“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

“For all of us, the biggest hurdle is accepting it emotionally.”

January 24, 2026

A review of “Good Grief: A Companion for Every Loss” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

As someone who recently experienced a great loss, I can tell you there is a difference between receiving instruction and experiencing companionship. I prefer the second. Instead of being given a … Read More

Five Favorites from 2025

December 31, 2025

Of the fifty or so books that I read (or started to read) this year, I wrote reviews of the thirty that I enjoyed most. Now I’m going to highlight the five that are my top favorites of the year.

A Little Less Broken by Marian Schembari:  … Read More

“Jane Austen invented a new voice for fiction: conversational and intimate.”

December 26, 2025

A review of  “Jane Austen in 41 Objects” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

Jane Austen, born 250 years ago, was the first to write novels based on the everyday objects, language, routines, and concerns of women. Her books are realistic, observant, witty, and avant-garde. I … Read More

“When your King gave me medal and diploma, two forms should have stood, one at either side of me, an old woman sinking into the infirmity of age and a young man’s ghost.”

December 13, 2025

A review of “The Autobiography of William Butler Yeats” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

When W. B. Yeats accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923, he began his speech with lines that sounded Shakespearian. But they weren’t. In his autobiography, he describes giving his … Read More

“The center cannot hold . . .”

November 25, 2025

A review of “The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

In 1919, the Irish poet W.B. Yeats’ pregnant wife nearly died during the flu pandemic. The Great War had resulted in widespread suffering, and the Easter Rising in Ireland had … Read More

“Building a new theory of American history is no small undertaking.”

November 21, 2025

A review of “The Rediscovery of America” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

Two things happened this week: the PBS documentary on the American Revolution featured Ned Blackhawk’s perspective as a Native American historian, and researchers discovered ancient canoes in Lake Mendota, about 25 miles from my … Read More

“Their stories can inform and enlighten; they should also be wake-up calls for anybody who hasn’t fully tuned in to what’s happening to trans folks in this country . . . ”

November 12, 2025

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

When writing this book, Nico Lang spent a couple of weeks with each of the seven trans teenagers who agreed to participate in this project. They ate with them, went places with them, watched TV and … Read More

“At the core of each lay suffering; . . .We must try to see one another in this way.”

October 30, 2025

A review of “Lincoln in the Bardo” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

This novel, set in the time of Lincoln’s son Willie’s death, is the most challenging book I’ve read in years. Its subject is grim, its list of characters exceeds 100, and its style resembles … Read More

“It was fun, although admittedly difficult . . .”

October 17, 2025

A review of Mary Jo Bang’s translation of Dante’s “Inferno” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

The world is changing, and in this case especially, I’m glad it is. Traditionally, translators have believed that they should remain “invisible,” and “true” to the text. But is that even … Read More

“Time to purge . . . impossible futures, manacled to metal desks and manicured lawns.”

October 10, 2025

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

Reading poetry silently can be a mistake when part of the poem’s power lies in the rhythm and music of the verses. When Brenda Cárdenas read her poetry as a keynote speaker at the Wisconsin Writers Association … Read More