*** Zoe Mulford, a folk singer, has now become most widely known for a song she wrote about President Obama’s singing of “Amazing Grace” during the eulogy for Reverend Clementa Pinckney.  Reverend Pinckney was killed, along with eight others, during a mass shooting at a Charleston church in 2015. Joan Baez heard her song and … Continue reading Amazing Grace – Our Q&A with Singer-Songwriter Zoe Mulford →

A Handy Guide To Having Fun

*** NOVEL: Magpie Murders AUTHOR: Anthony Horowitz YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2017 REVIEW: *** This is a mystery novel for mystery novel lovers–a story within a story. A meta mystery.  I will explain. *** The book begins with Susan Ryeland in an unmade bed with a bottle of wine, tortilla chips and salsa, and a pack … Continue reading On Our Bookshelves – Magpie Murders →

Hadestown was excellent, and no surprise–it won eight Tony awards in 2019, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.

*** NOVEL: Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor AUTHOR: Stephanie Barron YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1996 REVIEW: If you are a regular reader of my book reviews, you’ll know that I am a fan of Jane Austen.  And also that I like mysteries. Why not combine them? Two great things just might go great together–like … Continue reading On Our Bookshelves – Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor →

It was an impulse buy–I liked the cover (bright red) and the title, and it was displayed prominently at Books on the Common in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

*** BOOK: The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories AUTHOR: P. D. James YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2016 REVIEW: *** I’m not at all sure just why there are so many murder mysteries with Christmas themes, but there are, and some of them are quite good, too.  If you liked Envious Casca (recently retitled as A Christmas Party) … Continue reading On Our Bookshelves – The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories – A Review →

*** Author Tracey Hecht was kind enough to spend some time on the phone with me recently, answering questions and filling me in more on her book series for children, The Nocturnals.  It was a really interesting conversation and I’d love to speak with her more, or meet up with her in person one day–it’s … Continue reading The Nocturnals – Our Q&A with Author Tracey Hecht →

*** David Halloran (much like NYC) keeps things interesting.  I was intrigued by the concept of a NYC running tour (having never heard of such a thing although I’ve taken walking tours in places as far-flung as Rome and Bangalore). He was kind enough to answer some questions for us about City Running Tours, and … Continue reading Running Around in NYC – Our Q&A with David Halloran – City Running Tours →

*** I read and enjoyed H is for Haiku very much.  It was a hit with my kindergartener, and I also bought it as a gift for a cousin’s third birthday.  Wanting to learn more about the women who made it possible, I asked Amy Losak if she’d be up for answering some questions.  She … Continue reading Beauty in the Everyday and Haiku for All – Our Q&A with Amy Losak →