Maureen Burdock traces the emotions and events of her life in Germany and the US in her excellent graphic memoir "Queen of Snails". From her perspective as an adult, prompted by her mother’s death, Burdock looks back on the twists and... Read More
A troubled girl learns how to be a stable, contented woman in Lisa Russ Spaar’s novel "Paradise Close". After spending six months in a psychiatric institution, fourteen-year-old Marlise finds herself alone in Paradise Close, her family... Read More
The engrossing short stories of Cara Hoffman’s "Ruin" are at once familiar and otherworldly. These arresting, disorienting stories demand attention, like the “image of a mirror that reflects another mirror.” In one tale, a... Read More
Based on the true story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, Anni Domingo’s epic historical novel honors the unbreakable bond between two sisters who are captured by slavers in a vicious raid on their African village, sold, and sent to two... Read More
"Risky Restoration" is a romance novel whose trio of girlfriends deal with relationship issues, pushing through their fears to get what they want. In E. F. Dodd’s romance novel "Risky Restoration", a woman still reeling from an old... Read More
In Gioia Diliberto’s fascinating historical novel "Coco at the Ritz", Coco Chanel, the French couture icon, becomes enmeshed with Nazi occupiers. In 1944, Chanel, who was in her early sixties, was interrogated. She was suspected of... Read More
Shelly Tygielski’s "Sit Down to Rise Up" shows how mindfulness builds transformative communities. In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, Tygielski began combating her isolation with community. Her book on doing the same is... Read More
In "Our Oldest Companions", Pat Shipman delves into the history of canine domestication, marveling that dogs have chosen to associate with humans. Focusing on coevolution and the dingoes of Australia, she illuminates “how mutually... Read More