BVC authors review books they’ve read
Originally published October, 2017 by Jill Zeller I’m watching my favorite Halloween movie as I write this. Directed by Robert Wise, Claire Bloom’s clothes by Mary Quant, and starring the incomparable Julie Harris. Black and white. 1963. And the novel this movie is adapted from is one my favorite books by one of my favorite …
Originally published July 2017 by Jill Zeller We’re talking about Rebecca and Jane Eyre. Two naïve young women come to live in huge, lavish English houses owned by older men with secrets. One,a dead wife, and one a living wife who is insane. It’s the same story. Jane and du Maurier’s never-named heroine are both …
I was a little late to the party – I found mention of Peter Wohlleben’s “The Heartbeat of Trees”, published in German in 2019 and in English only last year, and being the treehugger that I am the title sang to me, of course. Just a little poking around revealed that Wohlleben had written …
The mysteries of nature – “it’s a small world, isn’t it?” Read More »
Originally published May, 2018 What do an environmental consultant, a wildlife scientist and a physicist have in common? They all have written books. And good books, too, with the help of science writers and their own writing experience. I love reading about wildlife. I skip over the sad parts, though, even though when one is …
Compelling characters, intriguing mysteries, and immersion in Japanese art and culture propel this lovely novel. I’ve been reading several books selected by the International Pulpwood Queens & Timber Guys Book Club, now that my Book View Cafe novel Pause has been chosen as a 2022 title. I just had the pleasure of meeting Rebecca Copeland …
The Rambling Writer Book Review: The Kimono Tattoo by Rebecca Copeland Read More »
A lively YA time-travel romp with an important mission – and attitude. I’ve been reading several books selected by the International Pulpwood Queens & Timber Guys Book Club, now that my Book View Cafe novel Pause has been chosen as a 2022 title. I just “met” David Valdes this week via the weekly Zoom book …
The Rambling Writer Book Review: SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND by David Valdes Read More »
In THE MOON ALWAYS RISING, Alice C. Early brings the colorful Caribbean island landscape, culture, and characters to vibrant life. I’ve been reading several books selected by the International Pulpwood Queens & Timber Guys Book Club, now that my novel Pause has been chosen as a 2022 title. I look forward to “meeting” Alice C. Early this …
The Rambling Writer Book Review: THE MOON ALWAYS RISING by Alice C. Early Read More »
Interviewer’s Note: Laura Gayle is the pen name for Shannon Page and Karen G. Berry SHERWOOD: One of the pleasures of this series is the setting. The author(s) do such an excellent job of evoking the different pace of life in northwest island living, as Cam, our main character in this series, discovers how the …
Cafe Reads: The Chameleon Chronicles, interview with Laura Gayle by Sherwood Smith Read More »
Originally posted on February 3, 2017 by Ursula Le Guin with permission from the poet; post edited and updated by Jill Zeller. My friend Deborah Miranda sent me this poem by her friend Anita Endrezze, which says a lot of the things that have been struggling in me to get said lately, and makes me …
Don’t miss this thrilling epic fantasy series that transcends genre! “Wow! Amazing!” I have to say upon finishing Sherwood Smith’s epic fantasy 4-book series: Fledglings, Redbark, Firebolt, and Dragon and Phoenix. I have not been a regular reader of the genre, aside from George R.R. Martin’s equally amazing A Song of Ice and Fire series (Game of Thrones and the rest). But …
The Rambling Writer Book Review: THE PHOENIX FEATHER series by Sherwood Smith Read More »
Lose yourself in the spell of history’s secrets and herbal lore in Sarah Penner’s fascinating novel. I’ve been reading several books selected by the International Pulpwood Queens & Timber Guys Book Club, now that my novel Pause has been chosen as a 2022 title. I look forward to “meeting” Sarah Penner next week via the weekly Zoom …
The Rambling Writer Book Review: THE LOST APOTHECARY by Sarah Penner Read More »
I read Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind in my early 20’s—that is several decades ago. I’ve seen the movie more than a dozen times, and once viewed it at the Castro Theater in San Francisco’s Castro district, becoming quite bored through the endless parade of tragic demises the final acts depend on. The film …
I don’t really read mysteries – that was Deck’s thing, not mine. He earnestly tried to get me into it for a while – he had a complete collection of the John D MacDonald Travis McGee novels and loved them with a fierce love; he had a collection of Thomas Perry, and of Tony Hillerman, …
