Credit Kelly Thunstrom

  Paris was very different before the mid-1800s than it is today. Villages existed where everyone knew each other, and houses were in the same family for decades. It wasn’t illogical...

Credit Kelly Thunstrom

Defending Jacob has had outstanding word-of-mouth reviews, so I wanted to see what all the buzz was about. You may have heard that there is a shocking twist at the end. Well, thinking tha...

Credit Kelly Thunstrom

Events related to Queen Elizabeth II and/or London have been in the news quite a lot lately, from the much-watched royal wedding in 2011 to the Summer Olympics in 2012. 2012 also marks 60...

Credit Kelly Thunstrom

I am always looking for the best new books to review, so I picked up Rules of Civility because of many recommendations.  I was immediately drawn to the cover, which depicts a photo of a w...

Credit Kelly Thunstrom

The Snow Child is Eowyn Ivey’s debut novel, and what a novel it is.  It’s one of those books that stay with you for a long time after you’re finished.  I made myself put it down after a f...

Credit Kelly Thunstrom

I’ve had the pleasure of reading some darn good debut novels lately.  Eowyn Ivey’s The Snow Child is a beautifully written tale set in Alaska that’s based on a Russian fairy tale.  Now co...

Credit Kelly Thunstrom

When you see someone on the beach with a beverage in her hand, chances are she’s not reading War and Peace or Crime and Punishment.  Summer is a time for what is commonly called "chick li...

Credit Patch

Think you don’t need a healthy public library system? Think again. The recessionary economy of the past few years has put tremendous pressure on public resources that depend upon loc...