Maid of Secrets comes out today, and I’m thrilled to share my thoughts on this engaging, historical tale that captured my imagination and made me long for a sequel. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC a few months ago, and as a dyed-in-the-wool history nerd, always on the alert for original perspectives from … Continue reading
Maureen Johnson has done it again in her spectacularly haunting follow up to The Name of the Star. Rory is trying to convince her family and psychiatrist that she is perfectly fine, after surviving a near death experience at the hands of the Ripper killer (although she has to keep the fact that he was … Continue reading
“For most of human history, ‘literature,’ both fiction and poetry, has been narrated, not written — heard, not read. So fairy tales, folk tales, stories from the oral tradition, are all of them the most vital connection we have with the imaginations of the ordinary men and women whose labor created our world.” – Angela … Continue reading
“When one reads of a witch being dunked, of a woman possessed by devils, of a wise woman selling herbs, or even of a very remarkable man who had a mother, then I think we are on the track of a lost novelist, a suppressed poet, of some mute and inglorious Jane Austen, some Emily … Continue reading
When I think of the quintessential library, I inevitably think of the Bodleian Library at Oxford University. During my first college spring break I ventured to London with two close friends. We had many eye-opening experiences in and around the city itself, but the last day of our trip we decided to take a bus … Continue reading
I love history. And when I travel, I like to explore the corners of history that before, I’ve only been able to read about in books. When I went to Spain last winter, it was during the New Year and it was spectacularly cold. Many museums and restaurants were closed in Madrid for the extended … Continue reading
“Though now we think of fairy tales as stories intended for very young children, this is a relatively modern idea. In the oral tradition, magical stories were enjoyed by listeners young and old alike, while literary fairy tales (including most of the tales that are best known today) were published primarily for adult readers until … Continue reading
On Sunday morning, coincidentally the first day in April, I came across this extraordinary news while scanning my inbox! The British Library had recently discovered a rare medieval cookbook in their holdings that had apparently been lost to the ages. Proclaiming that the book contains recipes for blackbirds, hedgehogs and even unicorns, the article went … Continue reading
I find that tea is the perfect accompaniment for reading. I love having a fresh pot next to my book. Drinking tea while reading informs the whole process, leading me to savor each word and moment created on the page. There’s the careful balancing act that goes along with it, tea, page, tea, page, etc. … Continue reading
