THE FRIEND by Sigrid Nunez

THE FRIEND by Sigrid Nunez

I recently listened to the audio book version of this novel, after it won the 2018 National Book Award for fiction. It was billed as a book about a woman mourning the loss of her friend to suicide by caring for his Great Dane, whom she inherits. I often…
Sofia and Rhea

Sofia and Rhea

"Mom," Sofia says to me. "I sense Rhea out back. All the times you wouldn't let her out because you were scared she would get hurt by the owls and coyotes and fast cars on the nearby freeway, and she wanted to go out so badly. Well, now she…
Cruel Candy: A Cozy Corgi Mystery, Book 1

Cruel Candy: A Cozy Corgi Mystery, Book 1

We received a recommendation of this book from Amazon, who seemed to know just what we needed right now: a cute cozy mystery featuring an endearing animal co-sleuth :) Cruel Candy is the first of many books in Mildred Abbott's Cozy Corgi series. Main character, 38-year-old Fred (short for…
Sweet Rhea

Sweet Rhea

This post was originally posted December 25, 2018 here. Rhea passed away from her cancer November 29, almost a month ago now, and I've been quite heartbroken. She moved cross-country with me, and lived with me in five different apartments, and finally a house. She'd been with me through…
Update on Rhea

Update on Rhea

I last wrote about Rhea's experience with stereotactic radiosurgery about two weeks after she had finished treatment. She was doing well then, which of course thrilled me because I had no idea what to expect. It's now been a little over two months. A couple of days after we…
LOUISIANA’S WAY HOME by Kate DiCamillo

LOUISIANA’S WAY HOME by Kate DiCamillo

Lovely book we discovered the other day at the Chandler Public Library. LOUISIANA'S WAY HOME by one of our favorite middle-grade authors, Kate DiCamillo, tells the story of Louisiana Elefante, a young girl whose parents have died and who is living with her grandmother. One day, her granny insists…