by Laura DeNooyer | Aug 15, 2023 | Book Reviews
Decades ago, on my first trip to Southern Appalachia during college, I visited the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. That’s when I fell in love with the Smoky Mountains, the surrounding area, and its people—as an outsider and a Northerner. But author Pepper...
by Laura DeNooyer | Aug 1, 2023 | Book Reviews
For years I read snippets about author Sigmund Brouwer and his books in my Calvin College alumni magazine, The Spark. I kept thinking I ought to read something of his. After all, we had things in common. We overlapped at Calvin (though we never met), we’re both...
by Laura DeNooyer | Jul 18, 2023 | Book Reviews
I don’t read on the beach anymore. The wind and sand drive me crazy! So my light-hearted beach reads are more likely to take place by the pool, without any sand. But whether you prefer the beach or a pool, A Novel Proposal by Denise Hunter is the perfect summer read....
by Laura DeNooyer | Jul 5, 2023 | Book Reviews
Whenever I visit new places, I often buy a piece of artwork by a local artist, usually a painting or drawing. In Maine, the lighthouses intrigued me the most. Of course I couldn’t decide among them, so I ended up with two framed prints. One of them is the Pemaquic...
by Laura DeNooyer | Jun 20, 2023 | Book Reviews
Twenty years ago, I finally had the opportunity to visit San Francisco. My husband, Tim, and our two daughters, thirteen and eleven, experienced all the thrills: street performers and artists on Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square (yum!), cable cars and Lombard Street, the...