BPL Blog
Posted by JGranatino on Sat, Oct 28
Unlike many studies that have focused exclusively upon witchcraft-possession cases in Salem and Essex County, MA, Gasser’s well-documented and researched book examines these occurrences as a “transatlantic” phenomenon, happening in England as well as in colonial New England. Gasser is particularly interested in “patriarchal imperatives” used to control both men and women of that time. The book is filled with interesting case studies of lesser-known witchcraft proceedings. She speaks of the...
Posted by JGranatino on Sat, Oct 28
This little book explores the impact of witches: in movies, television, and books, in fashion, and in popular culture. It examines the symbolic significance of objects and practices associated with witches, from riding broomsticks to reading tarot cards and tea leaves. However, moving beyond both scary and silly depictions of witches, the authors explain that their particular brand of “witchcraft” is about dismantling “the cultural conditioning that trains women to be weak and small,” and most...
Posted by JGranatino on Sat, Oct 28
On a lovely summer eve in Amsterdam, two couples meet for dinner at a fashionable restaurant. As the evening progresses, the reader discovers the reason why – as Serge, the older brother, says – they need to talk about their children. A horrific act, more than just a teenage prank, has been committed and both couples are at odds how to rectify the situation. Koch carefully portrays his characters through a series of flashbacks which foreshadow the conclusion of the evening’s events. A...
Posted by JGranatino on Mon, Oct 23
Outside of Cleveland, Ohio, the residents of Shaker Heights live in perfect harmony. A planned suburb with beautiful, well-kept houses, late model cars, schools that produce high achievers and plenty of community spirit. Elena Richardson, a journalist, has lived in Shaker Heights her whole life with her successful husband and four children. When freelance photographer Mia Warren and her daughter Pearl move to town, Elena decides to allow them to rent the family’s duplex (an investment property...
Posted by JGranatino on Wed, Oct 18
Almost everyone remembers Valerie Bertinelli from the television show," One Day at a Time" or more recently, "Hot in Cleveland". But she now has a new cooking show, "Valerie's Home Cooking" on the Food Network, and if you watched her cooking show, you will want to check out her book, Valerie's Home Cooking. This is a beautifully photographed cookbook with bits of Valerie's bubbly personality poking through as she shares many dishes and personalizes them with tidbits from her family...
Posted by JGranatino on Wed, Oct 18
A Stranger in the House opens with Tom Krupp coming home from work to find his wife, Karen, missing despite seeing dinner already in progress. Realizing that she left her purse and cell phone behind, he becomes concerned and calls 911. Before he knows it, the police are at his door to notify him that Karen has been in a serious car accident where she was driving recklessly and crashed into a pole. Tom is puzzled as to why his wife would have left the house so abruptly, and how did she...
Posted by BHanley on Mon, Oct 16
Rizzoli & Iles are back in I Know a Secret, the next chapter of Tess Gerritsen’s long-running thriller series. Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Dr. Maura Iles are called to a disturbing crime scene: a woman in calm repose on her bed, with her eyeballs gouged out and placed in her hands, which is an apparent nod to the horror films she created. However, her cause of death is unknown, since the eyes were removed postmortem. Soon after, Iles and Rizzoli come...
Posted by JGranatino on Wed, Oct 04
If you are thinking of giving your current kitchen or bath a facelift or perhaps you are building a new home, this beautifully photographed book will tease you with gorgeous designs that showcase the layout, purposeful lighting, a variety of countertop choices and stunning cabinetry with interesting hardware. This book also shows current trends as well as the classic approaches and touches upon price ranges you can anticipate for many areas of the kitchen and bath. The only issue with this...
Posted by JGranatino on Wed, Oct 04
Every day Arthur visits his wife Nola’s grave, bringing his sandwich as if they’re just out having lunch together. On the way he stops at different headstones, reading the epitaphs and imagining the lives of the people buried there. One day he notices a teenage girl with a nose ring hanging around the cemetery during school hours. He calls to her but she leaves quickly. Days later she is back, this time coming over to share Arthur’s lunch. Thus the beginning of an unlikely friendship. The...
Posted by JGranatino on Wed, Oct 04
In a dystopian future set in 2074, global warming has caused seas to rise, obliterating Florida and most of what we know as the American continental shoreline. Omar El Akkad has imagined a second Civil War, fought over fossil fuel and told through the eyes of Benjamin Chestnut. His aunt Sara T, known as Sarat, is only 6 years old when her father was killed by a suicide bomber, her family escaping to a refugee camp in the South (the Red zone) known as “Patience”. A few years later, the camp is...
