You know those books that have such great characters that they crawl into your heart and settle there? The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline is one of them. Spanning years and distance and set against the backdrop of British colonization, it tells the stories of three women on the receiving end of that brutality.Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna are memorable for their stories, but they tug on your heartstrings even more so because they are based on real people. There’s Evangeline, a governess sentenced to prison after her pregnancy is discovered; Hazel, a young midwife also sentenced for a minor infraction; and Mathinna, an orphan ripped from her home as an experiment in “taming the natives” by the wife of the new … Keep Reading
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‘Midnight Library’ and the Power of Regrets
Do you ever think about where you’d be if you did that ONE thing differently? If you, say, changed your major to match your passions, rather than your expectations? Or if you’d taken that leap of faith and moved to that far off city where you knew no one? The possibilities for how your life could have unfolded are endless, and it's hard not to think about them, sometimes. That's the premise of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and it's a good … Keep Reading
‘The First Day of Spring’ is a Powerful Debut Novel
When Chrissie was 8, she killed a little boy. Twenty years later, she’s a mom trying to do what’s best for her daughter. But how do you forgive yourself for something so awful? Or are some acts so terrible that there’s no coming back? Do the standards for redemption change if you killed someone as a child, rather than adult?Equal parts disturbing and heartbreaking, The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker is told through alternating points … Keep Reading
‘The Last Thing He Told Me’ Infuses Freshness Into the Familiar
Let me start off by saying I really enjoyed The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. My last few books have been duds so I was nervous about continuing my “losing streak”, but this one hit the spot. On its face, the story is tried-and-true: girl meets boy, boy has secrets, girl seeks truth and surprises abound; but Dave infuses freshness into it by going in an unexpected direction. Her approach strikes a balance between the familiar and the … Keep Reading
From the Archives
Huguette Clark, Intrigue, and Mystery Abound in ‘Empty Mansions
I love castles. I forget this and don't make it a point to visit them, but every time I do I'm awed. Last year I visited Hearst Castle while I was in Big Sur, CA (courtesy of Buick), and not long ago I visited Bishop's Castle here in Colorado. While Hearst's is a sprawling estate at the top of a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Bishop's was (and is still) built by one man who is a bit of a local legend (you can learn more about him here). But … Keep Reading
Every Woman Can Relate to 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl
When I was trying to decide what to read next, Andi over at Estella's Revenge recommended 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad. It's been getting rave reviews, so while I wasn't quite sure what the book was about, I decided to give it ago. This was also because Awad is a PhD student at the University of Denver (DU), where I went to grad school.Told through a series of short stories, 13 Ways follows Lizzie, a woman who spends her life … Keep Reading
My First King: The Long Walk
Imagine coming home from watching The Shining, turning on the light, looking down a long hallway, and finding two long-haired 5 year old girls in nightgowns standing side-by-side - staring at you. Terrifying, right? It is. I would know because this is exactly what happened to me when I was 17 and came home at around midnight after watching it at a friend's house. The girls, who were actually my sister and her friend, thought my scream was … Keep Reading