Hey! Don't forget to check out the GIVEAWAY at the end of this post. When the Covid lockdown began, I craved comfort books. (See my recommendations here.) Lately, however, that old familiar yearning for Gothic horror has me in its grip. What a gluttony of horror...
My last blog post (written THREE MONTHS ago, yikes) was about Emily Dickinson, and today--once again--it is Miss Emily who inspires me. A NEW BOOK: From the publisher: An engaging, intimate portrait of Emily Dickinson, one of America’s greatest and most-mythologized...
There's a new picture book about Emily Dickinson and it is marvelous. (Thank you, Best of Books in Edmond, OK, for shipping it so quickly!) This book written by Jennifer Berne and illustrated by Becca Stadtlander is beautiful, inspirational, and quite poignant--I...
Happy Wednesday! If you've been yearning for a comfort read, I have three recommendations. And TEA. The Bookshop on the Corner, by Jenny Colgan Determined to make a new life for herself, Nina moves to a sleepy village many miles away. There she buys a van and...
Even if you're healthy and safe at home, you may be losing your mind right about now. I've put together a list of things (in no particular order) that might brighten your mood during this surreal quarantine from the rest of humanity. -- First of all, complete your...
After a long drought, I finally found a book that captivated me, kept me glued to the pages until the end, and only took two days to read because I could hardly bear to put it down. Goodreads synopsis: In a quest for a simpler life, Helen and Nate abandon the comforts...
This past week I visited Dallas for the Highland Park Literary Festival. The festival volunteers always put on a great event, and the highlight for me was spending time with the HPHS students who signed up for my presentation, "How to Build a Horror Hero" (a companion...
ALERT: there's a GIVEAWAY at the end of this post! The other day I was making a mental list of the most romantic novels I've ever read. "This needs to be a blog post!" I thought. Interestingly enough, on this blog I only have ONE previous post related to Valentine's...
I've made it my mission--when visiting an interesting city, I will find the best tea rooms AND explore the independent bookstores, and then I'll share my findings with you. My recent post on a lovely Philadelphia tea room is here. Today it's all about the book stores!...
Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the 4th annual Harbor Springs Festival of the Book in Michigan--as a fan rather than an author. What a delight! Harbor is a lovely town on Lake Michigan, offering many restaurants and shops, including an indie bookstore....
Have you noticed how I tend to ping-pong between Gothic and Cozy stories? After last month's gluttony of dark mysteries, I craved comfort, and thus I turned to Noel Streatfeild's fictionalized account of her childhood, A Vicarage Family. Streatfeild is best known for...
Quick take: After weeks of "comfort" reading (see more here), I had a sudden and powerful appetite for spooky Gothic. These four novels were just what I was craving, and I DEVOURED them in a matter of days. (Many thanks to Myra and Melissa for recommendations!)...
If you know me at all, you know I love Oxford. You also might recall that I adore the mysteries of Dorothy L. Sayers. While in Oxford this summer I was determined to put together my own literary walk to celebrate Sayers' Gaudy Night and its two main characters,...
Dear reader, I meant to offer a "Tea and a Book" recommendation for June, but there was just too much to do in preparation for travel. I will try again later this month. In the meantime I thought I'd start a new feature on the blog -- "Literary Walks." I love to...
I've made a resolution since returning from Brooklyn--when joining my husband on business trips I will endeavor to research, patronize, and publicize my favorite independent bookstores. (In case you missed it, you'll find some wonderful Brooklyn options in this post.)...
