Tag: memoir

• My January 2026 Reads

  What a spectacular reading month for me! FIVE five-star reads in one month for me! That’s a record for sure! These five five-star reads are all very different but all equally good! A brief breakdown in case you want to see if they may be of interest to you: FICTION NONFICTION Hope you find something…

  michardillo

  February 1, 2026

  books

  Anna Quindlen, Anne Tyler, biography, book-review, books, Daughter of Egypt, fiction, Geraldine Brooks, historical fiction, history, Immaculee Ilibagiza, literature, Marie Benedict, memoir, Memorial Days, More Than Enough, nonfiction, novel, Our Lady of Kibeho, reading, realistic fiction, Three Days in June, writer, writing

• Book Review: Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks

  For my second book of the new year I chose the beautiful yet painful Memorial Days: A Memoir by Geraldine Brooks, a book that details the death of her husband, the “love of her life,” in May of 2019. I remember reading about when Tony Horowitz died suddenly after collapsing on a sidewalk in Chevy…

  michardillo

  January 7, 2026

  books

  Australia, author, book-review, books, Chevy Chase, Delia Ephron, Flinders Island, Geraldine Brooks, grief, Horse, Left on Tenth, literature, Martha’s Vineyard, memoir, Memorial Days, mourning, nonfiction, novel, pain, Politics and Prose, Pulitzer Prize, reading, sorrow, Spying on the South, Tasmania, Tony Horwitz, writer, writing

• Book Review: Awake: A Memoir by Jen Hatmaker

  First, thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this memoir (via audiobook) which was published by Macmillan in September of this year. Awake: A Memoir by Jen Hatmaker explains a lot. Some time ago I was aware via social media that something was going on with her, there was an ominous post on…

  michardillo

  November 20, 2025

  books

  audiobook, autobiography, Awake: A Memoir, book-review, book-reviews, books, divorce, Jen Hatmaker, Macmillan, marriage, memoir, NetGalley, nonfiction, reading, single mother, writing

• Book Review: Here After by Amy Lin

  I checked this book out from the new release shelf at my local public library, Aspen Hill Public Library of Montgomery County, MD, and I must admit I was drawn to it by its size and cover. It is a hardback, but it is a non-traditional size, more of the size of a diary or…

  michardillo

  April 5, 2025

  books

  Amy Lin, book-review, books, death, Delia Ephron, grief, Here After, Left on Tenth, marriage, memoir, nonfiction, reading, tea, widowhood, writer, writing, Zibby Books

• Book Review-White House Usher: Stories from the Inside by Christopher B. Emery

  On the morning of the recent Presidential Inauguration, I was watching CNN when the CNN reporter interviewed Chris Emery, former White House Usher. He was speaking about the time between the departure of the then president and his family and the arrival of the new president and his family, and how the White House Residence…

  michardillo

  January 23, 2025

  books, Essay

  Barbara Bush, book-review, books, diary, history, journal, memoir, Mrs. Clinton, nonfiction, President Bush, President Clinton, Usher, White House

• Book Review – Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant by Stephanie Kiser

  This is a book review of an ARC of Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant by Stephanie Kiser, which I recently read compliments of NetGalley and Sourcebooks. Its subtitle states, “How nannying for the 1% taught me about the myths of equality, motherhood, and upward mobility in America.” I immediately requested a copy because, as you will…

  michardillo

  August 6, 2024

  books, Essay

  1%, book-review, Caroline Angell, fiction, memoir, nannying, novel, NYC, The Nanny Diaries, Uber-rich, writing