Raising Hare: A Memoir
by Chloe Dalton
Educational & Hopeful (12/28/2024)
A wonderful book. This is a privileged visit into the quiet simplicity of the hare's world. Dalton showed me how a deceptively small animal can teach such large lessons. I look at nature around me with a gentler and more inquisitive eye thanks to her story.
I would have liked the book to have included a drawing or sketch of her house and garden as it was cumbersome for me to picture it in my mind's eye.
Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World
by Matthew Goodman
Educational and enjoyable (1/7/2013)
There's nothing better for me than a book that makes history come alive. This book succeeds. The author has a marvelous ability to take dry facts and turn them into an engrossing story that let me feel like I was in the midst of the world in 1889.
My only criticism is that I wanted to know how the outcome would have changed had Bly waited for the rails to be cleared of snow. Regardless, a great read. Definitely recommended.
Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art
by Christopher Moore
My first Christopher Moore book (2/9/2012)
I didn't know what to expect so I entered cautiously. It is unlike anything I'd read before, but in a good way. Fun story with a great dry sense of humor. I enjoyed the characters the most, particularly Henri. (I wanted to hang out with him!). Recommended.
Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth
by Lisa Napoli
Very enjoyable (2/20/2011)
One of the few books that had me nodding and smiling in agreement with the author as I read along. I was so "in sync" with the feelings and emotions Ms. Napoli used to describe her life at the mid-career point that I felt validated that I wasn't the only one who was experiencing the world the way I do. This sense of identification with an author happens very rarely for me so I really enjoyed the book. Highly recommended.
The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise: A Novel
by Julia Stuart
A delight in every way (8/12/2010)
A fantastic story told by a very talented writer with a gift of picking ideal adjectives. To wit: "capacious nostrils" and "mouthful of humiliation" -- and that's in the first 10 pages. I wish I could pay a visit to Ms. Stuart's Tower!