Articles by Katrina Stonoff

Opinion

If you want to know what Hurricane Katrina cost the nation, you could start by reading Liquor, by Poppy Z. Brite. A native of New Orleans, Brite paints a vivid picture of the New Orleans Katrina blew away, a place rich in flavor, personality and intrigue.

Drawn together by the birth of baby Hope and the simultaneous death of Hope's mother, three women move into an uneasy house. None of them like the others; all of them adore the baby. On such unstable ground, a home is built in Katie Willard's tribute to women, womanhood and motherhood.

A fortuitious accident, Shadow Baby is delightful and funny and sweet. And bitterly, painfully sad. You will laugh, and grieve, and rage. But you won't be bored, not for a minute.

It's a rare memoir that keeps me up at night, but I read The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion, in three days with little sleep. I felt a little voyeuristic reading this intimate peek into a marriage, but like any addictive habit, I just couldn't stop myself from peeping.

This month I'm dabbling in genres I rarely read. And although I love thrillers, I never read horror. You have to realize: I don't read books any more than I watch movies. I live them. And nobody wants to live certain books or movies.

I read A Strong West Wind, by Gail Caldwell (chief book critic for the Boston Globe), because I was interested in her agent, and it came highly recommended. Caldwell is a Pulitzer Prize winner, and the jacket calls it an "exquisitely rendered memoir."

Katrina Stonoff tackles A Family Forever, inspirational romance by Brenda Coulter, wondering if she will be able to look herself in the mirror the next day. Will she be embarrassed?

Katrina Stonoff reviews the book Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson, and finds it as tasty as an almond croissant.

Katrina Stonoff reviews The Night Journal by Elizabeth Crook, and has some observations that all authors would do well to hear.

"Snow Flower" is a rich, detailed texture of sisterhood. Although despised in childhood as extra mouths and valued in womanhood only as the mothers of sons, women created a subculture for themselves, a culture that honored sisterhood, women?s arts, and their personal relationships. Stonoff calls "Snow Flower" a "veritable time machine."

Katrina Stonoff reviews "The Violent Friendship of Esther Johnson."

Katrina Stonoff reviews "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro, and frankly, her review is driving the editor crazy enough to buy the book on the spot!

Katrina Stonoff reviews "Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, a book that reveals the life of a circus more than the illusion, and which Stonoff calls "compelling, suspenseful, filled with characters I loved and hated."

Katrina Stonoff reviews Nick Hornby's book, "A Long Way Down," and finds it a masterful example of the use of characters "voice" in a funny and fascinating tale of four suicides.

Dust off your Chanel suit and find the other white glove -- Katrina Stonoff is reviewing the book, "What Would Jackie Do?" which claims to be "an inspired guide to distinctive living."

Katrina Stonoff reviews "The Geographer's Library," a book about mystery and antiquities.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the "charming" book, "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall Smith.

Katrina Stonoff reviews "March" by Geraldine Brooks, a book based upon the father character in Alcott's classic, "Little Women."

Katrina Stonoff reviews "The Whole World Over" by Julia Glass, a book held up as an example of a narrator that isn't a POV character

Katrina Stonoff reviews "Freakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner -- and is fascinated by this non-fiction book that uses economics to shed light on social questions.

Katrina Stonoff reviews "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln.

Katrina Stonoff reviews Stephen King's suspenseful "Gerald's Game."

Katrina Stonoff reviews "The Devil Wears Prada" by Lauren Weisberger, a novel made into the movie by the same name.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the highly recommended "The Constant Gardener" by John Le Carre.

Katrina Stonoff reviews "Triptych" by Karin Slaughter and finds it unsettling, and a heart-pounder.

A quick, quirky read, says Katrina Stonoff of "Company" by Max Barry, but one that you will think about when you look around at your workplace.

If there was one book Katrina Stonoff wishes she could assign everyone to read, it would be "The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.

Katrina Stonoff reviews "How to Be Lost" by Amanda Eyre Ward and finds it a real page-turner.

Katrina Stonoff reviews in haiku, and says this:"A lyrical and lovely book, 'The Effects of Light', by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, will haunt you, just as the photographs in it haunt their subjects."

Katrina Stonoff reviews "The Book of Flying" by Keith Miller. A modern allegory, she notes, and a traditional quest.

Katrina Stonoff reviews "Was It Beautiful? by Alison McGhee, and finds it a finely crafted work of fiction about clinical depression.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the hilarious memoir, "Marley & Me" by John Grogan.

Katrina Stonoff reviews "Waiting" by Ha Jin.

Katrina Stonoff reviews "Sarah" by Marek Halter and has some reservations about the book.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the novel, "The Mermaid Chair," by Sue Monk Kidd.

Katrina Stonoff reviews "By Bread Alone" by Sarah-Kate Lynch.

Katrina Stonoff reviews "City of Glass" by Paul Auster.

Katrina Stonoff reviews "Falling Boy" by Alison McGhee.

Katrina Stonoff reviews "Running With Scissors" by Augusten Burroughs.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the book, "Trans-Sister Radio" by Chris Bohjalian.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the book, "The Crimson Petal and the White," by Michel Faber.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the book, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the book, "We Are All Welcome Here" by Elizabeth Berg.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the book, "The Bastard of Istanbul," by Elif Shafak.

Katrina Stonoff reviews "The Year of Fog" by Michelle Richmond.

Katrina Stonoff remembers with delight and reviews the short story collection "A Visit From The Footbinder and Other Stories" by Emily Prager.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the book "Falling Man" by Don DeLillo.

Katrina Stonoff reviews "Divisadero" by Michael Ondaatje .

Katrina Stonoff reviews "The Sleeping Beauty Proposal" by Sarah Strohmeyer.

Katrina Stonoff reviews "Dream When You're Feeling Blue" by Elizabeth Berg.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the book "Plain Truth" by Jodi Picoult.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the book "Starting Out Sideways" by Mary E. Mitchell.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the book "The Used World" by Haven Kimmel.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the book "The Birth of Venus" by Sara Dunant.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the book "The First Wives Club" by Olivia Goldsmith.

Katrina Stonoff reviews the book, "The Reincarnationist" by M. J. Rose.

Nonfiction

Katrina Stonoff reviews The Madonnas of Leningrad, and finds it exquisite.

Have you ever considered getting a companion pet to fill the lonely hours? Some people adopt a wife, but you have to know what you're doing ...

Short

Katrina Stonoff, intrigued by Hollywood's version of the story, turns to the novel "The Prestige" by Christopher Priest to try to find out what really happened ...

Katrina Stonoff reviews Dorothy Allred Solomon's memoir "Daughter of the Saints," about being raised in a polygamist home.