Author: michardillo
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Good Friday at the Shrine of St. Jude Catholic Church, Rockville, Maryland
It’s no secret that our pastor, Fr. Paul Lee, is fond of classical music, and he has commented that his favorite instrument is the cello. Over the years that he has been pastor at the Shrine of St. Jude in Rockville, MD, he has hosted several concerts featuring area musicians. This year as part of…
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Je parle un peu français, mais pas très bien!
What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had? The French language and I have been at odds for years, decades even. I took French in high school, but I have no memory of it. I don’t even remember who my teacher was or who was in my class. In fact, did…
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Country Mouse to City Mouse
Today is Thursday, March 12, 2026, and it is snowing here in Rockville, Maryland, a suburb of the Washington, DC metropolitan area. MARCH…it’s snowing in MARCH. After the winter we have had, it’s really in poor form for it to be snowing today. Now, granted, the ground is far too warm for anything to stick,…
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Book Review: The Lost Language of Oysters by Alexander McCall Smith
Being Louisiana born and bred, especially in southeast Louisiana where oyster fishermen have made their living for decades on an oyster boat, when I saw the title of this new book pop up in NetGalley, I just had to request it. Seeing though, that it was book #6 in a series where I had not…
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My February 2026 Reads
Great reads this month! Only one 5-star but it was a whopper! Can’t wait for the movie! Read my review here!
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Book Review: The Shippers by Katherine Center
The Shippers (St. Martin’s Press, May, 2026) is Katherine Center’s newest novel. I was fortunate enough to be offered an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher to read on my Kindle. In Goodreads, this soon-to-be published romcom currently has almost 2,000 reviews and over 2,500 ratings, with an average rating of 4.20 stars. This is…
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Book Review: Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander McCall Smith, is a Scottish legal scholar turned prolific author of fiction. He was born in present day Zimbabwe and grew up there, starting his education at Christian Brothers College, before moving to Scotland to study law at the University of Edinburgh where he earned a LLB and a PhD. He returned to Africa…
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Book Review: The Lost Husband by Katherine Center
The Lost Husband (Ballantine Books, 2013) is my 4th book by Katherine Center, having read Hello, Stranger (5 stars) in 2023, The Rom-Commers (5 stars) in 2024, and The Love Haters (4 stars) in 2025. I’ve enjoyed all four books and I will continue to make my way through her back list. There’s a lot…
Michelle Blanchard Ardillo 