Posts by Kimberly Sullivan
Picture-perfect, lakeside Hallstatt, Austria
If you visit this idyllic, little village in the Salzammergut region of Upper Austria, you’ll be forgiven for wanting to chase all the tourists out and have this beautiful spot all to yourself. That must be how the fewer than 950 locals feel each summer as the hordes invade this pretty Austrian town on the…
Read MoreBook review: A Hundred Summers
Plot in a nutshell: Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Years later, boy returns into girl’s life, now married to girl’s best friend. Classic story, but it’s what the author does with it. This wonderful debut novel by Beatriz Williams is told in alternating story lines. The first unrolls in 1931 as smart, ambitious Smith…
Read MoreThe medieval town of Radicòfani, Tuscany
Tuscany is a pretty gorgeous region, with so much to see and do. I have the chance to get up to one pretty corner of Tuscany each summer when my son attends a track and field camp in the pretty medieval town of Abbadia di San Salvatore. It’s a great chance to visit the rolling…
Read MoreWant a workout for your brain? Read a novel.
As (obsessive) readers, we all know how a novel can amuse us and transport us. But did you know novel reading also provides a workout for your brain? There’s a short, interesting article in the LA Times about brain research showing how our mind reacts to novel reading. College students were all provided with a…
Read MoreReason #5384 to love Rome: Palazzo Brancaccio and the Asian Art Museum
Rome has so many not-to-be-missed museums, that sometimes it’s hard to get around to the lesser known ones. But if you are a frequent visitor to Rome, and looking for something different, why not stop off to see the Asian Art collection in the Palazzo Brancaccio on Via Merulana? Officially it’s called the Museo Nazionale…
Read MoreRereading Little House on the Prairie
I read Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder when I was a little girl, and, like most kids my age, I loved it. I devoured the whole series, and also enjoyed the television series of the time. Years later, my own son saw it in a bookstore back on a visit to New…
Read MoreWatching Old Faithful erupt, Yellowstone National Park
Last week, I wrote a post about the fabulous and atmospheric Old Faithful Inn, the world’s biggest log cabin, and the lodging found just across from the iconic Old Faithful geyser of Yellowstone National park. I’m certain that all visitors to Yellowstone eventually find their way to Old Faithful, the park’s most famous geyser, erupting…
Read MoreBook review: The Good Girl
This psychological thriller by Mary Kubica is being promoted for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on The Train. This isn’t my normal genre, but I was curious to read this book after reading about it and finding the plot intriguing. I’d read both Gone Girl and The Girl on The Train. Despite being…
Read MoreThe biggest log building in the world : The Old Faithful Inn
The Old Faithful Inn, the iconic lodge of Yellowstone National Park, was built in 1903-1904 (started in the winter, if you can imagine) and today is a national historic landmark. It is located just across the Old Faithful geyser. The structure was built entirely with local logs and stones, and it is considered the largest…
Read MoreElena Ferrante on bending writing rules
“I use plots, yes, but, I have to say, I can’t respect the rules of genres.” —Elena Ferrante Successful, anonymous author Elena Ferrante certainly has the right to devise books any way she chooses. The Italian novelist (male or female, we don’t know, but my money’s on female) became an international bestseller with her ‘Neapolitan…
Read More