The Angel of Rome by Jess Walter One of the most popular authors at Madison Books, and one of my own favorites, Jess Walter is an infallibly engaging storyteller, equaled by few in that regard. More than that, he has a quality that even fewer writers share, that of continual reinvention—every book is different in …
In Sept. 2011, I first discovered Mary Lou Longworth and her first mystery (Murder at the Chateau Bremont) set in Aix-en-Provence. I waited, impatiently at times, for her follow up books. It is worth the wait. [The second in the series is Murder in the Rue Dumas. The ninth book was published in 2021.] Professor …
Here’s Susie Hodge and Amy Grimes with Artistic Places, the latest volume in the Inspired Traveller’s Guides series. This time around, we’re visiting famous artistic destinations around the world, where we’ll get a chance to understand what prompted a visual artist to do some art. Munch and his bridge. Constable and his landscapes. Vermeer and …
Last night I read this wonderful book. The story of a little boy in CT who grows up to be a restaurant critic in Paris, then at Gourmet magazine (oh how I miss that publication). If you love food & dining like I do, you will devour this in one sitting. James Beard, Julia Child, …
It’s time for a Thursday Theme, where we shine a spotlight on some of the titles featured in this week’s Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association regional bestseller list. Maybe it’s the pent-up wanderlust after a year and a half at home, but we think some of the titles of the bestsellers point to happy journeys… So, …
This is a true story about a girl who was sent to live in Japan with her grandmother for six months. Waka is very funny, and it was very interesting reading about what Japan was like for Japanese Americans in the ’80s. Definitely made we want to visit Japan someday! –Hailey, Liberty Bay Books, Poulsbo, …
As a kid growing up in late 1950s and 1960s Seattle, imagined visits to foreign lands were a focus of my inner life, what with 707s (and later 747s) soaring over the city, and twice- or thrice-yearly sightings of ocean liners that actually traveled all the way around the world. As it turns out, I wasn’t …
I have been reading books since the early 1950s and reviewing/posting the reviews for the past decade. I do not know how I missed Blake Pierce for all of those years. I have just read book one in the European Voyage Cozy Mystery series entitled Murder (and Baklava). It has two components that I am …
Portland author Ellen Notbohm interviewed author Linda Stewart Henley of Anacortes, WA. She Reads recognized Estelle as “One of Summer’s Most Anticipated Historical Fiction Titles” for 2020. The novel is available now through independent bookstores. EN: Tell us about Estelle. LSH: Estelle is an historical novel about the painter Edgar Degas’s five-month stay with his …
I love Donna Leon’s Brunetti mysteries! To me, her latest, Trace Elements, is one of her more “Italian” stories. There is a lot about the canals of Venice and Venetian politics, as well as a mystery that starts with the deathbed whisper, “They killed him. It was bad money. I told him no.” –Wendy B., …
