Archive for May 2021
Book review: The Guest List
This is the third Lucy Foley I’ve read, and it is most definitely her best. This mystery novel set on a remote, wild island off the coast of western Ireland digs deeps into the psyches of its multiple point of view characters, and the slow reveals keep the story moving quickly and maintain reader interest…
Read MoreA spring stroll in seaside Sperlonga
Like many, I’m thoroughly sick of the semi-lockdown mode that has kept my family so close to home. Therefore, on Mother’s Day, my younger son and I decided to take advantage of the spectacular, summer-like weather to go visit one of our favorite beach getaways – Sperlonga. I’ve written many times about pretty, whitewashed Sperlonga,…
Read MoreBook review: The Flat Share
I had heard about this novel that had been a runaway success, and was curious to read this feel-good, romantic comedy for myself. This is the story of two quirky young Londoners who both share a common challenge one would imagine is well understood by many a city dweller. How to afford living in London…
Read MoreLonely tourists in the Marche’s Ancona
I’ve already written about weekend trips we made to Ancona, in Italy’s Marche region, for my son’s indoor track season. Previously I wrote posts about the city’s bustling port, its Duomo perched at a panoramic point and its indoor track. Since we were here in semi-lockdown state, we wandered this strangely deserted city, almost entirely…
Read MoreBeach reading season 2021 officially begins (at least for me)!
Sometimes you have to celebrate the small pleasures in life. This past year has certainly taught us as much. I have always taken pleasure in the first day of spring in which I venture out to the beach, armed with the latest novel I’m reading. Staking out my spot in the sand never gets old.…
Read MoreA springtime stroll along Rome’s Tiber River
Springtime is one of the most beautiful seasons in Italy’s capital. This year, with so many exhausted from endless lockdowns and COVID-weary, the tempting spring warmth is beckoning, and Romans are eager to get out an enjoy a walk through the city. Not surprisingly, the walkways along the Tiber River are full in these days.…
Read MoreMargaret Atwood on book reviews by authors
I think of reviewing like giving blood: some day you might need some yourself. -Margaret Atwood I liked this Twitter comment from Canadian author Margaret Atwood. This was in response to a person who suggested that authors – especially famous authors – should recognize their success and pay it forward by writing book reviews for…
Read MoreMore Big 10 Football at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
I can’t write about one pillar of Big 10 Football without writing about its rival. Last week I wrote about Columbus, Ohio’s campus of Ohio State University, tremendously famous for its impressive football team. As luck would have it, its biggest sports rival is just a three hour drive due north in Ann Arbor, Michigan.…
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