Category Archives: Blink Book Reviews

What started out as a personal discipline this summer to get off the screen and back to books turned out to be a fun exploration of different reading genres and books I might not have considered reading otherwise. I’m so grateful to the more than 200 people who ended up joining my Blink Book Review FacebookContinue reading “Wrap up: Blink Book Reviews”

The 50th anniversary of Watergate this summer struck a real chord with me bringing back snippets of news stories from the summer I was eleven and heading into the sixth grade. An NPR podcast got me curious to dig a little deeper into that dark time in our nation’s history where trust in government was at aContinue reading “Blink Book Review #12: “In the Shadow of the White House” by Jo Haldeman”

My recent beach reading consisted of memoirs by two actresses from my childhood – Valerie Bertinelli (Barbara on “One Day at a Time”) and Melissa Gilbert (Laura on “Little House on the Prairie”). Both of these former child stars are close to my age – 60 or pushing it – and experiencing many of theContinue reading “Blink Book Review #11: A Double Dose “Enough Already” by Valerie Bertinelli and “Back to the Prairie” by Melissa Gilbert”

A young friend recently asked me to choose my favorite dog book. I had to think really hard on that one. I’ve read a whole lot of them. I believe in the power of a dog. And there’s a special place in the universe for writers who can script a good dog story – whetherContinue reading “Blink Book Review #10: “The Speckled Beauty” by Rick Bragg (with a bonus section of other great dog books)”

This summer’s reading list has included books beyond the best-seller fiction I usually favor. Ann Patchett’s “These Precious Days” is one of those. This collection of 24 essays hits on topics ranging from Snoopy’s influence in her life and her three fathers to how she selects a book cover and why knitting saved her life. Ann’sContinue reading “Blink Book Review #9: “These Precious Days” by Ann Patchett”

This book is the story of four women from vastly different backgrounds who converged on a fledgling radio network in DC in the mid-1970s. Susan Stamberg, Linda Wertheimer, Nina Totenberg and Cokie Roberts built the backbone of the early National Public Radio while they also whacked away at the broadcast industry’s glass ceiling. The author, LisaContinue reading “Blink Book Review #8: “Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR” by Lisa Napoli”

Memoirs can often fall into two categories – hugely self-aggrandizing or humbly honest. Jim Sonefeld’s recently released book, “Swimming with the Blowfish: Hootie, Healing and One Hell of a Ride,” falls squarely in the humbly honest category. As a gifted songwriter and the Hootie and the Blowfish drummer, Jim had seemingly found it all veryContinue reading “Blink Book Review #7: “Swimming with the Blowfish: Hootie, Healing, and One Hell of a Ride” by Jim Sonefeld”

“Confessions of a Southern Beauty Queen” by Julie Hines Mabus opens in 1968 with would-be beauty queen Patsy Channing awaiting suspension from the Mississippi College for Women, known as “The W,” following an alleged violation of the college’s strict dating rules.  The book’s narrative weaves between Patsy’s college experiences in Columbus, MS, and her life growingContinue reading “Blink Book Review #6: Confessions of a Southern Beauty Queen by Julie Hines Mabus”

I recently reread Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird” for the umpteenth time in anticipation of a class I’ll be teaching. And while “Bird by Bird” might be the ultimate guide to writing, it’s also chock full of life lessons. I take away something new each time I read it. Anne is a prolific writer onContinue reading “Blink Book Review #5: “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott”