Category Archives: carletonb

Mommy-Track Mystery Series by Ayelet Waldman

Posted on October 25, 2012 by carletonb

I admit: The reason I first picked up a book by Ayelet Waldman is because I have a literary crush on her husband, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Michael Chabon.  I wanted to get into the head of Waldman, to see what … Continue reading →

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The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

Posted on October 1, 2012 by carletonb

When I finally meet Laura Moriarty, I’m going to complain to her about my elbow.  Ever since reading her latest novel, The Chaperone, I’ve got an acute case of reader’s elbow—pain and numbness in an elbow that has been bent … Continue reading →

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Digging to America by Anne Tyler

Posted on July 13, 2012 by carletonb

The families of Bitsy and Brad Dickinson-Donaldson and Sami and Ziba Yazdan converge at the Baltimore airport on August 15, 1997.  What brings them together is the arrival of two adopted girls from Korea.  The large, loud, festive Dickinson-Donaldson clan, … Continue reading →

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Feynman by Jim Otiaviani, illustrated by Leland Myrick

Posted on November 21, 2011 by carletonb

My husband recently took our daughter to Science City.  I was pleased to hear she loved it, but I had to set my husband straight when he proclaimed, “Everybody loves science.”  Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.  … Continue reading →

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DVD Good Hair

Posted on August 25, 2011 by carletonb

When Chris Rock’s little girl runs to him crying, “Daddy, why don’t I have good hair?” he tries to find out what’s wrong with this question.  He travels to India; witnessing people with straight hair shave it in a religious … Continue reading →

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My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman by Lisa Scottoline

Posted on June 21, 2011 by carletonb

I usually like funny, fast-paced reads only if they’re poking fun at our society or have some deeper cultural undertones. But occasionally even I get sick of dwelling in life’s neurotic muck and want something to read that’s light-hearted and … Continue reading →

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The Buddha & the Borderline: My Recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder through Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Buddhism, & Online Dating by Kiera Van Gelder

Posted on March 23, 2011 by carletonb

Van Gelder begins her fast-paced memoir at an art camp when she’s fifteen. She has deluded herself into believing a boy she’s known for two weeks is her boyfriend. After they engage in what President Clinton evidently doesn’t consider sex, … Continue reading →

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Just Kids by Patti Smith

Posted on January 21, 2011 by carletonb

In her memoir of early life with photography icon Robert Mapplethorpe, Godmother of Punk Patti Smith has crafted an evocative tale of how two kids from New Jersey and Long Island, once factory workers and hustlers, rose to the upper … Continue reading →

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Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff

Posted on October 21, 2010 by carletonb

I stumbled upon this essay by Jonathan Acuff on CNN.com one day, which lead me to his blog, which lead me to his book Stuff Christians Like. I’m not a Christian, so why did I like this book so much? … Continue reading →

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Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason by Alfie Kohn

Posted on September 17, 2010 by carletonb

It annoys me the way our culture deemphasizes the training it takes to parent well. Perhaps it’s because within a capitalistic society jobs for which we are not monetarily compensated are placed on the lowest echelon. But parenting is a … Continue reading →

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