Nazi hunters pursue The Huntress in tale of revenge

Lynda Davis
March 12, 2019
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As a fan of historical fiction, I just love it when I get my hands on a book I can't put down. That was the case with The Huntress by New York Times bestselling author Kate Quinn, who also wrote The Alice Network. The story links three disparate female characters and a British journalist from different backgrounds in a series of events that take place between the early 1940s and early 1950s. The author has drawn from the lives of real people and events to create a mystery that gets resolved by…

Becoming Michelle Obama is inspirational and insightful

Lynda Davis
February 22, 2019
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How does a lowly little blogger like me properly do justice to a lady like Michelle Obama? Santa brought me a hardcover copy of her memoir "Becoming" and although it was a hefty read, it was worth it. Like Tara Westover (author of Educated) and J.D. Vance (author of Hillbilly Elegy), Michelle Robinson Obama is a product of humble beginnings and hard work, always a fascinating subject for me. While she didn't endure the same challenges as Westover or Vance, she faced the constant underlying obstacle of being born black in…

Reese Witherspoon’s Whiskey in a Tea Cup is delicious beyond words

Lynda Davis
January 14, 2019
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Every so often we come across a book that is total escapism. When I read Hollywood actor Reese Witherspoon's Whiskey in a Tea Cup I was released into a world of southern ladies preparing high-calorie comfort foods and relaxing on wide, breezy porches sipping mint juleps. The title is a metaphor for strong southern ladies in delicate, feminine packaging. Same idea as steel magnolias. This is one of those books that embraces you right from the get-go. It's a combination of lifestyle, memoir, decorating, fashion, culture and down-home cooking in…

Old Victorian house is major character in Barbara Kingsolver novel

Lynda Davis
December 28, 2018
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When I read Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible (which I absolutely loved) several years ago, it was the first time I'd heard of the author and immediately became a fan. Her newest book, Unsheltered is not quite as engrossing but it's still a wonderful read. It's the story of life's plan not working out quite the way the characters hoped it would but coping and adapting along the way. Normal life. Willa Knox is a middle-aged science writer married to a university professor who never quite makes the tenure track.…

Princess Margaret comes alive once again in detailed tell-all

Lynda Davis
December 17, 2018
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If you're someone who enjoys reading salacious gossip about royalty, then you'll love Ninety-nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret written by British author and journalist Craig Brown. To be honest, when I downloaded the book, I thought it was a picture book—a photographic retrospective of the life of the Queen's younger sister. The title was a bit misleading. As it turns out, there were relatively few pictures and hundreds of pages of stories, observations, first-hand accounts and general information about Princess Margaret, her lifestyle, her friends, enemies and her vices. And…

For a good time . . . read Adam Resnick

Lynda Davis
December 9, 2018
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I've just finished reading Adam Resnick's autobiographical Will Not Attend, Lively Stories of Detachment and Isolation. Resnick, who dislikes socializing (hence the title) and considers himself a misfit sounds like a downer but it's laugh-out-loud funny. His writing reminded me of David Sedaris. The author's self-deprecating humour and gift for understatement leaves the reader sympathetic and understanding of his struggles in life, while at the same time rooting for him throughout his misadventures. Children from large families often have correspondingly large personalities. Perhaps it's the result of competing for parental…

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