Let me tell you something that changed my life. I've always been kind of an idiot savant when it comes to reading. I like everything: outlandish memoirs, straight-up nerdy science texts, humorous travelogues, overwrought YA dystopian romances, wordy literary fiction. And so on. I’m an information junkie, and I read in the bathtub, in bed, while eating, and instead of cleaning the house. Sometimes I read instead of remembering my job, which means I’m constantly yelping in dism

Today's interview is with Michelle Gable, author of the bestselling women's fiction novel A Paris Apartment and acclaimed new novel I'll See You In Paris. Kimmery Martin—Tell us about the origins of I’ll See You in Paris. How did you run across the story of Gladys Deacon, and how did the process of fictionalizing it take shape? Michelle Gable---The first seed of I’ll See You in Paris was planted while researching my debut novel. Artist Giovanni Boldini was a central character

Anyone want to take a guess as to the approximate time period of the Golden Age of pirates? If you guessed 1650–1720 then you’re obviously a huge nerd, but congratulations. You're right. We’ve all seen Pirates of the Caribbean, so we have a vivid mental image when it comes to what a pirate should look like: swarthy, with beaded hair and Keith Richards-style eyeliner. And we know how they spent their days, too: commandeering ships in order to effect dashing rescues of waifish

Journey to the Eternal City Rome is a nine-hour direct flight from Charlotte, which is tolerable, especially if you can wrangle up some first class seats. Unfortunately, some sadist at Charlotte’s dominant airline apparently gets his kicks by making it so difficult to exchange air miles for an upgrade that you’re more likely to achieve nuclear fission from your head exploding than you are to fly up front. I remained calm, though, and bravely soldiered on through months of cal

This week’s book is Flight of Dreams, a historical thriller by the delightful Ariel Lawhon. The book goes on sale February 23rd, and I have a feeling it will be huge. And—great news—another novel about a fascinating historical event is in Lawhon's future! I was lucky enough to be able to interview Lawhon about the novel, her writing process, and her personal intersection of motherhood and career, below: Kimmery Martin—What sparked your interest in the Hindenburg? Ariel Lawhon

Note from Kimmery: all middle grade books with boy protagonists are reviewed by my nine year-old son, Alex, and contain spoilers. If you are looking for recommendations for a boy aged 7-12, please read on! I think The Big Dark is a great book and should be 4 and a half stars! I liked it because it was adventurous and because the main character was likable and brave! At the end of every chapter, I could not wait to read more. The Big Dark is about a boy who is living in a smal

My household got slaughtered last week by a vicious, soul-sucking GI virus similar to Ebola. I zombied around without sleep for 898 straight hours, while enduring a constant spray of foul bodily fluids from whichever prostrated child I was holding, trying not to whine about my own barfy exhaustion. If you have a kid, you’ve been there. Anyway, in lieu of a new review, I’m handing in a list of books I can’t live without. I love some of them because they’re fabulous, inventive

see the stars you say in the gloaming night my tiny hand in yours here is the world through my daddy’s eyes up higher than high on a shoulder ride in from our porch with the day’s dying light sleep tight, little flower, good night build it strong you say as the summer melts but i make my house from a heap of sticks that blow away in the wind your hammer falls, a rising wall a fine little playhouse for me play hard, little flower, be free hike the woods you say, through green-

I have never liked short stories. I gravitate toward novels, for their character depth and their elaborate plots, and can’t recall a single time I’ve voluntarily spent money on a volume of short stories. That changes right now, with American Housewife. (Well, to be fair, I did receive a free ARC of the book prior to its January 12th release, but I plan to buy some more copies as gifts for my naughtier bookish friends.) It’s that good. Normally I’d advise against this, but it’

So. I personally have written 1.5 as-of-yet-unpublished novels, which does not exactly qualify me as a world-class writing expert. But consider a couple of writing patterns I discovered in this week’s reviewed book: —A tendency toward superfluous adverbs: “He was foully eaten alive.” —When things get exciting there are a lot of exclamation points! However. You are not going to care. You aren’t reading The Great Zoo Of China for its exquisite prose or its thought-provoking ins