I ended the month of August with the first two books of the Emma Lion series. It seems that everyone everywhere is talking about this series, and I’ve been told that they get better as they go. I have to agree with that. Book 1 was good, but book 2…
Keep readingFinally, after much hard work (if you can call reading great books hard work), I am proud to display my latest badge granted to me by NetGalley! This badge is granted to NetGalley members who provide feedback for 80% (or more) of their approved titles. It is also the magic…
Keep readingThe Survivors Guild (yes, that is how it is titled, no apostrophe) by Gabriella Saab is another story based loosely upon the sinking of the Titanic. This book however is less about the Titanic, less about those lost to the sea, and less about the unsinkability of that majestic ship.…
Keep readingWe Don’t Talk About That is a soon to be published work of nonfiction written by Amanda Schoepp. It is part memoir, part biography, part diary, part psychological study, and part true crime story. It is about a very dark moment in 1963 in the DesHotel family of Louisiana, and…
Keep readingA lot of the recently published novels that I am reading, whether it is historical fiction, cozy mystery, or contemporary fiction, don’t seem to be particularly well-written. The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies (The Oxford Guide #1) by Kate Westbury is a paradox for me. It is well-written, but…
Keep readingDelighted to see one of my most favorite authors nominated – again – for the Booker Prize! See my review of this amazing book at https://michelleardillo.com/2026/04/06/book-review-the-things-we-never-say-by-elizabeth-strout/ Read the books longlisted for the Booker here https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/prize-years/2026
Keep readingI just finished The Mad Widows by Scott Moore last night and what a wild ride of a book! The whole time I was reading this book, I kept thinking, “It’s like I’m reading a screenplay!” I could actually picture what was going even if I couldn’t clearly put a…
Keep readingLast night I finished this newly published book, The Secret Thread by Eve Chase, and I will be thinking about it for a long time. The title is quite fitting as there is a thread running through this story, invisible at first, and as the story of Jo, Mimi, Woody,…
Keep readingWHAT A CHARMING BOOK! I am a relatively newish dog lover, acquiring my very first dog in late 2011, but as with many things in my life, when I fall, I FALL HARD. I now know all the dogs in our neighborhood, dog-sit for friends (hi to my favorite Golden,…
Keep readingI just finished this book last night and I am truly impressed that this is a debut novel. The Three Graces of Pearl Street by Elizabeth Wellington Rollins is soon to be published by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, which is one of the “Big Five” of…
Keep readingSomething went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Michelle Blanchard Ardillo