This summer I’m revisiting Sinclair Lewis, whom despite being the first American writer awarded the Nobel, along with the first to refuse the Pulitzer, seems to have fallen out of vogue in recent decades, but appears to be making a comeback, along with Thomas Wolfe. For my money, Lewis is the quintessential Great American Novelist.Continue reading

San Francisco chef Donia Bijan’s mouthwatering memoir, Maman’s Homesick Pie, will be landing in bookstores in October.  To pique your appetite, we have some advanced praise and an excerpt below. In the Bijan family, food is the language used to tell stories. Donia Bijan’s story starts during the Iranian Revolution of the 1970s, when herContinue reading

It’s no secret that we Algonkians are voracious readers. This summer, we’re excited to dive into a wide variety of books, from the eclectic (The Decameron, Emily Post’s Etiquette, Yakuza Moon) to the wildly popular (Bossypants, A Visit from the Goon Squad, The Hunger Games) and everything in between. What are you looking forward toContinue reading