No family is without fault; few parents can be labeled good or bad. Both Priscilla Gilman and E. Dolores Johnson demonstrated that truth with extraordinary openness in their memoirs—for which we can all be grateful. Truth-telling is hard. The Critic’s Daughter by Priscilla Gilman Gilman captures the nuances of a family—her remarkable father with fine-grained … Read more
“The library was a little old shabby place. Francie thought it was beautiful. The feeling she had about it was as good as the feeling she had about church.” A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith. February is Library Lovers Day — and not only do I love libraries, but I also credit the Kensington … Read more
Why ‘memorable & relished’ rather than ‘best’? Because best is such an individual decision: best-written? best-received? best-advertised? As I went through my list of read and listened-to books this year, I used one overarching (okay, two) criteria: How well did I remember that book? There were titles I glanced at and then had to go … Read more
“I’m looking for possible blurbs to be published on the back or inside cover of my 90-year-old mother’s novel,” Michelle Hoover wrote on Facebook. “Her health is precarious, she’s isolated in a care facility in Iowa, and I want to do something that raises her spirits and makes true one of her dreams, or as … Read more
“The library was a little old shabby place. Francie thought it was beautiful. The feeling she had about it was as good as the feeling she had about church.” A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith. February is Library Lovers Day—and not only do I love libraries, I credit the Kensington branch of the … Read more