Bombay Anna: The Real Story and Remarkable Adventures of the King and I Governess. Susan Morgan. 2008. University of California Press. 300 pages. A few weeks ago, I read and reviewed The English Governess and the Siamese Court. I found it boring and confusing. This biography of Anna Leonowens seeks to tell the “real story” [...]
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Catherine (2013)
Posted by on May 22nd, 2013
Catherine. April Lindner. 2013. Little, Brown. 320 pages. I enjoyed April Lindner’s retelling of Jane Eyre entitled Jane. But I really, really LOVED her retelling of Wuthering Heights. I was surprised because I really do not like Wuthering Heights. I just do not see it as romantic or giddy-making. I don’t see the appeal. But [...]
This is What Happy Looks Like (2013)
Posted by on May 21st, 2013
This is What Happy Looks Like. Jennifer E. Smith. 2013. Little, Brown. 404 pages. This is the third novel I’ve read by Jennifer E. Smith. I’ve also reviewed The Comeback Season and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. I loved them both in very different ways. She is definitely an author I’d recommend [...]
Sunday Salon: Reading Emily of New Moon (1923)
Posted by on May 20th, 2013
Emily of New Moon. L.M. Montgomery. 1923. Bantam. 352 pages. Have you met Emily Starr? Fifteen years after introducing children to the oh-so-lovable Anne Shirley, L.M. Montgomery introduces another young orphan to the world: Emily Starr. While Anne Shirley had no memories of her parents, Emily Starr remembers her father very well. In fact, readers [...]
The Daughter of Time (1951)
Posted by on May 19th, 2013
The Daughter of Time. (Inspector Grant #5). Josephine Tey. 1955/1995. Touchstone. 206 pages. I reread books. I do. I can’t help myself. If I truly love a book, then I’ll reread it again and again. I’ve now read Josephine Tey’s mystery novel, The Daughter of Time, three times. I’ve wanted to reread it even more [...]
Penny and Her Marble (2013)
Posted by on May 17th, 2013
Penny and Her Marble. Kevin Henkes. 2013. HarperCollins. 48 pages. Penny was pushing her doll, Rose, in her stroller. They went back and forth on the front sidewalk. “Only go as far as Mrs. Goodwin’s house,” called Mama. Penny pretended they were in a big city. “Look at the tall buildings, Rose,” said Penny. When [...]
Kept in the Dark (1882)
Posted by on May 16th, 2013
Kept in the Dark. Anthony Trollope. 1882. 512 pages. I love, love, love Anthony Trollope. Kept in the Dark is a novel about relationships. Cecilia Holt, our heroine, when we first meet her is engaged to be married to Sir Francis Geraldine. While she was madly in love with him for a few brief weeks, [...]
The League of Frightened Men (1935)
Posted by on May 15th, 2013
The League of Frightened Men. Rex Stout. 1935. Bantam. 320 pages. This is the second novel in Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe mystery series. I am not reading the series in order, and I have preferred some of his later books in the series to the first two in the series. In this mystery, Nero Wolfe [...]
Ozma of Oz (1907)
Posted by on May 14th, 2013
Ozma of Oz. L. Frank Baum. 1907. 126 pages. Ozma of Oz is certainly an interesting and enjoyable read! This third novel in the Oz series sees Dorothy returning to a magical land; Oz is not the first destination she reaches, however. Instead of a dog, Dorothy’s companion is a chicken. One of the reasons [...]
Sunday Salon: Reading The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904)
Posted by on May 13th, 2013
The Marvelous Land of Oz. L. Frank Baum. 1904. 192 pages. I definitely enjoyed the second book in L. Frank Baum’s Oz series. This second book has some old friends–the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman–and some new friends–Tip, Jack Pumpkinhead, Sawhorse, and Gump. I suppose the “thoroughly educated wogglebug” might count as a friend, he [...]
