REVIEW: JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL

Why are there no more magicians in England? In the Napoleonic era one man asks the question. Just why are there no more magicians in England? Yes, there are those who study magic, but there are no more practical magicians left. This at a time when the French emperor is trampling all over Europe. Thus far,…

REVIEW: THE ART OF THE ENGLISH MURDER by Lucy Worsley

  Lucy has the best job in England. She is curator for the Historic Royal Palaces, which means she has access to some of the coolest artifacts in the UK. She began her career by studying history, then becoming an inspector of historic homes for English Heritage. In addition to her impressive academic resume, she…

REVIEW: THE APOTHECARY by Maile Meloy

  With illustrations by Ian Schoenherr   Normally I don’t read young adult books for review.  I think this is due mostly to the fact that I never really read them when I was a young adult.  I sort of skipped that and went straight on to adult titles (The most notable exception being the…

REVIEW: THE CRADLE IN THE GRAVE by Sophie Hannah

Hannah’s tireless cops are on the case again in her newest procedural novel.  Strangely enough, its publication rather coincides with the real life of Casey Anthony.  Never one to shy away from difficult subject matter, Hannah, through her characters, explores the emotional and societal impacts of such an unthinkable crime. The main action surrounds the…

The First Time I Saw London

We had about five days in London, knowing there were several things we wanted to do.  The first afternoon we arrived, we walked Regent’s Street, saw Trafalgar Square and enjoyed numerous artworks at the National Gallery, then traipsed down to Buckingham Palace. The station nearest our hotel The BBC world headquarters Looking down Regent’s Street…