To save her job — her in-office rival also wants the column — she reluctantly agrees, but with a twist: her children will choose her dates
Spooky Books for the Spooky Season
Get ready to be haunted by the creepiest new offerings and classics of Halloween-inspired literature. Here are a cauldron’s worth of books that embrace the pumpkin spice of the season and keep you on the chilliest edge of your seat!
Melissa Petro and the shame-industrial complex
“Shame on you: How to be a Woman in the Age of Mortification,” by Melissa Petro, walks the line between memoir and self-help well. In it, Petro writes about her…
Evan Friss knows your favorite bookshop
“The Bookshop,” Evan Friss’s history of the book retail business, includes the didn’t-see-that-coming tale of Judy, a 3,000-pound elephant who signed books (with a stamp that dangled from her trunk, obviously) at Marshall Field’s booming books department in 1944.
Jane Austen takes a cruise in updated ‘Dashed’
As in “Sense and Sensibility,” the characters here learn to recognize the importance of reason and communication in relationships. They also learn to know themselves in spite of the “shoulds” fired at them from every direction, from family members to casual acquaintances.
Kirsty Greenwood teaches us how to find love from beyond
“The Love of My Afterlife,” by Kirsty Greenwood, is “quirky” incarnate — with so much heart and comedy that readers will find it difficult not to laugh while reading.
When 2 engineers get together, sparks fly
Not many romance novels feature introverted women who don’t like being around people and have no need to kowtow to societal niceties. The problem is inherent for the writer: How do you make someone likable if they are hard to get to know? That’s one of many challenges Ali Hazelwood tackles in her newest book, “Not In Love.”
How this fantasy-fearing journalist fell for ‘Ruthless Vows’
I committed to reading both Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows, both of which have just enough fantasy for me to stomach. They also have the added benefit of following Iris Winnow, a reporter crusading for social justice, a cause I can get behind.
Emily Henry tries her hand at a more serious ‘Funny Story’
This was first published April 20, 2024 in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette If you were to type the words “emotional,” “romance” and “comedy” into a recommendation algorithm, you would get suggestions…
Wrangling failing marriages at the divorce ranch
This review was first published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette March 24, 2024 Divorce books are having a moment. Recent titles such as “This American Ex-Wife,” by Lyz Lenz, “Splinters” by…
Michael Arceneaux finally bought some Jordans
This was first published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette March 16, 2024 Longtime readers will be thrilled After 12 crushing years paying off six-figure-plus-interest student-loan debt, Michael Arceneaux treated himself to…
Magnolia Parks: Into the Dark
This review was first published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette February 11, 2024 Magnolia Parks: Into the Dark” is so packed with unexpected plot twists that reading it is like dashing…
Pittsburgh author’s latest novel entices with moral quandaries
This review was first published in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Dec. 3, 2023. A post-midnight doorbell jolts Katie out of sleep at her new home and job as the caretaker of…
The decadence of Roman emperors
Emperors of Rome: Ruling Ancient Rome, by Mary Beard This review was first published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Oct. 20, 2023 There’s an old joke: What did the Roman say…
Meredith Cummings : Travel the world — through books
This review was first published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Aug. 27, 2023 Summer is waning but adventure doesn’t have to. Check out these travel books before closing out summer with…
Cool Summer Beach Reads
Fourth of July weekend is the best time to find a good beach towel, a nice grassy area and a big glass of water before settling in with a great read. Here are some old, new and classic titles our InReview contributors recommend!
Ann Hood’s new YA novel finds hope in mourning
It’s a difficult thing to say that a book about a child with depression who has attempted suicide is an enjoyable read — yet that’s how author Ann Hood makes the unthinkable happen.
Nicole Chung’s new memoir chronicles healthcare and grief
“A LIVING REMEDY” By Nicole Chung HarperCollins ($29.99) This review was first published June 12, 2023 in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Nicole Chung saw no one in her overwhelmingly white Oregon…
Finding her Happy Place
This review originally appeared in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette April 30, 2023 A reader would be wise to get the name of a therapist before they pick up the latest novel…
Where faith and celebrity meet, what does real freedom look like?
This review first appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette March 26, 2023. BECOMING FREE INDEED: MY STORY OF DISENGAGING FAITH FROM FEAR” By Jinger Duggar Vuolo, Thomas Nelson ($29.99) When Jinger…
For a young Chinese American, our hearts are missing in action
This was first published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Oct. 2, 2022 Some books are great because there is a plot twist down the road and that road is a fun…
Reading between the cracks
First Published August 21, 2022, 6:37am in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette website. “A LETTER IN THE WALL” book review By Eileen Brill, Sparkpress ($16.95) It’s 1971 and Joan Dumann is in…