Chef-A-Rella by Marie Agerton
I picked up the kindle version of this book when it was offered for free. It is a lovely book about a princess who wants to be a chef and not to dance ballet. All princesses learn ballet, but this princess would much rather make a curry or a crème brule. Her mother is a little more traditional so there is some conflict. The main family are a family of color, and the family is presented as a loving one for all members. The […]
Miracle in the Cave by Liam Cochrane
Miracle in the Cave is about the Wild Boars and their rescue from Tham Luang. Cochrane covered the rescue for the Australia Broadcasting Corporation. The book gives a brief background of the boys and football coach – some of whom were stateless at the time. I don’t usually read such quickly or timely released books. This came as part of a My Book Box selection. Cochrane’s account is good for a couple reasons. The first is he that he brings to light lesser known aspects […]
Portraits without Frames by Lev Ozerov
The free verse poems do seem to do what the title of the book suggests – draw a portrait of the various artists, authors, poets, dancers and so on without using paint. I would have enjoyed it more if I knew who more of the artists were. I also wish there had been a bit more historical notes – considering how many of those dealt with in the book were killed on Night of the Murdered Poets maybe explaining that event say. However, in […]
For Better and Worse by Margot Hunt
The plot idea behind this book is good. It’s really interesting, but as it is used in this book, it doesn’t quite work. Possible spoilers, though I will try to keep it non-spoilerish. The book opens with a couple on a first date, talking about how, since they are smart, they could get away with killing someone. Then we jump to years later where said couple -Will and Nat (short for Natalie) are married with a young son and the marriage might not be doing […]
Practical Magic for Beginners by Brandy Williams
I recently started getting into an actual magical practice. I’ve had an interest in it for years but never but never seriously practiced it. Since a lot of books on magic can be pretty esoteric, I wanted bare bones basic book to give me a general idea of where to start. Practical Magic for Beginners did a nice job of that. It begins with short exercises designed to improve focus and direct your energy works up to some basic rituals that you can personalize and […]
Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck (translated by Susan Bernofsky)
Time does something to a person, because a human being isn’t a machine that can be switched on and off. The time during which a person doesn’t know how his life can become a life fills a person condemned to idleness from his head down to his toes. Go, Went, Gone is a carefully crafted, meticulously researched novel that feels as natural as walking down the street. Protagonist Richard is a newly retired professor of Classics and a childless widower. As a former East Berliner […]
