The elephants were always your favorites. You’d practically grown up with pictures of them, but seeing them in person…? They were bigger than you thought they’d be. Enormous. Gigantic, and yet, so quietly distinguished. Your first circus experience was memorable because of them, and in “Battle for the Big Top” by Les Standiford, you’ll[Read More…]

photo credit to Terri Schlichenmeyer All last year, your soul heard a call. It was the outdoors, and while you got out as much as you could last year, it was never enough. You have a lot of catching up to do in your quest for outdoor activities, and here are[Read More…]

X marks the spot. So, it seems like you’re supposed to look over there… or maybe over there, the map isn’t very exact. It doesn’t say if you’re supposed to look up, around, or underground, either, so there’s that, and what if someone already found the treasure you’re looking for?  How irritating, and in the new[Read More…]

What a pair! You and your friend, you’re like two peas in a pod. Yin and yang. Where one is, so’s the other. You’ve been pals since forever and you do everything in tandem. Two sides of a coin. Like bread and butter. As in the new book “Violet and Daisy” by Sarah[Read More…]

Your front door opens to the world. It’s the threshhold of a journey, one of a few feet or a few years, a trip that you’ll never take exactly the same again. Open the door and see what’s out there. Open it because you can, and step out. You have the freedom to go[Read More…]

This summer is going to be the best one ever. You’ve got dozens of things planned: time with friends and family, a weekend getaway or two, cookouts, parades, a neighborhood party, your schedule is packed already. Yep, this will be a summer you’ll never forget; as in the new novel, “That Summer” by Jennifer Weiner, that[Read More…]

Help! Quick, you need an extra set of hands, a couple of strong arms, strong backs, shoulders you can lean on, another brain to pick. You wouldn’t normally ask, but you need assistance; a leg-up for a minute and you’ll be fine. As in the new novel, “The Music of Bees”[Read More…]

Author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong. Credit: A. Jesse Jiryu Davis Turn it up. This is the best part of the whole series; it’s a great bit, the funniest one. You’ve seen every episode of this favorite show multiple times, and you know the must-watch scenes, every line, every outfit change, new[Read More…]

“Nazi Wives: The Women at the Top of Hitler’s Germany” by James Wyllie c.2019, St. Martin’s Press $28.99 / $38.50 Canada 288 pages Stand by your man. That’s what the old song says you’re supposed to do: stand by him, support him, tell him when he’s right and when he[Read More…]

“The Particulars of Peter” by Kelly Conaboy c.2020, Grand Central $27.00 / $34.00 Canada 256 pages Your dog does not need a new laptop. He has no use for a tablet or a new mouse, unless it’s squeaky. He doesn’t want the latest smartphone, either, but now, dancing classes and[Read More…]