Biblio Reviews

Living to the age of 100 has never appealed to me. However, from a historical standpoint, I am fascinated by knowing that people are still alive today who have seen the world transform and advance in ways that may have been perceived as fantasy/science fiction. When I think of the advancements in technology in the last twenty years, alone, I am am left in wonder. What must Beverly Cleary, Cicely Tyson, or Betty White make of the world they're living in today in comparison to the one they grew up in? Is their desire to remain in this world stronger than their desire to depart from it? Which aspect of this new world fascinates them? Inspires them? Depresses them? Do they view their long life as a blessing--or a curse? Based on their experiences and given the chance to, would they--we--choose to live forever? The question of immortality--blessing or curse--is at the center of Natalie Babbitt's classic,  Tuck Everlasting  (1975), a fantasy children's novel about 10-year-o...

"To each, his own," I say when it comes to runaway bestseller  The Woman in the Window  (2018) ,  the debut novel of A.J. Finn. A "thriller," the story is that of agoraphobe, former child psychologist Anna Fox who spies on her neighbors. When she witnesses a murder, she becomes entangled in a film noir much like the ones of which she is a fan. Attempting to deal with her own guilt and trauma, Anna self medicates by guzzling bottles of Merlot mixed with prescriptions with heavy side effects. As a result, she lacks credibility when she reports what she witnessed and is quickly dismissed by authorities. Therein begins the "suspense," for Anna is now in danger with no allies to rely on. This book did not work for me for various reasons. The pacing: very slow. I understand that Finn was trying to mimic the pacing of the noir films that he, himself, and the character love, but good grief! I did not need thirty-plus chapters dedicated to background. I did not...