When I came up with the idea for this year’s Witch Week theme, the first book that sprang to mind was American Gods by Neil Gaiman. In its exploration of the gods and demons brought to these shores by immigrants from many lands, written by a transplanted Brit with a deep knowledge and appreciation of […]
…Witch Week, when there is so much magic around in the world that all sorts of peculiar things happen… —from Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones Welcome to the third annual Witch Week, an opportunity to celebrate our favorite fantasy books and authors. This year we’re focusing on the theme Made in America, and I […]
This is just a quick announcement to say that I’m delighted to have been invited by Katie of Doing Dewey to be one of the hosts for Nonfiction November this year! I’ll be hosting the discussion and linkup for the last week, November 28 – December 2: New To My TBR. I’ll be busy during […]
This month was largely spent getting ready for Witch Week — and that’s also why I’m posting this a bit early, as this coming Sunday the excitement will begin. Some of the books I reviewed this month would be perfect for that event, so I hope you’ll check them out. Reviews Swim That Rock was […]
I’m so fortunate to have several publishers who send me review copies on a regular basis, and I want to do them justice by at least cracking them open for review consideration. However, fall seems to be an especially busy time all around, both for the publishers and for me, so I’ve been getting terribly […]
It’s almost here! Witch Week will start in one week with a preview and master post on October 30, and then the real fun will begin on Halloween, October 31. What is Witch Week? It’s the week between Halloween and Guy Fawkes Day, and the term comes from the book of that title by Diana […]
Peter S. Beagle, Summerlong (2016) The Puget Sound setting and mythological overtones of Peter S. Beagle’s new novel, Summerlong, made it sound irresistible to me — and it turned out to be a lovely end-of-summer read. A long-term unmarried couple, one living in Seattle and the other across the water on Gardner Island, find their […]
John Updike, The Witches of Eastwick (1984) When I said I planned to read The Witches of Eastwick for the Reading New England challenge, I also said I didn’t expect to enjoy it — and I was right, I didn’t. So this is going to be one of the rare times on this blog when […]
We’re in the final stretch of the Reading New England challenge, and some participants have already met their goals and shared updates on their progress. However, even if you’re late to the party, you can still take part by reading just one book, or participate in our readalong in December (details to be announced soon). […]
Alexandra Risen, Unearthed (2016) Subtitled “Love, Acceptance, and Other Lessons from an Abandoned Garden,” Unearthed is a gardening memoir that will appeal even to non-gardeners (like me). To start with, there’s the chance to vicariously experience taking an unloved, abandoned place and turning it into a magical place of refuge and healing — without having […]