Welcome!
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t reading at least one book. I devour them, make time for them, hunt for bargains, and love to talk with other readers like you.
When I was trying to sum up my favorite 2016 reads, I realized I read mostly in three categories: books I learn from, books I use to relax, and books that are about resisting patriarchy, racism, and the status quo. So, that’s how I’m organizing my blog posts here. (I hope you’ll check out my favorite 2017 reads also.)
I’m also the author of the Amazon best-selling Kick Pain in the Kitchen, about how to find holistic pain relief.
Find me at Goodreads and on the Litsy app as BarbaraTheBibliophage!
The Book Tour Stops Here:
The Druid of Death: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure by Richard T. Ryan
Richard T. Ryan creates a top-notch Sherlock Holmes story in The Druid of Death. He layers the familiar characters of Holmes, Watson, Lestrade, and Mrs. Hudson against historic sites and Druidic lore. And of course, there’s a murder or three to solve! Since Ryan has a...
Book Review: The Book of the Unwinding by J.D. Horn
(New Orleans Witches #2)
The Book of the Unwinding is a chronicle of several families in present-day New Orleans. It’s also the second book in J.D. Horn’s Witches of New Orleans series. It’s creepy and chilling, which is just right as I head into the Halloween reading season. The Marin Family...
Book Review: Sourdough by Robin Sloan
Robin Sloan creates a story of the intersection of capitalism, science, and magic in Sourdough. And there’s a little romance too. But certainly not in a traditional sense. Lois is a computer programmer. When she decides to leave her comfortable Midwest life for a...
Book Review: W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton
It’s ironic to feel that my time was wasted with a book called W is for Wasted. And it breaks my heart. Sue Grafton published her first book in the Alphabet Series in 1982. I found them, and their main character Kinsey Millhone, in about 1990. Luckily, I gobbled up...
Book Review: Ophelia Immune by Beth Mattson
Beth Mattson introduces us to Ophelia Immune in her sometimes shocking but always innovative debut novel. Ophelia and her Family survived the Zombie apocalypse. As the novel opens, they are Drivers. Which is the alternative to being Hikers, and means they are living...
I Refuse to Pick My Favorite Book
Next week PBS’ Great American Read series kicks back into gear. Along with the show, PBS has been running a poll. They want people to vote for their favorite book. The May kickoff show was interesting, and I’m happy as hell to hear people talking about books. (Hint:...
Book Review: V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
Sue Grafton takes us back to 1988 in V is for Vengeance. This is the 22nd book in her Alphabet Series, featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone. This particular story is a many-tentacled thing. Kinsey knows parts, and we know somewhat more. Grafton feeds each of...
Book Review: Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper
Near the end of Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries, Kory Stamper says, “We don’t just want our words to have meaning, we want them to mean something, and the difference is palpable.” In her book, which is both memoir and exposition, Stamper finds the...
Book Review: What Comes Next and How to Like It: A Memoir by Abigail Thomas
Abigail Thomas has been writing and publishing for most of her adult life, which has been long. In this memoir, What Comes Next and How to Like It (WCNAHTLI), she opens up about a variety of personal experiences. It’s about her dogs, her children, her best friend, her...
Book Review: Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
Michael Ondaatje does it again with his new novel, Warlight. He creates an oddly uncomfortable and somewhat satisfying story in an ambivalent historical time. I need to explain that. Warlight was oddly uncomfortable because I loved the writing style but not the story...
Book Review: The Thief Taker by C.S. Quinn
In the acknowledgements for The Thief Taker, C.S. Quinn tells how hard it was to convince agents and editors that women could write historical fiction thrillers. Imagine that. They wanted her to write more like historical fiction divas like Philippa Gregory. I’m glad...
Book Reviews: Four Short Audiobooks
I love a good, immersive audiobook experience. The longer the better. But recently, my attention span took a deep dive. Call it the challenges of everyday life. Nothing especially dramatic was going on, I just couldn’t face my normal length audiobook. Go figure. Thus,...
Book Review: A Quiet Genocide by Glenn Bryant
A Quiet Genocide from new author Glenn Bryant is a quiet book. Right up until it punches you in the gut. It’s historical fiction with a topic I’ve never seen broached. And I’ve read WW2 stories for decades now. It opens in post-WW2 Munich with the Diederichs. They’re...
Product Review: LiteraryBookGifts.com
Do you love bookish gifts and products? Right, I know you do. Me too! So I was super excited when Melissa from LiteraryBookGifts.com reached out to me for a review. (I'm not an affiliate, nor do I receive any compensation when you order. I just like her products.)...
Book Review: Sick: A Memoir by Porochista Khakpour
Porochista Khakpour spends much of her book, Sick: A Memoir, talking about relationships. Sometimes it’s her parents or girlfriends. But more often it’s the men in her life. I’ve seen reviewers bemoan this. But here’s what I think. A single young woman, battling...
Book Review: How to Change Your Mind: The New Science of Psychedelics by Michael Pollan
To learn what the latest Michael Pollan book, How to Change Your Mind, is about just check out its subtitle: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence. Pollan creates an epic book. It’s part...
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I will definitely recommend Kick Pain in the Kitchen to my patients: Those who are looking to avoid pharmaceutical treatment and those who want to combine western medicine with alternative therapies.
Jane A. Swartz
ARNP, MSN, Rheumatology Nurse Practitioner
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The Druid of Death: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure by Richard T. Ryan
The Druid of Death: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure by Richard T. Ryan