My earliest memories of reading center around a library. Whether combing through the card catalog in my elementary school library — not the digital kind but the one with endless rows of tiny drawers filled with 3×5 cards — or wandering the aisles of the public library, my childhood was filled with books. Continue reading
Though I’m the type of reader to enjoy a good mystery or sharp thriller year round, there’s something about summer that gets me extra excited to read books with twisty plots and high tension twists. Maybe it’s because as an adult I yearn for the ghost stories told around the campfire as kid.
June, July, and August deliver some tales that I can either personally vouch for how awesome they are, are new books from well-known names, or have received enough positive advance praise for me to feel confident giving them the thumbs up. Continue reading
The Target sale stickers get me every time. In my (failed) attempt to zoom past the rows of books on a recent outing, the 30% off tag on its cover caught my eye and propelled me to impulse buy a copy of the memoir, Present Over Perfect.
Upon flipping through the first couple chapters, the benefits of the insight offered in its pages outweighed its discount price. By the time I reached what I viewed to be the goldmine chapter, ‘Must Be Nice’, I could practically feel the truth of Neiquist’s written words running off the pages and through my veins. Continue reading
Lily Collins would not be surprised to hear that her roles in movies like “Mirror, Mirror,” “The Mortal Instruments,” and “Stuck in Love,” have cemented her in my mind as perpetually 18. The actress, who turns 27 today, addresses her young face and the pros and cons of her perpetual youthfulness as just one topic in a collection of essays published last week, “Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me.” Continue reading
History is full of women who, in spite of many challenges and roadblocks, pursued a life of courage, determination, and passion. They impacted science, the arts, politics, sports, and every other area of life. Some even risked their lives in order to free the oppressed and lift up the downtrodden. As we celebrate Women’s History Month this far-from-comprehensive list will help you learn about a few of them and be inspired by their stories. Continue reading
My partner and I have something we like to do together at evenings and weekends. You can do it anywhere, but we prefer the sofa or the bed. It’s traditional, it costs virtually nothing, and it brings us both a lot of pleasure. Yep, we read to each other. Continue reading
2017 is likely to be another roller coaster year as we navigate a new political landscape. But as we move forward, let’s celebrate all the good that has yet to happen, including another year of great books. The first third of the year promises some great new books that I have had the pleasure to read in advance of their US publication and highly recommend.
My personal preference for mystery and YA is definitely evident in this list, so you’re in luck if you like unreliable narrators and young characters tackling new paths. Continue reading
MI-5 agent. Psychologist and investigator. Private detective. Author and amateur sleuth. Sherlock Holmes’s apprentice-in-crime. All intelligent. All fearless. All women.
You know a series is excellent when it hooks you with the first book and you cannot stop until you have read them all. The five series listed below, all written by women, are that and so much more. Each lead character is so well developed that they become your friends and you miss them when you reach the end of the series. Do not start book one unless you are ready to take a journey that will leave you wanting more. Continue reading
At Thirty on Tap, we are all about arbitrary holidays that celebrate the imagination, so we’re pretty psyched about the fact that December 8 is Pretend To Be A Time Traveler Day!
Books have forever taken us to different lands. So if you’re looking to play fast and loose with the time/space continuum sans Delorean, here are some excellent choices for your literary excursions. Continue reading
If you’re anything like me the post-election world we live in is one that has not only instigated a feeling of wanting to create actual change, but has required it.
When I want to raise my voice louder but don’t know where to begin, or rather how to make sure that in my insistence to be heard that my message is clear, coherent, and one that I can be proud of, I want to hear from women who have already done an amazing job. I also want to learn what I don’t know. Continue reading
