Posts by Barbara Josselsohn
What does it mean to go home?
What does it mean to go home? I’ve been asking myself that question, having just spent a few weeks on Long Island, where I grew up. I wasn’t prepared for how strange it felt to settle in – to travel on the streets I would drive on when I was a kid, to visit restaurants…
Read MoreTHE MATCHMAKER’S GIFT by Lynda Cohen Loigman — a luscious book about the magic of love
I was so lucky to get an early look at this luscious book about the magic of love and the mysterious way connections are made! Abby’s grandmother, Sara, was a matchmaker – a power that Abby, a single New York divorce lawyer, confronts in unexpected ways as she figures out the right path…
Read MoreNora Goes Off Script — a truly remarkable book
A truly remarkable book! As a writer, I found myself marveling at how Annabel Monaghan so effortlessly gets all the elements right – the complex characters, the strong sense of place, the compelling love story, the humor, the irresistible plot and the ending that feels both surprising and inevitable. But more important, as a…
Read MoreThanks, Batavia Library!
My mother was the assistant to the director of Syosset Library when I was growing up, so the library was my second home. I loved being around all the books and the people who read, shelved, and recommended them. I thought it was so special that I saw places few others could — like the…
Read MoreAn exploration of the nature of reality in Brett’s page turning novel The Schrödinger Girl
In The Schrödinger Girl by Laurel Brett, Garrett Adams, a psychology professor, meets Daphne, a compelling young woman who appears to exist as four separate versions of herself – and suddenly everything changes. In a word, Garrett is obsessed: Can he understand who Daphne is and what’s behind her seemingly impossible multiple existences? With the…
Read MoreA Delicious Old Hollywood Read
I enjoyed this quick read, with its delicious depiction of Old Hollywood seen through the eyes of a fictional one-time movie star ready to share her life story. But I was also struck by the serious questions underlying the story: When is it time to tell the truth? To whom do you tell it?…
Read MoreGratitude for books in the wild…
I’m so grateful for writer friends who know what will bring a smile to my face! Thanks so much to the talented writer Elizabeth Sumner Wafler for spotting my first book at the Bryan Park NYC lending library and posting it!
Read MoreWeekend sofa time travel
Historical fiction was on my reading list this weekend — The Letter by Kathryn Hughes and The Storyteller of Casablanca by Fiona Valpy. Did anyone else time-travel on their sofa this weekend?
Read MoreA Blessed Seder Interruption…
I’m so very grateful for Passover seders that get cancelled for the best of reasons! Our traditional seder at my sister’s house became anything but traditional when this little cutie, my niece’s first daughter, decided to make a month-early appearance! With my sister’s side of the family wrapped up with the new arrival, my crew…
Read MoreToday in the Taxi — a poetry collection by Sean Singer
I’m so excited to recommend Today in the Taxi, a new poetry collection by Sean Singer, based on his experiences as a driver for ride-sharing companies. I had the great privilege of hearing Singer read at a recent conference, and I found his renderings of and reflections on his experiences unforgettable – at times moving,…
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