Audrey Newhall

Review | The Bookshop of Yesterdays : by Amy Meyerson

If you have a favorite independent book store, and find your regular visits there to be rewarding and perhaps even therapeutic, you will find this book interesting. The story leads you on a scavenger hunt with clues that are interwoven with lessons and stories from classic and popular literature. In her debut novel, Meyerson revealsContinue reading “Review | The Bookshop of Yesterdays : by Amy Meyerson”

The Beginner’s Guide to Bonsai : by Ken Norman

Preview(opens in a new tab) For the backyard bonsai novice, like myself, this 96 page book provides detailed guidance for a new and rewarding hobby. Anyone who enjoys watching things grow may be intrigued by this introduction to practicing the art and culture of bonsai. Ken Norman is a highly respected bonsai artist. He isContinue reading “The Beginner’s Guide to Bonsai : by Ken Norman”

Review | In Byron’s Wake : by Miranda Seymour

If you find 19th century Victorian England interesting or perhaps you are a digital enthusiast with a capacity for the mathematical, either way, you will find this dual biography of Annabella Milbanke and Ada Lovelace surprisingly full of complex characters, not the least of which is Lord Byron. Annabella Milbanke and Lord George Gordon ByronContinue reading “Review | In Byron’s Wake : by Miranda Seymour”

Review | The Midnight Library : by Matt Haig

“Between life and death there is a library, and within that library the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had aContinue reading “Review | The Midnight Library : by Matt Haig”

Review | Dublin Murder Squad Series : by Tana French

Binge on Books: Tana French’s Murder Squad Series Better Than Netflix Having recently read and reviewed “The Searcher”, I am hooked on Tana French. Consequently, I decided to tackle the “Dublin Murder Squad Series”. During the Covid 19 “stay-at-home”, I admit to bingeing on mystery series on Netflix, but I also was intrigued by theseContinue reading “Review | Dublin Murder Squad Series : by Tana French”

Review | The Overstory : by Richard Powers

For me, Ann Pachett’s powerful quote sums up the significance of Richard Powers’ eco-epic. “The best novel ever written about trees,and really just one of the best novels, period.” Ann Patchett – author of “The Dutch House” This was enough to get me reading and then Richard Powers took me on a journey through severalContinue reading “Review | The Overstory : by Richard Powers”

REVIEW | The Searcher : by Tana French

In my search for a new novelist – new to me that is – in the psychological mystery genre, I found Tara French. With credits from Stephen King – “Terrific – terrifying, amazing, and the prose is incandescent.” – and the Washington Post’s Maureen Corrigan – “French is a poet of mood and master builderContinue reading “REVIEW | The Searcher : by Tana French”

Review | The Dutch House : by Ann Patchett

Patchett delivers a quietly suspenseful drama of family and ambition, by creating a modern dark fairy tale about two smart people who are bound by a past they cannot overcome. She transports the Conroy siblings, Maeve and Danny, through five decades replete with a birth mother, Elna, who walks away from her young children toContinue reading “Review | The Dutch House : by Ann Patchett”

Review | Margaret Fuller : by Megan Marshall

Midsummer, I received a letter (yes, in the mailbox) from my son. Inside the envelope, I found an article cut from the July 27, 2020 edition of “The New Yorker”. A hand written post-it-note was attached – “Mom, with your recent interest in women’s rights (re: PBS Suffragettes, etc.), I think you will also enjoyContinue reading “Review | Margaret Fuller : by Megan Marshall”

Review | Eden’s Outcasts: by John Matteson

Father & Daughter Biography of A. Bronson & Louisa May Alcott What an amazing source of understanding as a follow up to my recent reread of “Little Women”. Eden’s Outcasts is a dual biography of A. Bronson Alcott, 19th century philosopher and educator, and his daughter, Louisa May Alcott. This 2008 Pulitzer Prize winning readContinue reading “Review | Eden’s Outcasts: by John Matteson”