Books we must have though we lack bread.
I read Trollope’s second Palliser novel, Phineas Finn, about an Irish Member of Parliament and his adventures in London, both romantic and political, back in 2025. If you follow the link to my review, you will see that I quite enjoyed the novel and became rather fond of Mr. Phineas Finn. This summer I’ve been […]
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S.A. and to continue a project to read ALL of the books in my library, I’m taking a journey through the decades of American history in books, reading one book for every decade from the 1770’s to the 2020’s. I already wrote about my book for the 1780’s, […]
For the decade of the 1780’s in my American history journey, I read Colt of Destiny, a book in the LAND OF THE FREE series (Winston) set in the early days of California. Since most of the U.S. historical fiction set in early U.S. history centers around the East coast and the original thirteen colonies, […]
The Unicorn and the Lake by Mariana Mayer. Illustrated by Michael Hague. Dial books, 1982. This picture book begins with an introduction about unicorns and unicorn folklore: “The legend of the unicorn can be traced back to pagan times . . . The unicorn is mentioned in the Old Testament, and during the Middle Ages […]
A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic, or Like Lightning in an Umbrella Storm (a story out of order) by Philip Stead. Neal Porter Books, 2026. This brand new (publication date: April 7, 2026) piece of ridiculosity and magic reminds the publicists of Kate DiCamillo and Lemony Snicket, according to the Amazon advertising. […]
I used to spend the night with my Mema (grandmother) every Friday night. We watched Jack Benny together and ate pink beans (pork’n’beans) and hamburger patties for supper. And on Saturday morning I got to have Sugar Pops for breakfast! Those Friday night visits were some of the best times of my childhood. In Saturdays […]
Chang’An, China, 731: Han Yu sells steamed buns in a bustling market full of whispers about his ability to summon tigers. Chinatown, New York City, 1931: Luli Lee gazes out from the roof of her parents’ restaurant, dreaming of dim sum and Chinese art. Two places, two times, and two main characters. It could be […]
I found this second book in the Carrick Hall series hard going at first, but perhaps I just started when I was tired and not in the mood. When I finally got several chapters in, I began enjoy this story, sequel to Once a Queen, which I reviewed here. In this book, Frankie the gardener […]
Jim Kjelgaard was a prolific author of over forty novels for children and young adults, mostly animal stories. His most famous and best-selling book was Big Red, the story of an orphan boy and his beloved Irish setter. The main character in The Black Fawn is also an orphaned boy, Allan “Bud” Sloan. Bud comes to live with […]
Benjamin MacDonald is the six year old younger son of William and Esther MacDonald. The year is 1870, and the place is somewhere to the north of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. In this prairie land the MacDonald family own a farm, and Ben, a child who in today’s parlance would certainly be called “neurodivergent”, has lived […]