reviews

A Ghostly Mystery and Tuppence's Last Adventure Author: Agatha Christie Friendly witches, houses riddled with secret passageways, fireplace flues blocked by old, abandoned children’s toys, and a series of long-ago but never forgotten child murders imbue By the Pricking of My Thumbs with a sinister, addictive atmosphere. Strangely cozy at the same time as it is chilling, this Agatha Christie offering, written later in her life, is a dark mystery for the husband and wife duo – Tommy and Tuppence. Beginning with a dismal visit to the nursing home to see Tommy’s cantankerous aunt, Tuppence discovers a lonely old lady, a picture, [...]

Bears, Beets, Bassoons... Author:  Rainn Wilson Who’s your favorite paper salesman? It’s only been in the past decade that television viewers have had many candidates to choose from. But if you prefer paper salesmen with an authoritarian bent and a dedication to beet farming, there’s no question that Dwight Schrute is your man. Brought to life for 201 episodes by Rainn Wilson on the US version of The Office, Schrute has become one of the greatest oddball icons in television history. In The Bassoon King, Wilson tells how he became famous portraying Scranton, Pennsylvania’s favorite Assistant to the Regional Manager. [...]

A So-So Bear Adventure Authors: Stan and Jan Berenstain Prowling through a DC bookstore, looking for a gift for my boyfriend’s three year old nephew, I discovered a tall spinning wire book rack filled with children’s books, including several Berenstain Bears stories. This took me back to the early days of my reading addiction, the cozy bedtimes and story times spent in my mother’s lap, staring intently at all the detailed and warm drawings of Bear Country. I first learned to read with the Berenstain Bears because I simply could not be read to enough. Even now, I’ll admit that [...]