by Laura DeNooyer | Nov 19, 2024 | Book Reviews
When I used to teach middle school and high school art, I loved introducing students to the works of the great artists, from Leonardo da Vinci to the Dutch masters Rembrandt and Vermeer, to Impressionists Monet and Renoir, to American painters Edward Hopper, Winslow...
by Laura DeNooyer | May 7, 2024 | Book Reviews
Who wouldn’t want to exchange grief and its source for a happier life? Have you ever wished for a do-over regarding a difficult choice or a deep regret? How many times do we ask “What if?” What if my dad had taken a different job in a different city? What if I’d been...
by Laura DeNooyer | Feb 20, 2024 | Book Reviews
I’ve read numerous World War II novels. Yet all I know about London’s evacuation of children is from C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Which is ironic, because author Patti Callahan Henry’s novel, The Secret Book of Flora Lea, was inspired when...
by Laura DeNooyer | Feb 6, 2024 | Book Reviews
Since November 2021, I featured and reviewed 80 books on my Standout Stories blog (as of February 2024). Time to “organize” them all! Here’s a convenient index for easy reference. Titles are categorized according to genre as well as setting, era, topics, and...
by Laura DeNooyer | Oct 18, 2023 | Book Reviews
I appreciate authors who tackle difficult topics. Amanda Wen is one of those. In The Songs That Could Have Been, she takes on three issues: bulimia, alcoholism, and a mixed race romance. Each occurs in separate timelines of a split-time novel. A few facts about...
