I’ve written before about the Woodneath Branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library and The Story Center located in this facility. This and the many other libraries in Kansas City are wonderful resources for our community. For the past several years, the Woodneath library has sponsored a Romance Genre Conference (known […]
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A Book My Mother Gave Me: The Thorn Birds
My mother’s birthday would have been later this week, and so I’ve been thinking a lot about her. One of the things I think about is all the books we read and discussed. Both of us loved reading all our lives, from the time we first could read until, in […]
Continue readingAnnouncing New Website for Readers: Of Books and Nooks
I have teamed up with a group of Kansas City area authors to launch a new website where readers can come together and explore books and more. Of Books and Nooks is ready for your reading enjoyment, so come check us out. Find the profiles of the authors sponsoring this […]
Continue readingA Dozen Haunting Books for 2021
I have usually devoted at least one October post to “haunting books,” because October is both National Book Month and the month we celebrate Halloween. This year, I have a long list of books I’ve read in the last twelve months that could be considered haunting. I’ve winnowed the group […]
Continue readingInterview and Book Review: PARIS IN RUINS, by M.K. Tod
I’m always curious about the reasons other historical fiction writers are drawn to the genre. I have friends who write about Kansas City’s past and others who write about places they have traveled (France, Mongolia, and Hong Kong, for example). M.K. Tod’s latest novel, Paris in Ruins, is set in […]
Continue readingNew Books by Kansas City Area Authors
Books by local authors make great holiday gifts. Many of these books will be unknown to the recipients, and readers can discover new authors to read and enjoy. I don’t have a new book published in 2020 under my name, but here are some books published this year by other […]
Continue readingHits and Misses in Other Book Clubs
I wrote in my last post about one of my book clubs, the one I call the Best Book Club Ever. But I am also in two other book clubs at the moment, and they each have their benefits as well. A year ago (in pre-pandemic days), I joined a […]
Continue readingHits and Misses of the Best Book Club Ever
Traditionally, in October, National Book Month, I have posted about “haunting books”—books that have stayed with me after I read them. This month, I thought I’d focus on what I’ve been forced to read because of my participation in various book clubs. Left to my own devices, I would probably […]
Continue readingWhat My Mother Read To Me: THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD
One of the earliest books that I remember my mother reading to me was The Little Engine That Could. I went online to see if I could find the cover of the edition she read to my younger brother and me, but I couldn’t be sure which one it was. […]
Continue readingHome-Schooling with Historical Fiction
I’ve learned most of my history through historical fiction. Not all, but most of it. Even back in grade-school days, I read a lot of historical fiction—the Little House series, Caddie Woodlawn, What Katy Did, The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Anne of Green […]
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