Star-Crossed Intensity: White Fur by Jardine Libaire

June 25, 2017

  Jamey and Elise were never meant to be together. And yet, the universe seems to have orchestrated a collision between the Yale-attending heir to a  sizeable fortune and the mysterious vagrant with disheveled braids and thickly-lined eyes, all while equally-powerful forces attempt to rip them from their hard-won bliss. A Reagan-era, adrenaline and sex-fueled Romeo and Juliet, White Fur brings the … More Star-Crossed Intensity: White Fur by Jardine Libaire

Jasmine

June 15, 2017

There was something definitively depressing about the beach. A combination of nostalgiac regret and reminders of one’s mortality and insignificance. Every sound and smell was a reminder of the unrelenting passage of time. These were thoughts she didn’t voice aloud. The day had started out auspiciously enough, with a cloudless sky and a trip to … More Jasmine

Othello on the Playground: New Boy by Tracy Chevalier

June 9, 2017

Yes, you read that correctly: Othello on the Playground! In New Boy , the latest and quite possibly the greatest in the Hogarth Shakespeare collection, famed author Tracy Chevalier transforms the Shakespearean tragedy into an elementary school saga, rife with nostalgia and heartbreak. Chevalier expands upon the themes of Othello- racism, jealousy, and revenge, to name … More Othello on the Playground: New Boy by Tracy Chevalier

A Mother’s Grief Transformed Through the Gospel of John: His Last Words by Kim Erickson

June 4, 2017

  One night Kim’s beautiful, blonde three-year-old son went to sleep. And never woke up. During a time of utter despair, Kim found Christ and began to study the gospel. In His Last Words, she draws upon her insight as a grieving mother and fledgling Christian (at the time), to lead women through a biblical study … More A Mother’s Grief Transformed Through the Gospel of John: His Last Words by Kim Erickson

Daisy

June 3, 2017

-Daisy- None of them seemed to grasp the severity of the situation. She was withering away and they were flitting past her like hummingbirds, planning cruises and complaining about Pinterest baking fails. How could they be that blind to the inevitable conclusion? Her inevitable conclusion. Perhaps they weren’t and this was their way of coping. … More Daisy

Brilliant Stories from a Brilliant Mind: The Topless Widow of Herkimer Street by Jacob M. Appel

May 31, 2017

  Man, oh man- this gentleman is brilliant! I might have guessed an “American author, bioethicist, physician, lawyer and social critic” according to Wikipedia, would produce some stellar writing, but still wasn’t prepared for how fully invested I’d be in each story in Jacob M. Appel’s The Topless Widow of Herkimer Street! The characters are … More Brilliant Stories from a Brilliant Mind: The Topless Widow of Herkimer Street by Jacob M. Appel

Violet

May 30, 2017

-Violet- There were various elements at play. The weather. Her work schedule. How she will feel about herself at that particular moment in time. She cannot simply commit to going. If she can say maybe, she’ll say that, but any more commitment needed and her response will be a resounding no, out of sheer necessity. … More Violet

Exploring the Most Important Job in Washington: The Gatekeepers by Chris Whipple

May 17, 2017

I have to fess up to being a neophyte when it comes to politics and political history. I’d be pretty hard pressed to tell you much about the goings on in Washington any farther back than ten years, given that I was barely out of school then and had little interest or predilection for the … More Exploring the Most Important Job in Washington: The Gatekeepers by Chris Whipple