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Posts by Molly W

What was it like being a new adult before the internet?

Cover of Do You Mind If I Cancel?:
A review of Do You Mind If I Cancel?: (Things That Still Annoy Me) by Gary Janetti

I'll tell you what it was like: there were tons of phone calls. On a landline. Everything took forever. If you made plans with a friend to meet up and one of you went to the wrong location, there was no way to connect with them. You both went back home and that was the end of it. It's not that life was easier or harder but communication and work were different. Gary Janetti's book captures this time with perfection and hilarity.

Some of the things that I enjoy most about Gary:

Posted by Molly W on Jan 17, 2020

Hoot-a-riffic, wingtastic, owl-dorable, I could go on and on

Cover of Owl Diaries
A review of Owl Diaries by Rebecca Elliot

The Owl Diaries young reader series by Rebecca Elliot is officially the nicest and the cutest. Eva Wingdale lives with her owl family in Treetopolis. Eva's best friend is Lucy Beakman and her frenemy is Sue Clawson. The level of clever owl and bird word play in this series is spectacular. But what's really notable is the recognition and practice of thoughtfulness throughout all of the stories.

Posted by Molly W on Dec 20, 2019

Tempered glass

Cover of Face It
A review of Face It by Debbie Harry

Debbie Harry's autobiography Face It is a beautifully packaged book. The cover and paper stock are exceptionally high quality and the pages are filled with photographs and fan art never before shared with the public. I loved all of this. I have happy memories of dancing around in my cousin's bedroom to Blondie's Autoamerican in 1981 and thought "Rapture" was the best thing I'd ever heard. Almost 40 years later and I still think that's true.

Posted by Molly W on Dec 12, 2019

The enormity of life

Cover of Red at the Bone
A review of Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson's third adult novel explores the role of history and community in shaping the lives of family. It is a stunner and heartbreaker, starting with the title, Red at the Bone. Imagine the point at which the human body is at its most raw and hurt state. That's what red at the bone is described as by one of the main characters, Iris, like there is something inside of her undone and bleeding.

Posted by Molly W on Dec 6, 2019

When it means the world

Cover of The Year of the Dogs
A review of The Year of the Dogs by Vincent J. Musi

Vincent Musi was a freelance photographer for National Geographic for more than 25 years when he decided to try something different. His son was sixteen years old and growing up quickly and Musi did not want to accept assignments that would take him overseas for long stretches of time during his son's final years of high school. Travel was a basic requirement for National Geographic photographers and Musi wanted to stay close to home. So he built a studio and named it The Unleashed Studio and started capturing the essence of one of my favorite creatures: the dog. This was

Posted by Molly W on Nov 20, 2019

Pumpkins as a muse

Cover of Pumpkinheads
A review of Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks with colorist Sarah Stern

Fall is here, school is in full swing and harvest time is now. That means visits to apple orchards, corn mazes and pumpkin patches. Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks is the perfect book to read to celebrate the season.

Posted by Molly W on Oct 30, 2019

It takes guts to talk about stomach problems

Cover of Guts
A review of Guts by Raina Telgemeier

It's important to talk about tough topics and Raina Telgemeier's latest graphic novel transforms discussion about gastrointestinal troubles. The Telgemeier household is plagued by stomach flu for days at the beginning of Raina's autobiographical story and that sets the stage for a 4th grade year filled with vomit, diarrhea, farting, gas and other bathroom issues. The boys in fourth grade are obsessed with grossing everyone out and the girls are becoming increasingly secretive.

Posted by Molly W on Oct 25, 2019

This scared me to death last week-end and I've read it before!

Carmilla
A review of Carmilla: A Vampyre Tale by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

'Tis the season for chilling and creepy, ghostly and ghoulish, gory and grisly. This makes it the perfect time to read Carmilla! Victorian writer Le Fanu wrote Carmilla in 1872 and it's considered the first Vampire novel and a precursor to Bram Stoker's Dracula. It's a quick read and the perfect listen if you're driving for approximately 3 hours on a dark and rainy night.

Posted by Molly W on Oct 9, 2019

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