Apr 11

Apr 11 The Dollhouse

The Dollhouse is a fictional account of the historic Barbizon Hotel for Women. The Barbizon (sometimes referred to as The Dollhouse) was built in in 1927 by architects Palmer H. Ogden and Everett F. Mergatroyd. For most of its existence, the building served as a hotel for women only. Some of the notable women who lived here include Sylvia Plath (who wrote the semi-autobiography, The Bell Jar, about her time at the Barbizon), Lauren Bacall, Joan Crawford, Candace Bergen, Grace Kelly, Ali MacGraw, and more.

Apr 6

Apr 6 The Most Dangerous Place on Earth

Ashley Hasty

Fiction

Where is the most dangerous place on earth? High school. As I read this book I wondered how any of us survived middle school and high school. It touches on themes such as drugs, alcohol, teen sex, suicide, bullying, statutory rape, and more. Yet the author somehow manages to leave the reader with a glimmer of hope at the end...

Apr 4

Apr 4 All Grown Up

Ashley Hasty

Fiction

What does it mean to be a grownup? This is the question at the heart of Jami Attenberg's book, All Grown Up. At the center of the story is Andrea, a single woman living in Manhattan. Each chapter is almost written like a diary with Andrea telling us stories from her life: past and present.

Mar 30

Mar 30 The Dry

Ashley Hasty

Mystery

Mar 28

Mar 28 A Piece of the World

Ashley Hasty

Historical Fiction

I am so exited about my review of “A Piece of the World” by Christina Baker Kline! This book is about Christina Olson, the women in the painting by Andrew Wyeth entitled Christina’s World (currently on display The Museum of Modern Art - if you’re in NYC please go see this painting for me!) I was only vaguely aware of Andrew Wyeth through his more notable works, but I had never heard of Christina Olson. I loved hearing the story of her life and her relationship with Andrew Wyeth, I’m certain you’ll enjoy it too.

Mar 23

Mar 23 Exit West

Ashley Hasty

Fiction

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid follows a relationship as it runs its course. Nadia and Saeed met as their country was on the brink of a civil war - forcing their relationship to move faster and in different ways than it might have under ordinary circumstances

Mar 21

Mar 21 Charity Bashed

Ashley Hasty

Mystery

Charity Bashed by Sharon Geltner is the tabloid of mystery books - and funnily enough, it is about the murder of a tabloid tycoon...and right before he was to donate 10 million dollars to Justine's charity. The book was full of outrageous scenarios and witty puns. But from what I've heard, the author used to live in the world of charity fundraisers, so I can't help but wonder how much of the book is true.

Mar 15

Mar 15 Next Year, for Sure

Ashley Hasty

Fiction

This was a pleasant surprise! I saw a few of my Instagram friends posting about this one so I bought it without reading much about it. This novel is about an open relationship and all the complications (both emotional and logistical) that you'd imagine would accompany such an arrangement.

Mar 13

Mar 13 Eleanor & Park

Ashley Hasty

Young Adult

You know those people who talk about high school like those were the "good ole days"? I can't relate to them at all. And I think Eleanor and Park would agree.

Mar 8

Mar 8 Rules of Civility

Ashley Hasty

Historical Fiction

I found this novel by Amor Towles on a list of "unputdownable" books compiled by Modern Mrs. Darcy - and this book was definitely unputdownable. It is about a young secretary on Wall Street trying to navigate life, love and NYC in 1938. Also, who can resist the glamorous 1930s fashion on the cover? 😉 It is a beautifully written book, so I'm excited to read the author's most recent novel, A Gentleman in Moscow.

Feb 27

Feb 27 Dark Matter

Ashley Hasty

Science Fiction

Another book about the multiverse theory...although this one is considerably darker than Maybe In Another Life. It is about a man who is forced to switch places with another version of himself from an alternate universe and the journey to find his way back home. I really enjoyed comparing the two different takes on the multiverse theory in such close succession, although it was a complete accident. I did feel like there were some loose ends left untied that made the book seem a little incomplete and times where the science of it all made my brain spin. But overall a good read...plus it takes place in Chicago, so bonus points for that!