Posts by Kimberly Sullivan
Book review: Miss Iceland
I picked this novel up in a bookstore this past summer. I liked the cover and the book blurb, and I liked that it was translated from Icelandic. I’m always eager to discover good translated literature. Luckily, this was a great discovery. Miss Iceland is the sixth novel by Icelandic novelist Audur Ava Ólafsdóttir. Miss…
Read MoreA needed breath of fresh (mountain) air in Abruzzo
In the familiar tradition of all things related with 2020, autumn sucked… Usually, I make efforts to get out to our mountain escape in Abruzzo, enjoying the autumn foliage, hiking and mountain biking with my family. But 2020 has ruined all our beloved traditions, so it’s no surprise it also hampered my mountain getaways. Nevertheless,…
Read MoreA shout out to all you 2020 Nanoers out there!
It’s rolled around once again. November – the month writers anticipate/fear/loathe – especially those who participate in the annual National Nove Writing Month challenge, or NaNo or NaNoWriMo for short. The challenge is this: Write a 50,000 word novel in one month. Do so by putting your nose to the grindstone and throwing out your…
Read MoreExploring Morgantown, West Virginia – home of the Mountaineers
This past summer in the US, I had a long, solo drve back from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Washington, DC, and wanted to break up the drive and explore someplace new to me. Am I glad I selected Morgantown, West Virginia. Morgantown was previously unknown to me. Clearly, I don’t follow Big 12 college football.…
Read MoreEnjoying a book in the mountains before Lockdown II
It’s starting again. Back in the spring, Italy had its big Corona virus lockdown. Now that cases are ticking up again, there’s been talk of a repeat. We have a little place in the mountains of Abruzzo we often visit in the autumn for hiking and biking escapes. The threat of another lockdown, and the…
Read MoreWest Virginia’s stunning Cooper’s Rock State Forest
There’s a great expression in Italian: La fame viene mangiando. It literally means Hunger arrives as you’re eating, and it perfectly sums up the attitude of that food-obsessed country. I always thought a similar expression for travel would work well in the same vein: Wanderlust viene viaggiando (Wanderlust arrives as you’re traveling). That certainly sums…
Read MoreShould I take voting advice from a beach reads author? Should you?
‘Tis the electoral season, but this site is not about politics. That’s not to say I am not deeply interested in politics. I am. My undergraduate degree is in political science and history, and I started interning in politics at the tender age of 16 – and have worked in all branches of government at…
Read MoreAlong the shores of Lake Erie at Ohio’s Maumee Bay State Park
I was in Ohio this past summer with plans to drive up to Ann Arbor, Michigan when I saw a documentary about America’s Great Lakes. One of the amazing facts I learned way back in school (and the promptly forgot) was repeated on this show – how the Great Lakes comprise almost 20% of the…
Read MoreBook review: Critical Incidents
I discovered UK author Lucie Whitehouse with her first novel, and have since read all the novels she’s published. I always enjoy her writing, although the qualty of the novels has varied, and at times I’ve felt it diffcult to really get into the mindset of her protagonists or to fully suspend disbelief for some…
Read MoreOf gods and athletes : Rome’s Stadio dei marmi
I spend an inordinate amount of time hanging out at tracks. My younger son is a track and field junkie athlete, and I would suspect there are few tracks in central Italy in which I have not spent a fair amount of time. So, as a track mum with years of experience, you can trust…
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