Category Archives: Arts & Culture

This book is about a boy with magical powers named Harry. Maybe you’ve heard of him. I thought that this was the best book of the series thus far. I’ve liked all of the books so far, but this one provided more information, more characters and side adventures that made this book a lot of fun. Five stars from me. Continue reading →

I enjoyed all of the characters, especially the lead, Katey Kontent, and a time and place that I am interested in. New York in the 1930s. I loved this book. I can’t wait to read another Towles-penned book, “A Gentleman in Moscow.” Continue reading →

Homer is blind and he serves as the narrator, so you are getting a very unique perspective of events. His brother, Langley begins accumulating newspapers of historic events by categories, historic slots. Based on a true story, the pair do not leave home, but somehow the world over the decades comes to visit them in their stately manor from the Great Depression to Vietnam. Continue reading →

The book, a prequel to “The Shadow of the Wind,” is set in Barcelona and again features the very special and mysterious Cemetery of Forgotten Books. There is also a love interest, a villain who just might be the devil and a creepy house that is absolutely evil. Oh, and a delightful sidekick. The plot is elaborate. The New York Times called it a “flamboyant pulp epic … with a fair number of violent deaths.” Continue reading →

This is a contemplative, philosophical series of essays about why we travel and what we get out of the experience. The author discusses the rituals of travel. This book is about the little details. The feeling that you get when you see signage in a different language, different font. The departure board in the Frankfurt airport. He also looks at the art of travel through the eyes of artists throughout history like Edward Hopper, Baudelaire, Wordsworth and Van Gogh. Continue reading →

I really found this book to be inspirational and that’s a good thing since it is a self-help book on living a more creative life. She writes about how we must do the things we love the most to have a fulfilling life, which, yes, seems obvious, but most self-help books tell you things you already know. This book provides the inspiration. Continue reading →

“The Princess Diarist” is about Carrie Fisher’s romance with Harrison Ford during the making of the first Star Wars movie. I liked the intro and the summary, but wasn’t enamored with the diary entries from 1976 in the middle, which makes up the bulk of the book. Continue reading →