The Storm is a beautifully woven tale that skips across time and geography to bring the reader into the life of Shar, a Ph.D student and policy wonk who has overstayed his student visa in the United States. Things are complicated. He has a daughter, but he is not married to her mother. If heContinue reading “The Storm by Arif Anwar”
Author Archives: Robin Henry
JASNA 2021 Presentation: the Resources
I must apologize deeply for the delay in posting this. I can offer no excuse! Time merely got away from me. Time I wasted reading that dreadful murder mystery, but I digress…
Murder at Mansfield Park by Lynn Shepherd
Well, Janeites, it is with a heavy heart that I report to you: this book is not very good. I had high hopes, since it was a murder mystery, but alas those hopes were dashed upon the rocks of mediocrity. As may be surmised from the title, this is a retelling of Mansfield Park inContinue reading “Murder at Mansfield Park by Lynn Shepherd”
It’s Time for some Austen Flash Fanfiction…
What if Fanny Price had accepted Henry Crawford’s Proposal?
Throwback Thursday: You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz
This book was originally reviewed in 2015 Grace Reinhart Sachs has it all. A great job, a loving, doctor husband, and a beautiful son. She is even about to start the public relations tour for her first book, You Should Have Known. As a marriage therapist, Grace has walked couples through trying to put itContinue reading “Throwback Thursday: You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz”
Plotter or Pantser? Plan your Novel in November with NaNoPlanMo
NaNoWriMo is coming up! If you, like me, tend toward the plotting side rather than the pantsing side, and the thought of writing 50,000 words in one month makes you begin to hyperventilate, fear not, dear reader, Readerly has you covered. For the plotters among us, and the pantsers who want to be them, ReaderlyContinue reading “Plotter or Pantser? Plan your Novel in November with NaNoPlanMo”
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Fall is a time for Apple everything! This month enjoy a dark and slightly disturbing Academic thriller with a steaming hunk of Apple Up-Side-Down Ginger Cake and a cup of tea. There isn’t a lot left to say about this book. It was first published in 1992, and I have had it in my TBRContinue reading “The Secret History by Donna Tartt”
Save the Time of the Writer…It’s what a Book Coach Does!
In 1931, Ranganathan first published his blockbuster of the library world, The Five Laws of Library Science. You may laugh, but most librarians still take these laws pretty seriously, albeit with a few parenthetical updates. Here are the five laws: Books Are For Use Every Reader His/Her Book Every Book Its Reader Save The TimeContinue reading “Save the Time of the Writer…It’s what a Book Coach Does!”
Throwback Thursday: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
This is a beautifully written book about a family suffering a terrible loss. Lydia, the favorite daughter of a mixed race family (Caucasian and Asian) has drowned. Surprisingly, though there are sad moments, the tone is hopeful. Ng explores what happens when people’s lives don’t turn out the way they thought they would; when charactersContinue reading “Throwback Thursday: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng”
What is your What If?
In Lisa Cron’s book, Story Genius, she writes about the what if in fiction. The “what if” provides the external impetus that will kick off the protagonist’s internal struggle (43). The what if on its own is not enough for a book, but it can be a powerful way to begin to frame an ideaContinue reading “What is your What If?”
Readerly 