Book Review: Kopp Sisters on the March by Amy Stewart

Cover of Kopp Sisters on the March by Amy Stewart - advance reader copy

Kopp Sisters on the March by Amy Stewart, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 368 pages.

If you’ve missed the previous four Kopp Sisters novels by Amy Stewart, you’re missing out. That said, don’t let that stop you from starting now. Book five of the series, Kopp Sisters on the March works as a standalone novel. After all, this book is not only about the trio of sisters who have braved many trials and tribulations, but also about Beulah Binford. A “wicked woman” if there ever was one. Or was she?

Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know?

Beulah’s very real, historical infamy became a pop culture phenomenon, a meme even, of the early 20th Century eastern states, and beyond. Such that she had a hard time keeping a low profile even in New York City, though she was from Virginia originally, and where infamy found her. In the end, her story, though tragic, was believable, ringing true not only in fact but of the era. On the surface, Beulah’s story was not one I’d typically go along with — a vapid, vain young woman has been abused by people she trusted, but who she also pursued — but once it was laid out, I was hooked. I found her fascinating.

All three Kopp sisters also have fascinating storylines themselves. However, in On the March, they all fold back onto the story of Beulah, though Stewart’s version is more fictionalized, deviating on a few matters from the historical record. The very real, historical Kopps disappear from the historic record in this time, so Stewart is able to explore the characters she’s created a bit more alongside this true-crime tale, and not lose any of the histories of her series protagonists.

And of course, like the previous books of the series, there are interesting explorations into the role of women in this pivotal time. So many changes are in the air for the world, for the United States, and for the Kopp Sisters. Women come to the fore during a time of war, stepping into leadership roles over enormous organizations, and demanding a bigger part of the decision-making. Stewart keeps the machinery of war moving far from the action of On the March, and I hope is setting up storylines for the years of World War I for Book 6.

This book is well-paced — not a breakneck thriller, but more of a straight historical novel than a nail-biting whodunnit. Something I liked, but didn’t realize until it was all over — there’s no romance to speak of in this book besides the romance of being young and finding yourself. Or being a little older, and finding yourself again. Anyway, I enjoyed it.

My Only Qualm

I truly love the cover art by Jim Tierney for this series. Each book’s cover is completely different and looks amazing. I’m pretty sure it was the covers that drew me to the series initially even though I already liked Amy Stewart’s non-fiction work. World War I aircraft are like catnip to me. It’s one of those things that I cannot explain. And there are biplanes on this gorgeous cover for On the March. As I read and enjoyed the book, I kept thinking, “Maybe the planes come later? Maybe at the end?” But, the cover is sadly the only place you’ll find aircraft in this book. *Sigh* Though all three sisters have decent roles and interesting storylines for themselves, none of them fly planes. Or get close to planes, or think of them, speak of them, or … anything.

Hungry For More?

Author Amy Stewart has prepared a fantastic Q&A for readers as well on her own website — you can check it out here, but be sure to click my links below before leaving.

https://www.amystewart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Amy-Stewart-KOPP-SISTERS-MARCH-QA.pdf.

About the Author: Benjamin L. Clark writes historical mysteries and works as a history museum curator.

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15 July 201914 October 2019

Book Review: The Chase by Clive Cussler

I saw it was Clive Cussler’s birthday today so I thought I’d share a review I wrote years and years ago for the first book of his historical thriller/mystery series starring Isaac Bell, a private detective of considerable private means. So, here it is, from the archives:

A cold-blooded bank robber has had astounding success throughout the western states and the Van Dorn Detective Agency has been hired by the US Gov’t to stop him. Van Dorn sends their best — Detective Isaac Bell, an independently wealthy detective who is hyper-competent and whose intuitions are never wrong.

US cover for *The Chase* by Clive Cussler. Original painting by Maurizio Manzeiri.

The story was, unfortunately, more predictable than I like. A little bloated too. Of course, you know early on that a train is a main focus for the story — and the fact it has this amazing cover with a train at the bottom of a lake is also pretty cool, but … Cussler left a lot of potential for suspense on the table, I felt. Even with the built-in ticking time bomb realizing a large part of the story is set in the spring of 1906 … in San Francisco.

Also, I didn’t love the main character Isaac Bell. I’ve not read a lot of Clive Cussler’s books in my life — I know fans of his read dozens, but I’ve read a couple, and have listened to one or two on audio while road-tripping with my father. Bell is just like the other Cussler heroes, and frankly, I found him kind of dull. I liked the supporting cast (what little we see of them), even though I expected several of them to shout “Golly!” at any moment. The shifting locations helped keep a lively pace. Honestly, I enjoyed reading the villain more than the hero in this one.

The history info dumps are what writers like Cussler are known for — cool car on the scene boom he writes an essay on the car’s technical details. That’s OK with me, I’m here just as much for the history as I am for the story. The random, purposeless historical cameos — not so much. It gives historical fiction a bad name, I think, and these particularly clanked off-key. One was OK (John Barrymore), another (Jack London), was sadly pointless.

So, if you like your historical thriller with some action, but not a lot of mystery, check out The Chase. I’ll probably read more of the series myself (it’s my favorite era at the moment), but it won’t be a high priority, especially with others starting to come out in this era. But the books are easy to get a hold of, and almost always a few to be found when the library starts weeding shelves.

About the Author: Benjamin L. Clark writes and works as a museum curator.

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2 July 201914 October 2019

Writers Dreaming, Writers Musing

Cover of book Writers Dreaming by Naomi Epel — *Writers Dreaming* by Naomi Epel from 1993.

What an interesting book. It is literally about the dreams — the hallucinations of slumber — of writers. Not so much about daydreams, or aspirations, or anything other than the literal dreams of writers.

Naomi Epel worked as a driver/helper of visiting writers in San Francisco. She’d pick them up, drive them to book signings, talks, etc. Naturally, they’d talk, and she was keenly interested in dreams. She later hosted a radio show on the subject as well, eventually putting together this book. 20 years later, it’s still a fascinating read. A couple of the essays sounded familiar — especially Sue Grafton’s. Grafton edited a book about the process of mystery and thriller writers, including herself, and she talks a lot about how dreams play a part in her process.

Gloria Naylor, in her essay in Naomi Epel’s Writers Dreaming, says that writers are a work’s first audience. The idea stuck with me, and I’ve been thinking it over. I think it may be true. It feels true at least, and that’s not the worst test.

I know some writers get huffy when other writers say that their characters take over, that they have no idea where ideas come from, that they are just along for the ride, etc. Abdicating responsibility for their work with what sounds like a projected false humility.

The writers that get mad about these statements resent members of the tribe going out and making light of our work. Writing as work is frequently minimized, unacknowledged, even denied. Who wouldn’t be mad about that?

Gloria Naylor in Writers Dreaming, 1993.

As (one of my writing heroes) E. B. White said to his step-son, Roger Agnell when he proposed that White might “have fun” revisiting the city and write a little piece about his old haunts in New York for Holiday Magazine (of which Agnell was an editor). E. B. White replied, “Writing is never fun.”

But I also see what Naylor was saying in her essay. We open the taps of creative flow, and like a kid playing in the rainwater rolling toward a gutter, we put in little sticks and leaves and watch them go. We pull up clumps of mud and find big rocks to try and redirect the flow of water. This is writing, in a way.

It must be connected to the part of our brain that makes faces out of things and the stew of you, all the bits and pieces, the ingredients that have become you. Your genetics, your upbringing, your talents, and fears. Your love and failures, the rivers you have drunk and mountains you have stood upon – the deserts that lay ahead and behind.

Stories are the same. All the makeup is outside of you trying to get in but it may first be run through you – sieved into you to become whatever it will become. And as it becomes, we create and watch, creator and first spectator together – as always a multiplicity of identity in any given moment — human.

What artist/ writer/ creator, hasn’t been surprised by the product of the pen or brush? If you never have, you should write more. Surprises await. What do you think? Hit reply and let me know!

About the Author: Benjamin L. Clark writes and works as a museum curator.

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30 April 201930 April 2019

Meeting Jacqueline Winspear, part II, Q&A

Jacqueline Winspear and Benjamin L Clark

Fans at Jacqueline Winspear event — Lots of fans turn out to see Jacqueline Winspear in Santa Rosa, California, April 2019.

If you missed PART 1, click here.

After giving some background, and a little reading from her latest book, The American Agent, Jacqueline Winspear was kind enough to answer some questions from the 100+ fans in attendance (116 by my count from the back of the room).

While fans asked great questions, I jotted down Jacqueline’s answers as I heard them, but not being proficient at shorthand, or recording anything, these aren’t direct quotes, but they’re paraphrased from Jacqueline. Anything in quotes is a quote. My humblest apologies to Jacqueline Winspear if anything is wrong.

Q: When you wrote Maisie Dobbs, did you know it was a series?

A: When started, she had not planned a series, just one book. The day after it went into print the publisher asked for the next book of the series. Luckily Jacqueline had been writing little fragments and things on her computer, so she printed them all off and laid them out on the floor. Within these fragments, she found six books — or the seeds for six books. She began to think of the arc of a series instead of an arc of a single book.

Q: Did you plan the length of the series then? Do you have a planned length now?

A: Didn’t plan it then, but “there are more books behind me than in front of me.” Maisie will return “not next year but maybe the next.”

Q: Is Maisie based on anyone in particular?

A: No! But Jacqueline wanted to honor that generation of women that were so changed by World War I, members of the “surplus women” generation. The War changed how these women saw themselves. At that time they had just won the right to vote, and then the war, and expansion of Women’s suffrage, so women would outnumber male voters by far for years to come. They wanted a home worthy of heroes, that took care of people. It was thanks to them the UK developed the National Health System and much more.

Q: What about Maisie’s psychic abilities?

A: She’s has a sharp intuition. She’s ‘A Sensitive.’ “She’s been trained to use it.” There was a lot of Spiritualism growing, coming up at that time, so it was certainly part of the culture and time period. [Another example of the era is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who became deeply interested in Spiritualism at that time, and Harry Houdini who moved from hopeful to skeptic to critic. –blc]

The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear poster

Q: Maisie has interesting heritage on her mother’s side? Where did that come from?

A: It was organic. Jacqueline wrote about it in a much earlier book, but took it out, placing it later. It was something she just seemed to know about Maisie early on. Roma people were in the UK very early on, and water gypsies too.

Q: Are you working on any other non-Maisie projects right now?

A: Yes! Two upcoming books with different characters. “It’s very exciting.”

About the Author: Benjamin L. Clark writes and works as a museum curator.

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26 April 201926 May 2020

Meeting Jacqueline Winspear

Jacqueline Winspear came to Santa Rosa on Tuesday, 23 April 2019. Thank you to Copperfield‘s Books that sponsors such great visits from amazing and talented writers. Moving to the North Bay Area from the interior of the United States wasn’t only because I was given the opportunity for a dream job. It was also because moving here would mean nights like tonight. An otherwise boring Tuesday has been transformed into an evening for fandom (in the best ways) and even a dose of inspiration.

Copperfield's Books sign in Santa Rosa — Copperfield’s Books at Montgomery Village in Santa Rosa, California, April 2019

Jacqueline Winspear is just as nice as you could hope. She’s very sweet. And even after years of living in California, she is still quite British (read: Charming).

For fans of Maisie Dobbs and her series of books, Jacqueline was able to share quite a bit about her latest, The American Agent, and also about her other new book, What Would Masie Do?, which I found fascinating.

The American Agent is book 15 of Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series. This latest book is set at the beginning of World War II during The Blitz, and Winspear, though born far too late to have experienced The Blitz first-hand, did have a personal connection to the historic events that unfold in her pages. When the 1969 film The Battle of Britain debuted with its blockbuster cast, the author asked her mother to take her to see it. Her mother replied, “No, I saw it the first time.” At first, she thought her mother was mistaken that the movie had come out earlier, but she later realized, no, she meant The Blitz itself. Her mother had been in a building that had bombed and collapsed and had spent “a significant amount of time” trapped. Her mother, understandably, remained claustrophobic the rest of her life.

Winspear shared stories of pioneering women war correspondents and members of the Women’s Voluntary Service. The women who served in this way worked to serve tea, give aid for shelter, and to identify the dead. They also had to write a daily report. Winspear spent lots of time in the archives of that organization reading these “searing reports” from the women who shouldered much of the recovery during The Blitz.

And, in the tune of helping people and making things, she’s created the book What Would Maisie Do? It’s a collection of favorite scenes and quotes from the Maisie Dobbs series, and the stories-behind-the-stories of those scenes. They are also reflections for the reader. This project was one that Winspear admitted had been in the making since the introduction of Maisie Dobbs. But when fellow writer, Amy Krouse Rosenthal passed away in 2017 she felt compelled to “make something” as Rosenthal encouraged all the time (the two writers shared an agent, and the three women have birthdays all in a row). “It’s really important to make things,” Winspear said.

In my next post, I’ll have a few more photos, but even better — answers from Winspear to a few burning questions. Click here for PART 2.

About the Author: Benjamin L. Clark writes and works as a museum curator.

24 April 20198 September 2024

It’s A Podcast, Charlie Brown

Good grief

So, I’ve had a drastic move in my day job: It’s been about a year since moving to California for a dream job: I’m now the curator of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center. Yes, that makes me the official historian of Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the whole Peanuts Gang. It’s been fantastic, but it’s been hectic in my first year here and it’s not left any time at all for much creative writing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m writing constantly … for work. We have six exhibitions per year, and I write all of them, and there have been special projects that were waiting as well, so it’s been crazy but the end is in sight.

We’ve also been busy as a family getting to know our incredible new home. Sonoma County and the Bay Area, in general, is just a very special, beautiful place, and as people who love the outdoors, it’s easy to put the notebooks aside for the weekend and just go. The beach, the mountains, the Redwoods, several hundred wineries, world-class dairies with their specialty cheese shops — it’s a lot to take in for a family of midwesterners who are used to holing up for the winter and not seeing true warmth and daylight until May.

Also, (back to work), I’ve had a lot of reading to do. Like how to do you become an “overnight” expert on a man who has had a handful of biographies, has given hundreds of interviews, and wrote and drew a daily comic strip for nearly 50 years (to the tune of 17,897 strips!) — A lot of reading. A lot, lot of reading. And to read his influences. And his acolytes. And I’m not done, by a long shot, but I think I’m starting to see the margins of life reforming where I can slip in a creative word or two outside my journal.

I’m a blockhead

In the past year, I’ve been learning a lot about comics and how they fit into pop culture in the 20th Century and coming forward to now. So, in an effort to keep my bona fides current, and to be a good creative person, I’m showing my work (#showyourwork) as a sort of disciple of Peanuts fan Austin Kleon has taught in his wonderful books which really kicks off with Steal Like an Artist, his follow up Show Your Work, and the just-released Keep Going.

So, on that front, of being a good museum curator, here is my recent-ish interview for the podcast It’s A Podcast, Charlie Brown. It’s something of a monthly audio magazine for the true Peanuts fan. My interview begins around the 36:30-minute mark or so.

About the Author: Benjamin L. Clark writes historical mysteries and works as a museum curator.

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3 December 201820 February 2025

Remembering Todd Bol – Little Free Libraries Founder

My wife and I love books. Books were a big part of our mutual attraction early in our relationship. In early October 2015, we decided to take a few days off and attend the Iowa City Book Festival. It was cold, but it was a joyous trip — our first as a little family since our son was born a few months earlier. The book festival coincided with a food writers conference my wife wanted to attend there, but there was plenty for me and our infant son to enjoy, too, with all the book-ish fun. I was thrilled to meet thriller writer Sara Paretsky and visit the Szathmary Culinary Collection at Iowa State University. And, of course, buying lots of books.

Todd Bol building a Little Free Library in Iowa City, Iowa in October 2015.

But the biggest thrill was meeting Todd Bol and spending little time with him.
Todd was there to help promote Margaret Aldrich’s new title (at the time) The Little Free Library Book and to help build some Little Free Libraries for local organizations. So, there he was on the plaza running through the historic part of Iowa City on a windy, cold day in October, in his sports coat, knocking together Little Free Libraries … by himself. I don’t know if no one else was supposed to be there, or I just happened to come across in-between shifts of helpers, but there he was working alone in a sport coat and tie.

So, I helped. I had my baby with me, (his Mom was in a session), and Todd and I built a couple of LFLs while my baby boy napped in his stroller, bundled against the chill. Todd had turned up the little collar on his jacket. It couldn’t have helped much. I remember being cold, too. I think we were all caught by surprise by the weather.

I don’t remember exactly what we talked about. I had wanted to build a Little Free Library for a while, but being a new Dad, working full-time, and just about any other convenient excuses, I hadn’t gotten it done. He encouraged me as a new Dad. He encouraged me to build the LFL, I remember and we talked design — I was planning to use a discarded kitchen cabinet as the starting point. I remember he was kind and appreciative, even though he had built an untold number of little book boxes by then.

I bought one of the books and grabbed all the LFL swag I could in good conscience. I really regret, especially now that he’s gone, that I didn’t get a picture of him and me together.

I went home that fall and started my own Little Free Library, with the help of my Dad. It was a fun project, and we got it installed, and the neighborhood loved it. We’ve since moved houses, moved states, but the Little Free Library was still at that old house, serving the community around it. In fact, it was a feature the buyers loved about our house. Take that, curb appeal! A Little Free Library will help sell your house! It also does a lot of good for you and your neighbors.

So, if you happen to have a yellow and purple Little Free Library, Charter #25387: Todd Bol himself and I built that one. According to the Little Free Library Map, that one is now located in Pittsburgh at Falconhurst Park!

Rest in peace, Todd. Thank you.

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About the Author: Benjamin L. Clark writes and works as a museum curator.

6 January 2018

Book Review: Dames Fight Harder by M. Ruth Myers

Dames Fight Harder

In this sixth installment of Maggie Sullivan mysteries, Maggie‘s friend Rachel Minsky is accused of killing a man that “had it coming.” Rachel is an independent Jewish woman of means who runs her own construction company in Dayton, Ohio with a private nature. Why has Rachel’s loyal but dangerous right-hand man also disappeared? Why has Rachel kept so many secrets? Can she survive when they unravel around her? Once again, private investigator Maggie Sullivan finds herself surrounded by questions and too few answers.

Historical Fiction for the Historian

I spend a lot of time reading history in my day job so something I look for while reading historical fiction and especially historical mysteries is that the experience is immersive without beating me over the head with historical facts. Ruth Myers does this better and better with each installment. Some writers are justifiably proud of the immense amount of research that goes into writing good historical mysteries, but they are less deft at using that research to create their fictional world. Ruth Myers does this beautifully and that experience is what makes her books among the best of the genre.

Dames Fight Harder takes place in the early spring of 1942, a few months following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States official entry into World War II. The war and its global implications weigh on the minds of every character though this is done in such a realistic manner I only noticed my own mounting sense of dread about some characters in this context and only realized when I finished the book why that was. Uncertainties and enormous cultural upheavals are only beginning to be felt, let alone understood. Meyers does a wonderful job making the characters and the mystery at hand the focus. This isn’t a history lesson, but a strong female-driven mystery set in a fascinating time. As a reader, I felt like I was there on those eerily quiet construction sites or with the elderly lady planting beans in what magazines would come to call Victory Gardens.

New to the series?

Although this is book six of an ongoing series, new readers to the Maggie Sullivan series won’t be lost as Myers writes enough background into each to catch up, though I wouldn’t classify them as stand-alone novels as there are long story and character arcs running through the series as a whole.

See my review of an earlier Maggie Sullivan book, Shamus In A Skirt

…

Book Review: Montaigne in Barn Boots

Philosophy and Humor

Author Michael Perry opens by describing laying on a gurney with a kidney stone and it made him think of Montaigne. Having had a kidney stone or two in my day, I can say I didn’t do much thinking, but any and every distraction was welcome. His book in hand I thought, ‘This is someone I can learn from.’ It also had an image of Montaigne wearing an Elmer Fudd hat on the cover — how could I resist?

Michael Perry is a hick. An NPR listening one, but a bonafide bumpkin from rural Wisconsin. And his approach as a writer is a wonderful blend of Dave Berry-esque humor and E. B. White’s reflective essays on life at his farm in Maine.

But don’t be fooled by Perry’s “Aw shucks” demeanor. He dives deep into not only the works of the 16th Century French nobleman-essayist, but also into his translators, devotees, and critics, flipping through each and finding the humor and wisdom for consideration in each encounter. Honestly, I thought Perry’s book would be a collection of Montaigne’s greatest quotes with a few essays built around them, but it’s much more than that.

One thing I learned, Montaigne was 38-years-old when he started writing his essays, finding wisdom with reflection. It happens to be the birthday I’ll have this year and I probably shouldn’t ignore my own copy of Montaigne on the shelf. Over the years, I’ve read from it a couple times, opening it to dip in and out seeing what I can find. Not like a miner desperately swirling his pan for gold. More like the weird uncle pinching choice bits of meat in the kitchen before the roast goes to the table. Did Horace B. Taylor, the previous owner of my copy as a student at the University of Montana sometime in the 1950s ever open it? Judging by the crispness of the pages and the tightness of the binding, I think not.

Perry follows Montaigne into all parts of life, including Friendship, Marriage, Sex, and yes, Farts (officially funny if you were wondering.) Perry is honest, making himself vulnerable exploring all of these subjects and many more. As a reader I found myself nodding in agreement, appreciating his willingness to not hide behind the page as a writer but to lay life out for all of us, that we can connect over our common humanity. Even if it’s over fart stories.

…

Michael Perry quotes Montaigne that the study philosophy is really a preparation for death. Perry comes to the same conclusions, thinking on experiences of his life, love marriage, children, writing, and working on an ambulance crew. After reading and loving “Montaigne in Barn Boots” is not the preparation for death but appreciate our commonalities and a better appreciation of our lives.

Benjamin L. Clark writes historical mysteries and works as a history museum curator.

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3 December 20178 December 2017

Book Review: Quiet Girl in a Noisy World by Debbie Tung

INTROVERT ALERT

Discovering what you want out of life, navigating self-doubt, and standing on the threshold of adulthood is tough no matter who you are. Luckily there are friends along the way who can help us. For some, those friends happen to be made out of a splash of ink and a pound of paper. Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert’s Story by Debbie Tung is one of those books.

When it arrived, Debbie Tung’s graphic novel looked familiar to me and no doubt why – I had been following her work on Instagram, which can be found @wheresmybubble. Her work has appeared in print and online in several places. I was glad to get my hands on this book.

Cover of the book Quiet Girl in a Noisy World by Debbie Tung This autobiographical graphic novel of Tung’s young life and entry into adulthood is told in single-page sets of drawings which makes it easy to dip in and out, or do as did and read it all in one sitting. She makes her way through graduate school, writing her dissertation, reflecting on her childhood and getting into a relationship with an extrovert — all with observational, self-deprecating humor and charm.

Tung’s book had a very similar effect on me as when I read Susan Cain’s Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking a few years ago. It opened my eyes to my own introversion and I found a kinship. I knew I was an introvert long before reading it, but there were parts of my personality that didn’t make sense to me, like my ambition, like my ability to be outgoing in specific situations. Cain’s book explores introversion in a deep dive and gave me a lot of helpful insight. Tung’s book is anecdotal, and more like a quiet cup of tea with a good friend, you can communicate with entirely by passive telepathy.

Tung also opened my eyes to differences in experience. Experiences I imagine that would be more common for young women who are introverts as well, navigating sexist behavior on top of their introversion. I’ve already pressed my copy into the hands of my favorite introvert to see what she thinks.

I’d recommend Quiet Girl in a Noisy World to introverts who are figuring things out and the people that love them.

…

About the Author: Benjamin L. Clark is a writer in Omaha where his family understands that he needs a little space sometimes.

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Book Review: Kopp Sisters on the March by Amy Stewart

My Only Qualm

Hungry For More?

About the Author: Benjamin L. Clark writes historical mysteries and works as a history museum curator.

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Book Review: The Chase by Clive Cussler

Writers Dreaming, Writers Musing

Meeting Jacqueline Winspear, part II, Q&A

Meeting Jacqueline Winspear

It’s A Podcast, Charlie Brown

Good grief

I’m a blockhead

About the Author: Benjamin L. Clark writes historical mysteries and works as a museum curator.

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Remembering Todd Bol – Little Free Libraries Founder

Book Review: Dames Fight Harder by M. Ruth Myers

Dames Fight Harder

Historical Fiction for the Historian

New to the series?

RECOMMENDED

About the Author: Benjamin L. Clark writes historical mysteries and works as a history museum curator.

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Book Review: Montaigne in Barn Boots

Philosophy and Humor

RECOMMENDED

Benjamin L. Clark writes historical mysteries and works as a history museum curator.

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Book Review: Quiet Girl in a Noisy World by Debbie Tung

INTROVERT ALERT