Author Archives: szbuhayar

Hamnet imagines a story of Shakespeare’s wife — their courtship, marriage, and death of their son from the plague. I couldn’t put this down: it was beautiful, engaging, and compelling. It’s a great novel in its own right, but even … Continue reading →

I’ve long loved mysteries, and I have a particular soft spot for “locked room” mysteries. (Perhaps it’s because that feeling of being trapped resonates right now mid-pandemic??) While Agatha Christie is the master of this sub-genre, I’ve quite enjoyed two … Continue reading →

I’ve been paying much more attention to birds this year. This is both because I am trying hard to slow down and pay attention to what’s around, but also because spending a few months of uninterrupted time in the Methow … Continue reading →

I finished The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett a few days ago, but I find myself continuing to think about the novel — the characters, the themes, how I feel about choices each character made. This novel was both gripping … Continue reading →

I learned a lot from Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker, and it was compelling enough to change some of my behaviors. (e.g., I spent a week giving myself a full eight hours in bed, taking advantage of the additional … Continue reading →

I felt compelled to keep coming back to The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Larson, detailing the work of a strong, compelling, and effective leader during a crisis. We’re living in a void now, and this book filled it … Continue reading →

One downside of this long slog of reading presidential biographies is that I am over-indexing on books about white men written by white men. (Except, so far, for Lynne Cheney.  Yes, that Lynne Cheney.) So I’m always keeping an eye out for … Continue reading →