Rachel Isadora has created a reading and visual gem for the younger crowd with My Dog Laughs. The children and their dogs show how varied dogs are, as well as their owners. Each page shows how dogs make mistakes, give kisses, make friends, fart, eat and laugh. Each page shows there are tall, short, fluffy and all kinds of dogs. Yet, sometimes dogs look the same, too. Isadora shows how people take care of and love their canine buddies. Without being pushy, Isadora also shows […]
An Odd Delight
In November 1982, a horrible event occurs at the Bellweather Hotel. A murder-suicide, witnessed by a young bridesmaid, Minnie Graves, leaves its imprint on both her and the hotel. Fifteen years later, the hotel is gearing up for the Statewide Festival, where hundreds of high school musicians come for a weekend of study and performance. Among them are Alice Hatmaker and her twin brother Rabbit (real name Bert). Both are battling with the usual issues of growing up and possibly apart, and when Alice’s roommate […]
Shoulder Shrug – Into the Water
I greatly enjoyed Paula Hawkins’ debut novel, “Girl on the Train.” I read it as an audiobook and found it compelling and interesting from beginning to end. A twisty thriller with unreliable narrators and shifting truths that kept you on your toes. I was thus excited to embark on her second novel, “Into the Water” but did not have the same experience and won’t be recommending this one to others. A sleepy English town is rocked by the “suicide” by water of one of its […]
ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING SIGNS. SHE IS IRRATIONAL.
Welcome Home – 4/5 Stars If you haven’t yet, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Lucia Berlin’s collected/selected stories “A Manual for Cleaning Ladies” that came out in 2015. This collection of stories is so good and does a thing that I am always amazed by, transcends the recommendations of readers I don’t trust. It was a hot thing for a little while and this is often a dangerous proposition for readers because I don’t really believe a lot of certain […]