“What followed was . . . a collective sigh of relief, as if a cactus had just left a room full of balloons.”

June 20, 2026

A review of “Theo of Golden” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

A retired judge writes his first novel, and he sells a million copies. Sound unlikely? What if we add this: he self-publishes it on Amazon until a big publisher distributes the book. It sounds like … Read More

“I stepped into an open crack in time and fell backwards.”

June 11, 2026

A review of “Whistler” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

Writers who would like to see how to structure a story that’s about the interplay between the past, present, and future could learn a lot by studying this novel. Its central tension is in the recollection of … Read More

“To his wife, he appeared the most considerate man she had ever known, though irritating in his way.”

May 29, 2026

A review of “The Things We Never Say” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

Of the four ways a story can convey information—action, dialogue, description, and commentary—Elizabeth Strout excels in the most difficult one: commentary. It’s the hottest spice, and calibrating the right amount is an … Read More

“We are all of us haunted by ghosts because they are not ghosts, these people we once knew . . . [they] continue to touch us.”

May 21, 2026

A review of “Modern American Memoirs” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

This collection of excerpts from memoirs by 35 American writers gave me a chance to discover the work of Frederick Buechner (1926-2022). He was a novelist and a Presbyterian minister who wrote several “spiritual autobiographies.”… Read More

“I know this life that I’ve lived is false at its core, and while I yearn for another, I’m afraid . . .”

May 14, 2026

A review of “The Personal Librarian” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

As luck would have it, I saw the haunting painting “The Drop Sinister – What Shall We Do with It?” by Harry Wilson Watrous during the same week that I read  the historical novel … Read More

“I’d like to talk about some of the things he will remember, and then I’d like to forget them myself.”

April 29, 2026

A review of “Up Front” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

Some memoirists hope that writing about a tough experience will help them get it out of their system so that they can move on. That was  Sergeant Mauldin’s goal. But the odds were against him: … Read More

“You asked if you are supposed to stand by and watch your friend’s life be ruined.”

April 20, 2026

A review of “Liberation Day” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

Let’s say you wanted to write a story about an American who watches an authoritarian regime crush democracy. What could you do to challenge as many readers’ expectations as possible? Well, you could decide the title … Read More

“Everything seemed immovable. Everything seemed impossible. And yet I knew I had to change my life.”

April 13, 2026

A review of “A Life of One’s Own” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

Hands down, hybrid memoirs are my favorite type of memoir. All hybrids have the same plot: “I’m going to explore this really important subject because I think it might transform my life.” The … Read More

“Regrets? I say to myself. What regrets?”

March 29, 2026

A review of “Somewhere Towards the End: a memoir” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

When Diana Athill says she has no regrets at age 89, I tend to believe her, though it is, of course, an audacious thing to say. She says that she has more … Read More

“Why have I never opened the box? It’s complicated.”

March 21, 2026

A review of “A Confluence of Rivers” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

Imagine that you saved a box of the printouts of all the emails that you wrote to your  former fiancé in 1990s. Now, more than twenty years later, would you read them? This is … Read More

“Who would change a comfortable life . . . for the unknown trials of matrimony?”

March 12, 2026

A review of “Some Tame Gazelle” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

For a British novel that was published in 1950, the plot is surprising, and perhaps subversive: two unmarried sisters decline marriage proposals and live happily ever after. What! Why did they do that? Were … Read More

“Tell me, do you believe it? Really believe it? Bad and good are the same?”

February 24, 2026

A review of “Virgil” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

At first glance, it seems this novel is about a greedy rich guy who is dying, while being comforted by a simple angel who is interrupted by comic-relief angels. If that were the case, you’d expect a … Read More

“Loss often hides in the layers of color – what’s been scraped off, painted over.”

February 17, 2026

A review of “If You Leave” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

When everyone reaches the same conclusion about a book, I’m apt to skip reading it. Instead, I look for novels that draw a range of responses and descriptions. Look at how these five summaries of … Read More

“He climbed the stairs to his destination, Nakagyō Kokoto Clinic for the Soul, situated on the fifth floor.”

February 10, 2026

A review of “We’ll Prescribe You a Cat” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

The Clinic for the Soul is not a psychiatric clinic, though people come there for help with heartache, insomnia, and loneliness. Instead of being given medication or counseling, the patients are prescribed cats. … Read More

“And yet they, who passed away long ago, still exist in us, as predisposition, as burden upon our fate, as murmuring blood, and as gesture that rise up from the depths of time.”

January 30, 2026

A review of “Letters to a Young Poet” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

The great German poet Rainer Maria Rilke offered guidance on a range of subjects to a young poet in this collection of his letters. It’s one of my favorite books. This week … Read More