Category: Essay
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Holy Week
Today, Palm Sunday, is the beginning of Holy Week in preparation for Easter this coming Sunday. This week I’ll post a religious reflection each day and resume my book reviews after Easter!
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First Quarter 2025 Reading Tally
I looked forward to several things as I approached retirement in January of 2024: more travel, get serious about writing my novel, reach out and reconnect with family and friends who live far from me, exercise more, and finally, but certainly not least, READ MORE. I believe I have indeed accomplished all of them, but…
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Book Review: Life Skills by Katie Fforde
Of the 46 or so novels written by British author Katie Fforde, Life Skills is my 6th. Life Skills was published in 1999 and has been reprinted several times since, so I chose this light, breezy rom-com from Fforde’s back list. Quite a few of her novels have been adapted for German TV, but I…
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Book Review: The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
In a familiar refrain—if you have been reading my book reviews—once again, I am not sure how I feel about this book. Did I hate it? No. Did I love it? No. Yet, somehow, I’ve given it FIVE STARS. I’ll get to the why a bit later. The Christie Affair (St. Martin’s Press, 2022) by…
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Book Review: The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
The Husbands (Knopf Doubleday, 2024), debut novel by Holly Gramazio, a writer and video game designer, is an interesting read. I waited for quite some time to get a copy from my local library. I read it quickly, but it’s taken me several days to decide what I want to say about it in this…
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Book Review: Rachel to the Rescue by Elinor Lipman
I’ve been a devoted fan of Elinor Lipman since 1988. I had just moved from Louisiana to Maryland for a new job in exciting downtown Bethesda. I lived near the Bethesda Metro and walked to my office building just a block from the Metro’s food court. Between work and home I had to pass a…
Michelle Blanchard Ardillo 