Penguins, Personal Growth… and a Plot You’ve Seen Before

How the Penguins Saved Veronica is one of those light, feel-good reads that’s easy to pick up—but a little harder to fully love. The story alternates between Veronica, a wealthy, prickly loner, and Patrick, a directionless young man. For much of the book, neither is especially likable. Veronica is sharp-tongued and judgmental; Patrick is immature and self-absorbed. It takes a while—honestly, about two-thirds of the way through—before either begins to win you over. The premise is undeniably charming, even if it stretches believability. Antarctica makes for a fresh, icy backdrop, and the penguin scenes are the highlight—sweet, informative, and often the emotional glue holding the story together. You’ll even come […]

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April Reads

A new month is upon us, fellow bibliophiles, which means it’s time to post what I read in April. There weren’t any 5-star winners, but there were no real duds either. In all the years I’ve been rating books, I’ve only given two 2-stars reviews—one because of grammatical errors and the other because of objectionable content. As an author I know how hard it is to write a book, and I think most books deserve at least three stars (unless a book is self-published, and then it’s no holds barred). April turned out to be a wonderful mix of genres: mystery, thriller, historical fiction, and memoir. I laughed out loud, […]

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