"From the Bay to the Blue Ridge"
by Miriam R. Kramer Dame Agatha Christie’s books are often listed right after William Shakespeare’s works and the Bible on the list of the bestselling works of all time. How did a modest puzzle maker and writer who called herself “lowbrow” create a template for the twentieth-century mystery novel and achieve worldwide fame in her […]
Books for an Uncertain Summer by Miriam R. Kramer In looking ahead to this summer, no one was able to predict how their vacation plans might change when faced with furlough, joblessness, or simply cancellations. Our worldwide pandemic has altered most of our behaviors and postponed many of our goals. We protect ourselves as best […]
Carte Blanche in the Couture By Miriam R. Kramer On furlough because of the impact of COVID-19, I have been trying to strike a balance between paying attention to the news and maintaining balance. This spring has been a brutal time for our country and the world. The unpredictable pandemic has thrown other societal fault-lines […]
Last Word Binging in the Time of Coronavirus By Miriam R. Kramer As many of us happily imagine some of the old normal returning, we still need entertainment to ease us through the next weeks. This past month, what with endless depressing news, my furlough from work, and multiple restrictions on my activity, I have […]
Unorthodox By Miriam R. Kramer Not only is this the time of COVID-19, it is also the time of escape through TV binging and reading. I recently came across an unusual series on Netflix called Unorthodox. Based on the book written by a former Hasidic Jew from Brooklyn, it offers more than a peek at […]
By Miriam R. Kramer American Dirt Recently Oprah Winfrey and Barnes & Noble Bookstores selected the book American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins, a novel about migrants trying to make their way to a new life in the United States, as a timely choice for their respective book clubs. In doing so they unwittingly made a […]
Life on Earth By Miriam R. Kramer What is the love that creates and shapes you, and how do you bear its loss? How do you not only survive but also live? How do you create a community when you’ve lost all the love you knew? In Ann Napolitano’s new novel, Dear Edward, Jane and Bruce Adler, and their two sons, Jordan and Eddie, […]
A Pocketful of Mysteries Miriam R. Kramer From the Vault Here are some classic mysteries that I recommended in November 2017. When working in a bookstore they were some of my go-to recommendations. Try these instead of the current crop of mysteries designed to sell with the keyword “Girl” in the title—you’ll be more engaged […]
The Handmaid’s Tale By Miriam R. Kramer We are reprinting my column from July 2017 in advance of my future review of Margaret Atwood’s much-awaited sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments. My prediction two years ago was correct: the Hulu TV series The Handmaid’s Tale went on to win Outstanding Drama Series and Elisabeth […]
The Nickel Boys By Miriam R. Kramer Two years ago Whitehead authored The Underground Railroad, a retelling of history in which the passage north for African-American slaves was a real railroad. In plumbing our racial history, he created a symbolic work with surrealist touches reminiscent of William Faulkner and Ralph Ellison. Winning the 2017 Pulitzer […]
