On October 8, I was on WHMP, a local radio station. Every weekday morning, from 8 am to 10 am, they have a show, Talk the Talk. On Thursdays, Carrie Baker, has a segment, Feminist Futures. The show is...

I apologize for being absent from this blog. As you could tell from my last post, my speaking engagements picked up. I was also sick with an awful cold. Last Thursday, I gave a talk on my book at the North Amherst branch of the Jones Library. There were about twelve people, and one person … Continue reading "So Busy"

Since the publication of Dames, Dishes, and Degrees, I participated in two events: the Book Launch on June 16 and my talk at Pollard Library, Lowell, MA in July. Following a brief quiet period, my sch...

Join our September 10 No Kings: Vote Early Kickoff Call to learn more about the vision, urgency, and strategy behind the No Kings coalition’s early vote activation and election protection campaign and...

I orginally posted this review oon Goodreads on May 8, 2026 I have read several of Barbara Pym’s books both in the past and more recently. We read two of her novels for my Jane Austen book club. I may...

The publication of Dames, Dishes, and Degrees occurred a little over 8 weeks ago. My publisher recently told me that there have been almost 200 orders. That’s exciting, but a little unbelievable since...

I orginally posted this review on Goodreads on  April 30 2026. Book Review: We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman This book is the second I have read by this author. It was her first novel...

On July 15th I gave a book talk at the Pollard library in Lowell MA. I read part of chapter 3 of Dames, Dishes and Degrees which is about clubs at the University of Chicago. In the audience were two g...

I orginally posted this review on Goodreads on May 27. The TV series premieres on July 30 on Hallmark Plus. Book Review: Paris is Always a Good Idea by Jenn McKinlay I listen to a podcast called Girls...

At the beginning of June, I spent several days in the Berkshires attending the Edith Wharton Summit. It was an enjoyable experience. I was there to deliver a paper, “Edith Wharton and the Academic Wor...

It finally  happened. June 16, 2026, was the publication date for Dames, Dishes, and Degrees: Faculty Wives in America. The book launch was on the same date. Publishing Dames, Dishes, and Degrees was ...

I originally posted this review of The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow on Goodreads on April 26. I have changed it slightly. I had wanted to read this book for a while, but hadn’t gotten around t...

I originally posted this review on Goodreads. I gave the book only one star.  The Billionaire’s Match by Stacy Caroline is a terrible book. I have read a bunch of reviews on Goodreads, and I had a sim...

This evening will be the last day of counting the Omer. Many Jews count the days between Passover and Shavuot. This is the third year I have done this. Of course, I have an app from Chabad.org. It has...

I posted this review on Goodreads on April 9. Because of various issues with cross posting, I have decided to have a two step process for my book reviews. Post them first on Goodreads and then around ...

Barbara Flynn Currie died last month, April 16th, at eighty-five. She was an Illinois Democratic state representative from 1979 to 2019 and the Majority Leader from 1997 to 2019, a first for women. Cu...

Since the fall of 2025, I have been in a mindful art group that meets once a week on Wednesdays. Jessica Murphy is the facilitator. I have enjoyed taking part in this group. It is nice to spend some t...

Plot a path through the grid while passing through each number in order.

Plot a path through the grid while passing through each number in order.

Hampshire College is closing. 61 years ago, people began planning for the new college, and 56 years ago, in the fall of 1970, it opened. My husband was in the first class. I have mixed feelings about ...

Plot a path through the grid while passing through each number in order.

Plot a path through the grid while passing through each number in order.

I have found a place to hold my book launch event. It will be at Amherst Books, 8 Main St., Amherst, MA, 7:00 PM, June 16th. I am excited about Amherst Books because the bookstore will display Dames, ...

Plot a path through the grid while passing through each number in order.

4 likes, 2 comments - cynrenpress on April 14, 2026: "We’re pleased to share that "A Rare Obsession" by Sheldon Russell has been named a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award in Fiction. If you haven’...

Plot a path through the grid while passing through each number in order.

Plot a path through the grid while passing through each number in order.

I currently have 660 posts from my WordPress blog and thirty-seven from my non-WordPress website. There is probably some overlap because once I started having a WordPress site, I reposted some of the original blog. I have enough posts that I have inadvertently used the same name twice. Now I have to check before I … Continue reading "Stats"

Plot a path through the grid while passing through each number in order.

Plot a path through the grid while passing through each number in order.

Plot a path through the grid while passing through each number in order.

Plot a path through the grid while passing through each number in order.

Plot a path through the grid while passing through each number in order.

When I first started with this blog, which was not a WordPress blog, that was the only way I had to promote Brewing Battles. I was reluctant to go on Facebook because my children were on it. In 2009, ...