Modern Lit: The House at Midnight, by Lucie Whitehouse

Friends ?
Seven former Oxford college buddies meet every weekend at the magnificent manor house Lucas has inherited from an uncle. At first, it seems an idyllic retreat, far from the London of their working lives. But this house seems to have an agenda, and after a few months, nothing is as it was [...]

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It’s a Mystery: No Good Deeds, by Laura Lippman

A Tess Monahan novel. Review based upon the unabridged audio CD version.
Tess, Crow, and Lloyd, three characters caught up in a deadly web of poverty, murder, extortion, and double cross. Operating from three different backgrounds, with three divergent motives, they must find a way to work together or they will sink separately.  Once Tess and [...]

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Folklore and Fantasy: Coraline, by Neil Gaiman

The other side of the door
Old English houses must be the most interesting in the world, full of nooks, mirrors, wardrobes, and mysterious doors. While exploring her new home, young Coraline discovers a door that goes nowhere, bricked up when the house was subdivided into flats. A bit bored this summer, one day [...]

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Nonfiction: Disowning Slavery, by Joanne Pope Mellish

How we got to where we are
Over the past few years, general interest in the subject of slavery in the northern US has been growing. Books such as Complicity and Inheriting the Trade have done much to bring attention to this previously under-researched area of American History. In Disowning Slavery, author Mellish takes [...]

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It’s a Mystery: Dark Tort, by Diane Mott Davidson

C is for catering and crime

A murdered paralegal assistant. A recently deceased artist who painted highly sought after images of food. A team of ambitious attorneys, and their competitive wives. A harridan of an office manager. A bishop with a dark secret. Throw them into the mix with Goldy’s family and friends, and [...]

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It’s a Mystery: The Keepsake, by Tess Gerritsen

Takes stalking to new heights
Jane Rizzoli is one of the strongest female detective characters in the genre, and, after having her baby girl, she’s back in action. Jane shines in this serial killer/stalker/confused identity thriller, as she struggles to unkink the many tangled lines in these crimes. Gerritsen appears to be attempting to [...]

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It’s a Mystery: Invitation to a Funeral, by Molly Brown

Not good enough
Aphra is an alluring, intelligent woman who writes plays and dabbles in the the social scene that swirls around the court of King Charles II. She seems to know everyone, and still remains impoverished though she works very hard. When two former acquaintances, who happen to be brothers, reappear in her [...]

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Biography: The Journals of Louisa May Alcott

Louisa by Louisa
It’s a difficult task to review a diary or journal, as these materials were rarely meant for public consumption. Louisa May Alcott’s personal “scribblings” reveal much about her motivations, professional and personal choices, and beliefs. What becomes clear is that she wrote not only as an outlet for her imagination and [...]

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How to Make Rock Candy

As a kid, I thought rock candy was positively amazing, and I still think it looks really neat. I always wondered how to make it, but never had the opportunity till now. Here’s an easy recipe to try with or without your kids. If children are present, care must be taken around the hot liquid.
4 [...]

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Modern Lit: Mr. Pip, by Lloyd Jones

Popeye
“Everyone called him Popeye.” Thus begins Mister Pip, an eloquently written story about how profoundly literature can influence lives. As Popeye evolves into Mr. Pip, the personalities and character traits of the islanders also emerge. Mother and daughter, war and resistance, husband and wife, civilization and nature, life and death, black and white, [...]

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