Category: Essay
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Book Review: The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey (Soho Crime, June, 2021)
Author Sujata Massey brings us once again to 1920s colonial India with the third in a series featuring protagonist Perveen Mistry, the first female lawyer in Bombay, India. I discovered the series while recuperating from a broken ankle during the summer of 2019. As I was house-bound (relying on crutches and/or a knee scooter to…
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Grammar for Grownups
Good writing is writing that is clear and concise. Not all verbs are interchangeable. Check out this graphic that shows some of the most commonly confused verbs and how to use them correctly. Need a grammar refresher course? Contact me for info on fun and helpful Zoom sessions to improve your writing!
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Book Review: The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander and illustrated by Kadir Nelson
I’ve been a fan of Kwame Alexander since I read his Newbery Award winning novel The Crossover. “Fan” might be a bit of an understatement. I confess that I follow him on all his social media platforms, have a Google alert set up for news about him, follow him on Amazon and on Goodreads –…
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Book Review: Twenty-one Truths About Love by Matthew Dicks
This book was just not for me. Some readers have noted that the format was not to their liking, but I didn’t mind the story unfolding in list format. I’ve read other books not told in traditional narrative prose, such as Bridget Jones’s Diary told in journal entries and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen told…
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Book Review: Learning to Talk to Plants by Marta Orriols (Pushkin Press, June 2021)
From the publisher: “By turns devastating and darkly funny, Learning to Talk to Plants is a piercingly honest portrayal of grief – and of the many ways to lose someone.” The publisher’s quote above really says it all for this book, at least for me. I rated this book a 4/5, mostly because it was so painful…
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Book Review – Nadiya’s British Food Adventure
I love watching British cooking shows and reading cookbooks from the UK. This particular book, Nadiya’s British Food Adventure, combines my love of all things British with a desire to learn more about other cultures. Nadiya Hussain is a breath of fresh air. No pretentiousness, no putting on airs. Just family style cooking elevated with…
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Book Review: Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer
Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer is the seventh book in a pastiche series of MG/YA novels. Set in Victorian England, Springer creates a new character all her own: Enola (which is the word “alone” spelled backwards), the much younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes. And, alone she is, as her…
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Book Review: Sing Freedom! by Vanita Oelschlager and illustrated by Mike DeSantis
What a beautiful book! The illustrations are really well done and fit the text so very well. Sing Freedom by Vanita Oelschlager and illustrated by Mike DeSantis is a perfect book to explain how freedom, once lost, is so very difficult to regain. This book covers a major political event very well, with just enough…
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By Your Passion
By your cross We were redeemed By your childhood We were raised By your hands We were led By your feet We were brought By your words We were taught By your miracles We were awed By your parables We were molded By your psalms We were enriched By your side We remain By your…
Michelle Blanchard Ardillo 