Victoria Woodhull and Tennessee Claftin were two of the children of a backwater snake oil salesman. The sisters spent their childhoods telling fortunes and handing out quack cures. They were not destined for great things. But the Gilded Age had a habit of propelling the least likely people to unimaginable heights. In a time when…
Review: Love, InshAllah
Finding love is hard, no matter who you are. But it might be a bit harder for American Muslim women. The 25 women who contributed essays to Love, InshAllah are planted between two worlds that seem very different on the surface. They are independent American women with careers and ambitions; they are also Muslim women…
Review: This House is Haunted
Heartbroken after the loss of her father, schoolteacher Eliza Caine is desperate to leave London. When she applies for a position as a governess at a home outside Norwich, she is surprised at her potential employer’s response: he doesn’t ask about her education or for references, or even tell her the number and age of…
The Write Stuff: I’ve Made a Terrible Mistake
Have you ever done something that scared you, and you didn’t die and it was actually kind of fun, but then you got cocky and bit off more than you could chew? Welcome to my world. After my marginal success with writing prompts last year, I decided it was time to get back into creative…
2016 End of Year Book Survey
How can I be so tired of this year when it seems to have gone by so fast? Out with the old, hooray! But first, a quick, nerdy look back at this year’s reading. Best Books in 2016 1. Best book you read In 2016? Fiction – It’s a tie between The Golem and the…