jennifer-ciotta

April 7th is the birthday of the famous Romantic poet William Wordsworth.  Instead of happy birthday news of the long-deceased writer, we have some bad news.  On March 24, 2011, The Guardian reported: “One of […]

American Girl Dolls is a little girl phenomenon.  The dolls are not of my generation, so I never played with them; however, the generation after me has fond memories of American Girl.  (I’m from the Cabbage […]

When you become a best-selling author who has sold more than 25 million copies of your books worldwide, you quit your day job, right?  Not Scott Turow.  The mystery-suspense novelist has had his books translated […]

I’ve been struggling with a scene in my novel.  It’s a pivotal scene and needs memorable description.  I didn’t know where to turn for inspiration until I found an old book of literary short stories on my […]

by Katie Davis

Henry James was not a one-hit-wonder novelist. Throughout his lifetime he wrote more than 22 novels, in addition to over 100 short stories, and many essays and plays. Though not all of his works […]

Water for Elephants was a surprise hit.  It reached #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list, captivating audiences with its young-old protagonist, timeless love story and circus theme.  It even has a big […]

Jane Austen arouses feelings of the provincial life in England.  The English countryside arouses feelings of home life with quiet villages and quaint cottages.  It is from this connection to English home that […]

Yeah, I know.  I’m 11 years behind.  The novel Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult was published in the year 2000 and still continues to be successful.  However, I hadn’t gotten around to reading Picoult until this […]

Of all places to find Jane Austen, who would think The New Forest in Hampshire, England?  Writer Janet Halliday cleverly thought of this idea as she was inspired by Austen’s adventures in the nearby village of […]

On a sunny and warm spring day, I traveled from my Westchester home on the express bus down to New York City.  After a pleasant ride (only 38 minutes!), I arrived at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on 85th and […]

When I picked up To Timbuktu, written by Casey Scieszka and illustrations by Steven Weinberg, I wasn’t so sure.  I mean, I can be a bit of a literary snob … yet at the same time, I like fun books with a unique […]