Mary Daniels Brown

My mother always insisted that, as soon as I was old enough to sit up, she’d find me in my crib after my nap babbling away, with a Little Golden Book on my lap. I’ve had my nose in a book ever since. I grew up in a small town, with the tiny town library literally in my backyard. As an only child in an unhappy home, I found comfort and companionship in books. As an adult I wanted to be Harry Potter, although I admit I’m more Hermione. My life has been a series of research projects. Reading has taught me that human lives are deliciously messy and that “it’s complicated” isn’t a punchline.

The idea of time travel has fascinated artists, scientists, and historians for centuries. Authors have used the possibility of traveling through time to explore some of the big questions of human existence. Here are five examples. Time and Again by Jack Finney When a secret government organization recruits advertising artist Si Morley for its time […]

Read More »

Books I Read in February

  Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney Rooney, Kathleen. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk St. Martin’s Press, 2017 ISBN 978–1–250–11332–0 I am old and all I have left is time. I don’t mean time to live; I mean free time. Time to fill. Time to kill until time kills me. I walk and

Books I Read in February Read More »

5 Examples of Why I Like Mysteries

I love reading mysteries because a well written mystery delves deeply into the depths of the human heart and psyche. I’m in partial agreement with Beth O’Brien, who says: For me, the mystery books to read are personal. I want to know what happens to those directly affected. The family, the friends, the victims themselves.

5 Examples of Why I Like Mysteries Read More »

Review: “Cold Sassy Tree”

Burns, Olive Ann. Cold Sassy Tree Dell, 1984; rpt. 1994 ISBN: 0–385–31258-X On July 5, 1906, Grandpa Blakeslee instructs his grandson, 14-year-old Will Tweedy, to summon relatives to a family meeting. Grandpa then informs the family that he intends to marry Miss Love Simpson. The announcement causes a scandal in the town of Cold Sassy,

Review: “Cold Sassy Tree” Read More »

Books I Read in January

January was my month for reading memoirs, according to my reading plan for 2017. I only read two, but both, which had been on my TBR shelf for quite a while, were very good. Macdonald, Helen. H Is for Hawk Grove Press, 2014 ISBN: 978–0–8021–2341–1 Highly Recommended When Helen Macdonald’s father died unexpectedly, she was

Books I Read in January Read More »

11 Memoirs by 20th-Century American Radicals | Literary Hub

With the Trump era now a week old and storm clouds gathering, many decent, salt-of-the-earth Americans not previously given to shows of popular unrest, never mind civil disobedience or outright vio… Source: 11 Memoirs by 20th-Century American Radicals | Literary Hub

11 Memoirs by 20th-Century American Radicals | Literary Hub Read More »

25 Great Books by Refugees in America – The New York Times

From Bertolt Brecht to Vu Tran, a sampling of major contributions to American literature by those who were forced to leave their own countries. Source: 25 Great Books by Refugees in America – The New York Times

25 Great Books by Refugees in America – The New York Times Read More »

Last Week's Links

Last Week’s Links

All the buzz this week has been related to the U.S. inauguration. Knitting protesters grab back at Trump with pink cat hats The day after Donald Trump is inaugurated president, the signature fashion statement of women marching in protest will be this: a handmade pink “pussy hat” with cat ears tipped directly at Trump and

Last Week’s Links Read More »

2017 Edgar Award Finalists for Mystery Writing Announced

On the 208th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday, the Mystery Writers of America have announced the finalists for the 2017 Edgar awards. The Edgars cover everything from best novel and best short story to best biography and best TV episode teleplay. The 2017 Finalists include big names like Stephen King and Joyce Carol Oates,

2017 Edgar Award Finalists for Mystery Writing Announced Read More »

10 Memoirs That Explore the Mother-Daughter Relationship (in remembrance of Debbie Reynolds & Carrie Fisher)

Shortly after the deaths of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds on subsequent days, Susan Dominus examined the strained relationship between this mother and daughter in the New York Times: Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher, a Mother-Daughter Act for the Ages. Dominus writes: There is something about celebrity mother-daughter acts like the one lived by Ms.

10 Memoirs That Explore the Mother-Daughter Relationship (in remembrance of Debbie Reynolds & Carrie Fisher) Read More »

Scroll to Top