When the Apricots Bloom by Gina WilkersonThis novel is set in Iraq during Saddam Hussein’s regime. The author spent 10 years in Iraq and writes from her experience. It is hard to be a woman in Iraq. Secrets and political pressure to be informants create a crisis for three women.…
Last Saturday my daughter and I went on a garden walk sponsored by a garden club. We visited five homes with elaborately kept gardens. After hard work the home owners had achieved a theme for their garden. We saw cottage gardens, a garden focused on native plants, a garden with…
The first books I read by Rhys Bowen were the Molly Murphy mysteries. Molly, an Irish immigrant, becomes an investigator in New York City at the beginning of the 20th century. I have read every book in the series except the newly released one, Vanished in the Crowd, by Rhys and her…
During a gift exchange last Christmas, I received a little book, Dandelion Medicine by Brigitte Mars. The book has chapters on foraging, growing and harvesting dandelions. It also has chapters on the medicinal properties of the plant, recipes for both tea and vegetable dishes. The dandelions are beginning to bloom in my lawn,…
Recently I watched a documentary about Alexander Hamilton, learning about his contribution to our country and the tragic death of his son, as well as his own untimely death. When I noticed the book, My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, at the library, I picked it up. It…
In this Lenten season my husband and I are reading a devotion each evening from 40 Lives in 40 Days: Experiencing God’s Grace through the Bible’s Most Compelling Characters by John MacArthur. On Sunday mornings we have a class discussing the devotions. Other books have taken me around the world. I have…
In the books I have read recently, characters have shared bits of wisdom. I enjoy novels and especially if there are good insights about life. Here is an example from each book. The Winds Further West by Alexander McCall Smith. Usually, the books I pick by Alexander McCall Smith are…
Olia Hercules has written a memoir that gives insight into a family’s life experience in Ukraine. I came across the book, Strong Roots, on the shelf of new releases (2025) at the library. I don’t often read memoir but I was drawn to this book. Hercules is a chef. I enjoyed…
Chocolate is my favorite sweet treat. Sometimes I will have a bit while reading a book. But that is dangerous. Chocolate tends to melt on fingers and soon there is a smudge on a page that must be quickly addressed. My worst disaster with a book was not caused by…
My husband, my sister and I spent a week in Upper Michigan, enjoying the brisk breeze bringing the fall season. Each day the color of fluttering leaves became more vibrant. It was a visual treat as we worked—we had chores to do because we were closing the house for the…