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
Kirsten Gillibrand Wants You to Run for Office in Off the Sidelines
Have you ever considered running for office but didn't think you had what it takes? So did Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, or at least she did before she actually did it. Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World is her way of sharing with you why she ran and, more importantly, why you should, too. As the synopsis says, "Fourteen years before Kirsten Gillibrand succeeded Hillary Rodham Clinton as senator from New York, she heard her … 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
True Crime: A Killer in the Family
Potential spoiler alert: This Kindle Single is based on a highly publicized true story and the facts are discussed within. Afoot and lighthearted, I take to the open road.....No husband, no wife, no friend, trusted to hear the confession, - Song of the Open Road by Walt WhitmanOn March 1, 1976, William Bradford Bishop Jr., a family man with common troubles, horrified the nation by brutally murdering his wife, mother, … Keep Reading