Hannah Meadows finds herself in a traumatic dilemma. Her sister won’t talk to her. Her grandson, Billy, is in police custody and she has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. The neighborhood is overrun with intimidating young hoodlums, gangs of uncontrolled teenagers. Plagued recently with the nagging guilt of a well-kept secret of her past [ Read More ]
In his novel, The Glass Room, Simon Mawer starts with a picture of privilege. Through that he explores human relationships, families, history, sexuality and change, to list just a few of the elements and themes that feature. Not only does he blend these and other penetrating ideas, he also consistently and utterly engages the reader, [ Read More ]
No matter how sharp the sight, it is a human condition to see others perfectly but not oneself, unless a mirror is held in front of a person. The protagonist Clare Ballinger, in Queen of Broken Hearts, is such a person, and the ones who hold the mirror for her are her family and friends. [ Read More ]
Feeling rejectedMost people avoid rejection as much as they can. Some people feel more rejected than others. Also, the term “rejection” can mean different things to a different person. For someone just a simple word “No” means rejections, and for others “Breaking Up” or “I hate you” means rejection. If you are overly sensitive person, [ Read More ]
Introduction Rusty Miles never had a real identity. I was that “Little Miles” kid, youngest of “The three Rs,” Rita, Robert, and Russell. My parents were somewhat older than those of most of my friend’s. When we moved to Izee, I wondered why Dad wouldn’t play baseball, like the other men in the logging camp. [ Read More ]
Patrick Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle is an unusual, highly original account of life in a Northern Ireland Catholic household. Written from the point of view of Paddy, the eldest son, aged ten, of the Clarke family, it draws the reader through a particular experience of childhood. There is a child’s wonder at [ Read More ]
Untold Stories by Alan Bennett is something of a potpourri. It starts with an autobiographical exploration of social and family origins, and then moves on to include occasional pieces on travel, architecture and art, copious diaries from 1996 to 2004, reflections on previous and current work and essays on contemporaries, educational experience and culture. The [ Read More ]
A Tribute to Harry, A Man of Integrity Karen Arlettaz Zemek pays tribute to her father Harry Arlettaz in her book “My Funny Dad, Harry.” This biographical memoir is filled with short funny stories and poignant memories about life with Harry, his family, and his cats. Harry was well-known as a man of integrity, discipline, [ Read More ]
Most everyone has an inspirational person in their life. A teacher, a relative or mentor that helps to give direction to us as we fumble and negotiate our perilous way through life. For me, that person was my sister Esther. Truth be told, she was more like a mother to me. Making sure that her [ Read More ]
“Right Fit Wrong Shoe” is a Bollywood-style filmi love story between a dashing boy and a sizzling girl next-door, Nandini and Aditya. The story line is very predictable, depicting typical chemistry between a boy and a girl set in the small town of Kanpur. Nandini’s family and Aditya’s family are old family friends and their [ Read More ]
