Category Archives: books

Parallel

Tweet I couldn’t wait to read my friend Lauren Miller’s debut novel, Parallel.  I was already wowed by what I knew of Lauren’s story, that she’d written the first draft of this book during her daughter’s infancy.  Then, I read Parallel and found it an entirely engrossing, tremendously fun experience. Parallel is a compulsively readable [...]

The Engagements

Tweet I couldn’t wait to read Courtney Sullivan’s new novel, The Engagements, which comes out June 12th.  I was fortunate enough to read it recently (for disclosure, we share an agent, and I was given an advance copy.  The views expressed here are absolutely my own). The Engagements opens in 1947, late at night, as Frances, an [...]

Home Away- and a giveaway

Tweet Anyone who’s been reading here for a bit knows how passionately I loved Launa’s account of her family’s year in France, Wherever Launa Goes.  Imagine my delight, then, when I received her book, which tells the story of what she discovered in her year away from home.  I don’t think it’s giving anything away [...]

GIVEAWAY: The Cassoulet Saved Our Marriage

Tweet When my copy of The Cassoulet Saved Our Marriage, I opened it hurriedly and dove in.  One of the editors, Lisa Catherine Harper, is both a friend and a writer I adore.  I read, loved, and reviewed her first book, A Double Life: Discovering Motherhood.  Other writers I love, like Deborah Kopaken Cogan and [...]

The Still Point of the Turning World

Tweet I was hesitant to review Emily Rapp’s beautiful memoir, The Still Point of the Turning World, because I worried that writing about how I related to her story would trivialize what she experienced. But the book haunted me.  I couldn’t turn around, interact with my children, or look out the window without thinking of [...]

Son

Tweet I recently read all four books in Lois Lowry’s Giver quartet.  This book, Son, is the final book in the series.  I was hugely moved by both the entire foursome and by this book in particular.  I’m happy to be reviewing Son on Great New Books today.  I loved, loved, loved this story and [...]

This is Childhood: THREE

Tweet Today, our This is Childhood series is about THREE.  As Nina Badzin so beautifully puts it, “three is climbing, dancing and understanding the rules of a game.”  Please click over to read Nina’s words on the age of independence and stumbling, of “I do it myTHELF.”   Email this post

Great New Books

Tweet I am delighted and honored to be joining the team at Great New Books.  I am proud to be a part of the site, whose motto is sharing our favorite books one week at a time.  Our reviews are published on Wednesdays, and we will also be featuring authors talking about what they love [...]

Magical Journey – and a giveaway!

Tweet At the end of this review, see details about how to win a signed copy! To say that I was excited to read Katrina Kenison’s new book, Magical Journey: An Apprenticeship in Contentment, is an almost ridiculous understatement.  I read The Gift of an Ordinary Day a couple of years ago in one breathless [...]

Christmas books, 2012

Tweet My go-to gift for everyone, from child to husband to parent, has always been books.  Each year, more than a handful of people ask me for ideas for books to give to people in their lives.  I know it’s late (though not too late for a gift certificate with some suggested titles!), but here [...]