Get Caught Up in the Romance of World War II on ‘The Way to London’ [REVIEW]

Steam locomotive — In the midst of World War II, Lucy Stanhope must leave everything she knows behind in Alix Rickloff’s *The Way to London*. (Photo by Tony Armstrong, Flickr)

A beautiful young socialite has everything a girl could want: wealth, privilege, and a one-of-a-kind wardrobe that speaks volumes about her personal style. She even has a special man in her life who seems to know her all too well. But with World War II raging around them, everything she holds dear is threatened and the future is anything but certain in Alix Rickloff’s gorgeous new novel, The Way to London. Continue reading “Get Caught Up in the Romance of World War II on ‘The Way to London’ [REVIEW]”

Jathan FinkOctober 4, 2017October 6, 20173 Comments

Books

If Walls Could Talk, Imagine the Stories ‘The Address’ Could Tell [REVIEW]

Visitors to New York City’s Upper West Side have undoubtedly seen the Dakota, an apartment building which opened back in 1884, back when the landscape was desolate and unpopulated. With its unusual looming rooftop, wrought iron monsters and tall forbidding windows, this historic structure lacks warmth and prods imaginations to run wild. Now, in The Address, Fiona Davis throws open the doors and invites us inside to tell us a haunting tale of love and murder and of two very different women living one hundred years apart. Continue reading “If Walls Could Talk, Imagine the Stories ‘The Address’ Could Tell [REVIEW]”

Jathan FinkSeptember 28, 2017September 28, 2017Leave a comment

Books, Photo Essay, Travel

Six Literary Haunts Every Bibliophile Should Visit [PHOTOS]

Shannon Mckenna Schmidt, co-author of National Geographic’s *Novel Destinations*, shares six of her favorite literary haunts.

Warning: Novel Destinations may inspire wanderlust. But rest assured, whether or not taking to the road is in the cards right now, the book offers an entertaining armchair journey. Rather than simply guiding readers to famous writers’ homes and haunts, Novel Destinations shares intriguing, little-known stories about the wordsmiths and the places where they lived, wrote, drew inspiration, and ventured themselves. Here are some of my favorite literary travel tales. Continue reading “Six Literary Haunts Every Bibliophile Should Visit [PHOTOS]”

Novel DestinationsMay 11, 20173 Comments

Books

Jacqueline Winspear’s ‘In This Grave Hour’ Examines the Effects of War on the Human Psyche [REVIEW]

Britain declares war — The day Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announces that Britain is once again at war, Maisie Dobbs is given a cold case to solve in Jacqueline Winspear’s IN THIS GRAVE HOUR. (Photo courtesy Wayne State University)

The last thing anyone wanted after the Great War was to be thrust into another melee. Families had already sacrificed so much, and nations were still recovering from the “last war.” In fact, psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs’ latest case has her investigating killings that occurred during that previous conflict. Will she be able to find the murderer? And what will she do when someone new arrives on her doorstep in need of assistance? Find out in Jacqueline Winspear’s In This Grave Hour.
Continue reading “Jacqueline Winspear’s ‘In This Grave Hour’ Examines the Effects of War on the Human Psyche [REVIEW]”

Jathan FinkMarch 22, 2017March 22, 20172 Comments

Books

Elly Griffiths’ ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ Is A Bewitching Mystery [REVIEW]

Snow shoes — There’s a blizzard in Brighton and two children have gone missing. (Photo by Ginny, Flickr)

Elly Griffiths once again proves why she is one of my favorite mystery writers with Smoke and Mirrors. This time out, two children are murdered during a blizzard in Brighton amid somewhat peculiar circumstances and it is up to DI Edgar Stephens and his best friend, magician Max Mephisto, to hunt down the killer. But how do classic fairy tales, pantomime, an almost forgotten crime and a strange little neighborhood theatre tie into the case? And were the dead children quite as innocent as they appeared to be? There is plenty to puzzle over in this second novel in the Magic Men mystery series. Continue reading “Elly Griffiths’ ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ Is A Bewitching Mystery [REVIEW]”

Jathan FinkSeptember 27, 2016September 27, 20161 Comment