I’m in my twenties and I’m not an avid home chef, so it’s no surprise that I’d never heard of Ruth Reichl. When her latest memoir, Save Me the Plums was released last Spring, I wasn’t remotely interested in reading it. Then, as it happens sometimes when you’re browsing the “currently available audio books” on … More Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl
Washington Black is one of those books I heard about months ago and has been vaguely on my radar ever since. When I realized I’d be going to the Caribbean in January, I picked up a copy at a local bookstore because I like to read stories that are set in the places I’m visiting … More Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Moving, insightful, relevant: this novel from the perspective of one of Korea’s famous grandma free-divers, the haenyeo, took me by surprise. On the South Korean island of Jeju there is a tradition – nearly faded into myth – of female free divers who provide for and, in many senses are the heads of, their families. … More The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
Leonardo da Vinci joins the ranks of Walter Isaacson’s other Great Men – Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Henry Kissinger, and Benjamin Franklin – in this meaty 2017 biography of the eponymous Renaissance Man. Isaacson’s core thesis is that Leonardo’s ability to combine imagination and science is what galvanized his genius. Like most other people in … More Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
The Death of Mrs. Westaway is the result of the successful marriage of insightful and engaging thriller with cozy mystery. Ware fills all of her novels with vibrant, relatable characters — even if they aren’t always likable. Orphaned Henrietta – Hal – Westaway is both relatable and heartbreakingly likable as she struggles to cope with her mother’s death. We … More The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
A book fire is just the hook. … More The Library Book by Susan Orlean
The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle had been popping up on the various screens in my life so I decided to give it a listen. It’s relatively short – only about 6 hours of audio – and was an easy, fast-paced read. Serle’s premise is unique and intriguing, a good introduction into romance for those who … More The Dinner Club by Rebecca Serle
There are two topics about which I often wish I knew more: feminism and capitalism. I read a lot and I want to start a book club with myself. I’m a feminist and have a grasp of feminist history, lite. I’m familiar with the names de Beauvoir, Lorde, and I know ‘bell hooks’ isn’t capitalized, … More A Book Club of One
The Seven (and a Half) Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is written as part cautionary tale and part whodunit. Upon reflection, I think the book was organized purposefully: confusing and a bit dense at the beginning, it’s hard for the reader to get a grasp on the story, much like it is hard for the first … More The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
The French Girl by Lexie Elliott falls squarely into the genre of “Girl in the Title Gets Murdered or Does the Murder or Investigates a Murder,” otherwise known as Psychological [Thriller] Fiction. A group of Oxford graduates goes on a trip together to a family vacation home in France. Friends, lovers, or both, the group … More The French Girl by Lexie Elliott
The Ohioan 