As a veritable vanilla pudding of a woman, I am always gladdened by reading about the intrepid exploits of the sturdy and brave. That’s why I love novels about spunky females as they plunge fearlessly into danger, stand up to the wicked, and defeat their oppressors. These novels inspire and remind us of the strength. […]

When you’ve run out of ideas and your to-be-read pile is gone, desperation can set in quickly. That’s uncool.  Book lists are the key to defeating the dreaded slump, and to honor the 200th birthday of the most famous horror novel of all time, Frankenstein, NPR put together a list of 100 favorite horror stories. Frankenstein and Dracula made […]

When I found out Annie Oakley’s birthday day was August 13, 1860, it reminded me of my girlhood enthusiasm for the petite sharpshooter from rural western Ohio. Born Phoebe Ann Mosey, Annie’s early years were marked by poverty and hardship. Her early interest in shooting was forbidden, and she says in her autobiography that “my […]

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, was published 171 years ago.  The story of the “poor, obscure, plain, and little” Jane who survived a harsh, unloved,  and lonely childhood has enthralled readers ever since, and her passionate nature, realized both in her rebellion against her oppressors and her love for Mr. Rochester, makes the novel a romantic […]