Author: michardillo

• Book Review: The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

  It’s been a long time coming, with the debut work of a new series and a movie based upon Book 1 of a previous series, but Richard Osman has struck gold again with the four senior citizens who spar, spy, solve, and celebrate justice in The Impossible Fortune Book 5 of the Thursday Murder Club…

  michardillo

  October 21, 2025

  books

  book-review, book-reviews, books, British, Chris Columbus, debut novel, England, English, family, fiction, Kate Messner, literature, mystery, novel, Pamela Dorman Books, reading, Richard Osman, Silver Jaguar Society Mysteries, The Bullet That Missed, The Impossible Fortune, The Last Devil to Die, The Thursday Murder Club, We Solve Murders, writing

• Book Review: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

  Recently published by Ballantine Books in June of 2025, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, her ninth novel, is supposedly unlike her previous works, which include her big hits The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & the Six, Malibu Rising, and Carrie Soto Is Back. Her lesser known earlier novels include Forever, Interrupted; After I Do; Maybe In…

  michardillo

  October 14, 2025

  books

  astronauts, Atmosphere, Ballantine Books, book-review, book-reviews, books, Carrie Soto is Back, Challenger, Daisy Jones and the Six, fiction, Kindle, Libby, literature, NASA, novel, public library, reading, space, space program, space shuttle, Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

• My September Reads

  Another busy month, heavy on writing and light on reading. We have also been streaming more than usual which I may have to cut back on, but there’s a lot of good content across the streaming platforms! I have a wonderful stack of books on deck for October, starting with Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid,…

  michardillo

  October 11, 2025

  books

  A Good Hard Look, A Marriage at Sea, Ann Napolitano, book-review, books, Buckeye, Chris Pavone, Florence Knapp, Geraldine Brooks, Goodreads, Jenna Bush Book Club, Kindle, Libby, library, literature, Marlow Murder Club, Memorial Days, NetGalley, nonfiction, novel, Patrick Ryan, reading, Richard Osman, Robert Thorogood, Sophie Elmhirst, Steven Rowley, The Correspondent, The Dogs of Venice, The Doorman, The Impossible Fortune, The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts, The Names, The Thursday Murder Club, Virginia Evans, writing

• Poor Directions to The Great White Way

  What’s something you would attempt if you were guaranteed not to fail. For most of the first 25 years of my life I wanted to be an attorney. My career path seemed to be set in stone, as from an early age, I remember my father saying someday I would make a great lawyer. When…

  michardillo

  October 10, 2025

  Essay

  Button Button, Carmen Miranda, Columbia Theatre Players, community theatre, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-2086, Hamlet, Lady Bracknell, LSAT, LSU Law School, paralegal, Richard Matheson, teacher, The Importance of Being Earnest, theatre

• Book Review: Food for Thought by Alton Brown

  I’ve been watching Alton Brown cooking shows since way back when Good Eats first came on the air. I loved the combination of science and food, and how Alton made the how and why as important as the taste of the final dish. My younger daughter and I watched many an episode together, loving his…

  michardillo

  October 9, 2025

  books

  Alton Brown, book-review, books, cookbook, cooking, essays, food, Food for Thought, Gallery Books, Good Eats, Iron Chef America, reading, social media, Southern, writing

• Outdoor Mass in Honor of Fr. Kapaun

  Please see my latest freelance assignment! https://www.cathstan.org/local/mass-at-st-jude-church-in-rockville-honors-memory-of-father-emil-kapaun

  michardillo

  September 26, 2025

  Essay

  canonization, Catholic, chaplain, Fr. Juan Pablo, Fr. Kapaun, Fr. Paul D. Lee, Korean War, Mass, prisoner of war, St. Jude, US Army, venerable

• Nothing Gold Can Stay

  Yesterday, September 24, 2025, my last aunt passed away. I only had three to start with and the last one living, my dad’s baby sister, died yesterday at the age of 88. She was seven years younger than my dad, and she grew up in my hometown. She graduated from high school the year I…

  michardillo

  September 25, 2025

  Essay

  death, family, funeral, life, loss, love, memories, Nothing Gold Can Stay, poem, poetry, reading, Robert Frost, writing

• Book Review: The Accidental Rewrite by Milly Johnson

  First of all, since this was an offering on NetGalley I assumed this was a brand new, yet to be published book, perhaps by a debut author. Silly me, wrong on all accounts. The Accidental Rewrite was first published in February of 2024 in the UK under the title The Happiest Ever After. And, Milly…

  michardillo

  September 12, 2025

  books

  ARC, author, BBC, book-review, book-reviews, books, Britain, British, cat, debut novel, England, fiction, Fredrik Backman, Goodreads, Harper Muse, literature, Milly Johnson, My Friends, NetGalley, novel, PBS, publishing, reading, The Accidental Rewrite, The Daily Trumpet, The Happiest Ever After, UK, writer, writing, Yorkshire Cat Rescue

• Book Review—Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy by Christopher White

  As an American and a Catholic, did I ever, in my wildest dreams, imagine an American pope? Absolutely not. But, on Thursday, May 8, 2025, that is exactly what happened. My husband and I were both home (freshly retired) and were having lunch at our kitchen counter. After we finished eating, my husband was cleaning…

  michardillo

  September 5, 2025

  books

  book-review, books, Catholic, Catholic Church, Catholic school, Christopher White, Conclave, Confirmation, Councils, Italy, Jesuits, Kindle, Loyola Press, Mass, NetGalley, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, Pope John Paul II, Pope John XXIII, Pope Leo XIV, social media, Society of Jesus, St. Monica, Synod, Vatican, Vatican II, writer, writing

• My August Reads!

  Another month with travel which meant fewer books read. But I did a lot of writing: 17 essays and/or book reviews! Onward to September! No travel, so I hope to read a lot more!

  michardillo

  August 31, 2025

  books

  book-review, books, reading, writing