Although I have a “To Read” list on Goodreads and have books and authors scribbled down on the backs of various envelopes and whatnot, I am also a pretty impulsive reader. Especially at my favorite local used book store. It’s a wonderful place where they give you credit for any books you bring in and also offer a 50% discount when you use that trade credit. When I’m there, I completely ignore my scribbles and my “To Read” list and just buy books on impulse. […]
I Love Barbara Stanwyck, but this book was looonnnggg …
Victoria Wilson’s new biography, A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel-True 1907-1940 is impressive, if just for its length and heft. It is just the first half of a two-part exhaustive look into the life and career of one of Hollywood’s most enduring, yet shyest stars. Stanwyck, born Ruby Stevens, started life in Brooklyn as a quasi-orphan. Her mother died when she was quite young and her father disappeared soon after, leaving young Ruby and her brother Byron to be raised by friends and family. Her three older […]

