Nothing much happens in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. The highlight of 35-year-old Ave Maria Mulligan’s week is when the bookmobile comes to town. As the town pharmacist, she knows intimate details about the community; sometimes more than she cares to know. She’s a member of the volunteer rescue squad and leads the drama team. Imagine the excitement when Elizabeth Taylor and her husband, John Warner, come for a visit. Adriana Trigiani’s first novel concerns the family scandals that befall Ave Maria in this seemingly uneventful town. When the self-proclaimed spinster discovers a skeleton in her family’s closet, her quiet, conventional life is turned topsy-turvy. Greed, lust, and envy aren’t just […]
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BOOTH
Booth delves into the intricate history of the family connected to one of America’s most infamous figures, John Wilkes Booth. Junius Booth, a renowned British stage star, escapes with his “wife” Mary to rural Maryland despite being married to another woman. Over sixteen years, they raise ten children in a bohemian lifestyle, characterized by vegetarianism, anti-slavery beliefs, literary pursuits, and free-thinking. Junius’s constant travel for his acting career leaves Mary to care for the children and the home. His alcohol-fueled infidelity plunges Mary into severe bouts of depression, leaving the children to rely on each other. The Booths move from rural Maryland to Baltimore in 1846, where they establish themselves […]
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The New Girl
At an exclusive private school in Switzerland, mystery surrounds the identity of the girl who arrives each morning in a motorcade. She is believed to be the daughter of a wealthy international businessman. Her father is actually Khalid bin Mohammed, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Once celebrated for his daring social and religious reforms, Khalid is now reviled for his role in the murder of a dissident journalist. When his 12-year-old daughter is kidnapped, he turns to Gabriel Allon, an art restorer, and the director of Israeli intelligence for help. As always, Silva weaves a complex and multi-layered plot, filled with twists and turns. Fans of his novels will […]
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Good Enough
“Blessed are you who realize there is simply not enough—time, money, resources. Blessed are you who are tired of pretending that raw effort is the secret to perfection. It’s not. And you know that now. Blessed are you who need a gentle reminder that even now, even today, God is here, and somehow, that is good enough,”—Kate Bowler and Jessica Richier, Good Enough. In their illuminating book Good Enough, authors Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie present a series of insightful spiritual reflections designed to guide readers through the intricate maze of modern life. A New York Times bestseller, it shatters the persistent myth of relentless self-improvement, instead framing life as […]
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Beer Braised Corned Beef with Potatoes and Carrots Recipe
Beer Braised Corned Beef with Yellow Potatoes and Carrots (Serves 6-8) 1 (3-pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet 3 large garlic cloves, smashed 2 large shallots, peeled and halved 1 (12-ounce) bottles of beer, darker is better 6-7 carrots, cut into 2-inches pieces 6 yellow or red potatoes, cut into 2-inch dice Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Trim excess fat off corned beef and put in a large Dutch oven. Add the garlic, shallots, spices, and beer. Cover and braise for 3 hours, turning the meat once. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for an additional 2 hours. Slice and serve with vegetables. ** Corned […]
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The Madness of Crowd
Louise Penny just keeps getting better. The Madness of Crowds is number seventeen in her Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, and I am now just one book away from being caught up. So many books to read, too little time! As always, she’s composed a multilayered novel with the diverse, well-drawn characters I’ve come to love. It’s best to read her books in order, but she does a fine job referencing events from previous books to keep new readers in the loop. The Madness of Crowds is about man’s inhumanity to man (or woman’s inhumanity to woman, whatever the case may be). Chief Inspector Gamache’s winter holiday is interrupted […]
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Fox Creek
Another fabulous novel by Edgar winner William Kent Krueger! Fox Creek is the nineteenth installment of the Cork O’Connor series and my twenty-first book by this talented writer. Do I enjoy his work… you bet as we sat here in Minnesota! In Fox Creek, Cork races against time to save his wife Rainy, Ojibwe healer Henry Meloux, and a mysterious woman from violent mercenaries. Dolores Morriseau has come to Henry for guidance. When men fill the woods trying to capture her, Meloux leads them to safety deep in his beloved Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Well over 100 years old, he must do his best to outwit the mercenaries who […]
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Mercury Pictures Presents Review
This family saga follows Maria Lagana from Mussolini’s Italy to 1940s Los Angeles. As a child in Rome, her father takes her to the cinema instead of church and she develops a lifelong passion for films. When Giuseppe is arrested and imprisoned by for subversive activities against the fascist regime, Maria and her mother Maria immigrate to safety in Los Angeles. Maria rises from the typing pool to associate producer at Mercury Pictures, a creator of B-movies. The studio is always on the verge of bankruptcy and under the thumb of the Production Code for affronting the sensibilities of the movie-going public. “I can’t show a husband and wife faithfully […]
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