Chasing Beauty

I just finished reading Chasing Beauty: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner by Natalie Dykstra. Here’s the short version—wow! Here’s the slightly longer version: Beautiful prose.  Rich with insights.  Wonderful storytelling. Not necessarily in that order I did not go into Chasing Beauty cold. Natalie and I became deadline buddies and fast friends in the…

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From the Archives: Stranger in the Shogun’s City

Over the last few weeks the book Stranger in the Shogun’s City has come up several times in conversations with fellow history buffs and book nerds.  Each time, my response has been “I love that book!”  And after a while I decided it was time to tell those of you who didn’t read this review…

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