Book reviews from various blogs I’ve written for over the years compiled at Goodreads (I’m working on getting the reviews all in one place over there…bear with me in the meantime)
Guest posts at Lahikmajoe Drinks Tea
…a hundred visions and revisions, before the taking of toast and tea
We’ve no time to wash the things between whiles
Watertown Daily Times, Page A2
Two poems – Ex-Pats and Black Pond
A ‘wickedly’ entertaining musical
Durang’s farce both moving and hilarious
‘Gutenberg’ silly and irreverent, yet enjoyable
Shakespeare & Company play is an absolute dream
‘The God Game’ at Capital Repertory a stunning work
‘Flashdance’ evokes nostalgia, and that’s enough
Despite slow start, ‘Gypsy’ succeeds
Home Made Theater’s tame version of Christie play worth seeing
‘SantaLand Diaries’ generates some serious laughs for SCP
Iranian playwright’s ‘White Rabbit’ is raw and compelling
Cap Rep production portrays gripping struggle for power
C-R Productions’ ‘Les Mis’ has merits, issues to iron out
Technology takes the life out of ‘Ghost: The Musical’
Exuberant ‘Anything Goes’ treat for both eyes and ears
‘Les Miserables’ is a feast for the eyes and ears
‘Leading Ladies’ lingers too long
SCP gets in spirit of Coward comedy
Cohoes’ ‘Dolly’ gets sterling treatment
Whitton shines in one-man ‘SantaLand’
‘Drawer Boy’: Strong performances make play on friendship compelling
Uneven “Chorus Line” still fun
Potter spoof gets everyone laughing
Gritty realism: Green Day show ‘American Idiot’ has one more show at Proctors
Jane Austen tale gets musical, pleasing adaptation at Cap Rep
Rigby’s ‘Peter Pan’ proves magical for children and adults alike
Classic drama of family intrigue gets royal treatment in the Berkshires
Nostalgic ‘Animal Crackers’ funny, yet feels dated
‘On the Town’ is perky love letter to 1940s NYC
Flawless ‘Heroes’ not to be missed
SLOC production of ‘Sweet Charity’ ambitious but uneven
Woman goes from victim to victimizer in mesmerizing play
‘Spamalot’ is frenetic fun at Park Playhouse
Classic whodunit tale gets stellar, innovative update at Berkshire
Players offer fine addition to resurgence of Holmes
Hilarious ‘Spelling Bee’ a must-see at SLOC
Barrington’s ‘Kiss Me, Kate’ pure inspiration
Strong cast propels ‘Young Frankenstein’
Performers shackled by dated, offensive ‘Rat Pack’
Story about making the movie ‘Gone with the Wind’ makes engaging play
Cast can’t save outdated ‘Morning’s at Seven’
Shaq survives ‘Running Wild’ in Adirondacks
Last-minute gift idea: The arts!
The Museum of Americana: A Literary Review
Real Live Girls with Scales and Tails
Gingerbread House Literary Magazine
“Off the Shelf” column in the Watertown Daily Times
Book review: Joe Hill’s “Strange Weather” not as strong as other work, but still has punch
Book review: The dark fairy tale of Emily Fridlund’s ‘History of Wolves’
Book review: The echo of tragedy and strength of love in Alice McDermott’s ‘The Ninth Hour’
Book review: The twisted roots of so-called love in Gabriel Tallent’s ‘My Absolute Darling’
Book review: More realistic teens, a more mature John Green in ‘Turtles All the Way Down’
Book review: A heroine we can all root for in Gail Honeyman’s ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’
Book review: A clever mystery within a mystery in Anthony Horowitz’s ‘Magpie Murders’
Fifteen book-to-movie adaptations to get excited about in 2018
Mark your calendars! Fifteen interesting books being released in the next six months
There are so many options — so where do you get your books?
Paper or pixels: what do you prefer, e-readers or hard-copy books?
Can you — and should you — separate an author from their work?
Remembering a teacher whose love of words nurtured mine
‘Knowing I lov’d my books’: Current literary reimagining of Shakespeare’s work
The power of words: should schools avoid texts with racially charged language?
‘A poem should not mean, but be’: Celebrating National Poetry Month
Not every book can be the next ‘Gone Girl,’ but here are some thrillers that come close
PBS and the Great American Read — what do you think will be America’s best-loved book?
Book review: The secret to living forever in Chloe Benjamin’s ‘The Immortalists’
From page to screen: the slow erosion of rights in Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
From page to screen: the modernization of Bradbury’s ‘Fahrenheit 451’
Book review: A miscarriage of justice scarier than the supernatural in Stephen King’s ‘The Outsider’
The lazy, hazy days of summer, and the perfect books to help you while them away
Casting a critical eye over the past: problematic language in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s work
Celebrity book clubs: using fame to build community and share the love of literature
Hulu’s ‘Castle Rock’ is a treasure trove for the Stephen King fan
Gillian Flynn and the art of adaptation: ‘Dark Places’ and ‘Sharp Objects’
Two new books make an attempt to reveal the real girl behind Nabokov’s ‘Lolita’
‘A Fan’s Notes’: a first-time reader on Exley’s master work
Ruth Ware — a modern Agatha Christie whose star is on the rise
Books to read to help understand sexual assault and know you’re not alone
Getting ready for Halloween? Here are eight horror novels to set just the right mood
The Great American Read: what can we learn from the final ranking of books?
Stephen King soars with new novella ‘Elevation’
The holidays are coming — here’s how to get just the right books for the kids in your life
Perfect books and short stories to read on a cold winter’s night
Column in the Watertown Daily Times
A day to give thanks … that I’m not the one cooking the turkey
‘Tis the season for Grinches, cartoon penguins with wing envy and the richest man in Bedford Falls
Before you get excited about Facebook’s big announcement, think about what it really means
Pens, lighters and chips: just a few of the many things that don’t have to be reinvented ‘for her’
What’s the matter with kids today? Nothing. They’re amazing.
The loss of a journalist is a loss for us all
Too young for AARP, too old for live concerts: I guess this is middle age
You can have your sunny beaches; I’ll take rocky, mercurial Maine
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