family drama, seating charts, food choices, and fancy locations. Here are a few books […]

It’s summer reading season! With vacations seemingly right around the corner again, the eponymous “beach read” is flying to the top of my to-be-read list. Although I feel that anything can be read at anytime of the year, something about the heat of summer calls for either a fun and frothy book, or a page-turning […]

Throughout history, stories have been told through poetry. My first introduction to these wonderful tales was through The Odyssey as I first delved into Greek mythology. After digging into other epic poems, the ability for stories to shape their culture became increasingly apparent. These works are kinetic and often times visceral with words that have […]

“A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman.” – Melinda Gates Throughout the world there are incredible women doing remarkable things. With International Women’s Day taking place on March 8th, I wanted to recommend a few memoirs and biographies by or about women from around the world. These are just a few […]

“Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.” – Lord Byron With the pandemic still raging and the news cycle attempting to drive us all into some new form of madness, laughter as medicine has never seemed so enticing. As usual, I have been turning to books for respite, and I wanted to share […]

“There are no truths, only moments of clarity passing for answers.” – Michel de Montaigne After finishing high school and college, I thought I would be happy to never read or write another essay. Fast forward several years, and once again the saying of “never say never” completely applies. I think school got me too […]

As this crazy year draws to a close, I have noticed my tendency to take more time for reflection than in previous years. There are quiet moments that I have worked into my morning routine that add a sense of serenity and stillness that I appreciate. As part of my reflection, I figured what better […]

As Halloween and Daylight Savings have passed, I find myself looking forward to the quiet slowdown before things usually ramp up for the holidays, even though this year they may look markedly different. I enjoy taking in the chillingly cold mornings and the subtle stillness that permeates until Thanksgiving. It’s a time that reminds me […]

As we have entered a new season with new demands on our time, sometimes the most satisfying feeling is sitting down and devouring an entire book in one sitting. It might be rare to find the time for some uninterrupted binge reading, but below is a selection of recent releases that are all short enough […]

“The true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words.” – William H. Gass As I have struggled in the last few months, I have found a new sense of artistic resonance in the genre of memoir. These authors play with words and my sense of the world by blending […]

Deep breath – it’s over. Between the vows, cake, and dancing, you got married. Now, it’s time for the romance and relaxation of the honeymoon. The best part of packing for the honeymoon (even if it’s currently a staycation) is picking out what to read. Here are some fun and fabulous honeymoon reads: Recipe for […]

“The freedom of the open road is seductive, serendipitous and absolutely liberating.” – Aaron Lauritsen The open road can surely beckon. In these crazy times, packing up for a drive seems like a great way to mitigate the wanderlust that has been brewing while staying at home. As Chris Humphrey said, “The road is there, […]

Summer reading is right around the corner! I always look forward to the plethora of books that arrive during the course of the summer (and to hopefully having some extra time to read them). Here are just a few of the books that I am eagerly waiting to get my hands on. The Margot Affair […]

As the world slowly begins to re-open, my stress levels have yet to abate. Re-opening has brought a new set of challenges and like many of us out there, the amount of bad and confusing news has begun to take its toll. I have found myself not interested in many of the plethora of time […]