This memoir “The Chicken Who Saved Us” by Kristin Jarvis Adams is an account of a remarkable mother who never gave up on an autistic son. It’s a great read. I find her descriptions and detail very compelling and engaging.

3.5 stars — I ended up liking the book overall, but it was a very slow read. The author had an interesting approach intertwining the story with productions of Thornton Wilder’s play Our Town. There was one flashback scene toward the end that felt unnecessary and just tossed in for some shock value. But I liked the characters! This author is kind of hit-and-miss for me. Good writing, but a few plot issues.

I’ve read a couple of really good books recently and highly recommend A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner and Someone Else’s Shoes by JoJo Moyes. A Fall of Marigolds has an interesting historical timeline and focuses on two American tragedies. I loved the camaraderie and women-against-the-odds aspect of Someone Else’s Shoes. Both have well-developed and intriguing characters. Happy reading! Do you have recommendations for us?

I spent several days last week glued to my computer in Zoom and other video sessions, just like in the pandemic days. But this time, it was for the Historical Novel Society North America conference. The conference was live in San Antonio, but I wasn’t able to leave home, so I only attended virtually. Still, for a writer of historical novels, it was wonderful to be with my tribe. Writers need community, because writing can be very lonely at times.

One of my favorite summer activities is reading—preferably beating the heat near a pool or beach with a bar and waiter attending my cold beverage needs! I’ve found that my Kindle is great outdoors. The lighted screen is easy to read and it doesn’t add too much weight to my beach bag. I’ve read several books recently and enjoyed most of them. A few I’d recommend for your summer list: Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize), and Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Some that I’ve got

Continue reading Reading Poolside Beats the Heat

My friend Kathy traveled to Amsterdam recently and posted about it on Facebook. When I commented that I hoped she enjoyed the trip and that I love Amsterdam, she responded, “I brought a good book with me” . . . and posted a photo of herself holding my novel Safe Thus Far. I was honored she felt my book was worth the weight to pack on an overseas trip. That’s the type of fan every author wants!

One of my favorite books by Terry Pratchett is Mort, part of his Discworld series. It’s the story of an awkward young man who becomes Death’s apprentice and finds a way to mess up the course of history by intervening, which he is not supposed to do. Of course, now he has to try to fix it by intervening even more, which only makes matters worse. The absurdity of it all is hilarious.

I’m heading to the library to pick up a couple of holds today, so thought I’d better recap the last few. I read some great books in February–all four and five stars! Probably my favorite was The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. Interesting time and place, and a great ending. The Stuff that Never Happened by Maddie Dawson–she becoming a favorite author. Good people/relationship story. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Again, relationships. With a twist. Again, interesting time, place, situation. The author packaged it well. Last, This Tender Land

Continue reading Another banner book month!

Have you noticed that your favorite apps change over time? When I first got on social media, I followed Facebook closely. I still do, but I have a love/hate relationship with it. Too much advertising, and I can’t keep posts coming in chronological order. For a while, I loved Flipboard. The mix of news and pictures was like a favorite magazine. Now, I rarely look at it. (But it’s still pretty.” Then came Pinterest–fun, but a time suck. And Instagram. And now there are so many it is hard to keep up. Though I have avoided Tik-Tok so far. What’s

Continue reading Favorite Apps