“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

“I have a pact with myself not to think about money in the morning.”

September 29, 2025

A review of “Writers & Lovers” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

The rest of the opening paragraph of this novel lists the other things the narrator tries not to think about: sex, her boyfriend, death, and her mother who died on vacation last winter. She shows … Read More

“That should be my epitaph: All because of my stupid childhood.”

September 19, 2025

A review of “Will and Testament” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

How do you write a successful novel about a traumatic childhood?  Let’s raise the bar: how do you write a best-selling book about a person who remembers being raped by her father? Norwegian author Vigdis … Read More

“You want to eat clam chowder and lobster rolls . . . served to you by someone who calls them chowdah and lobstah.”

September 10, 2025

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

This novel is a beach read about people who debate how Martha’s Vineyard compares to Nantucket Island. They actually do have passionate conversations about their beaches. Rich? Why, yes. Happy? Of course not. Readers may be … Read More

“The present changes the past.”

August 31, 2025

A review of “The Inheritance of Loss” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

Let’s just say that you wanted to write a novel that was built around that idea that “the present changes the past.”  How would you structure it? Would you tell the story chronologically? Illustrate … Read More