About Me

The story behind A Book A Week, and the reader behind the reviews.

It started with a New Year's resolution:
1 book a week, 52 books in a year.
I kept reading, and it grew into something much more.

Back in 2011, I was an avid reader who had somehow lost my way with reading. Between working and being a full-time student, reading for pleasure had slowly fallen by the wayside.

I wanted to change that. So I gave myself a New Year's resolution to read one book every week for a year. I started A Book A Week on January 1, 2012 as a way to hold myself accountable and share what I was reading along the way.

I didn't quite reach my goal that first year, but I kept reading. I kept reviewing. And all these years later, I'm still here, looking forward to whatever book comes next. Some years I crush my goals, some years I don't, but my love for a good book has never wavered.

Line drawing portrait of Ethan

Hi, I'm Ethan

Reader. Blogger.
Book lover.

I'm a lifelong reader with a particular soft spot for mysteries and thrillers. I've always loved the genre, and I credit those stories—the twists, suspense, and need to know what happens next—with keeping me a reader as an adult. My reading has taken me in all kinds of directions since then, but I'll always come back to a good mystery.

I love creepy horror novels. A fascinating work of nonfiction can completely pull me in, too. And I've found plenty of favorites in science fiction, literary fiction, romance, and other genres I might never have picked up when I first started the blog. That's part of the fun. I never quite know what kind of story is going to grab me next.

When I'm not reading or writing reviews, you'll usually find me at home with my husband and our pets. I'm a classically trained musician and composer, an enthusiastic home cook, and a backyard gardener. There's usually a trip to look forward to or some new project that has caught my interest, too.

At the end of the day, I just really love books. There's nothing quite like discovering a story I can't put down or finding an author I can't wait to read again. Even when a book doesn't quite work for me, I still enjoy thinking about why and putting those thoughts into words. That's what keeps me reading, reviewing, and sharing it all here on A Book A Week.

Loose hand-drawn fountain pen illustration

Review Disclaimer

Honest reviews, always.

Some of the books I review are ones I've purchased myself. Others are provided by publishers or authors in exchange for an honest review. Either way, what I write here is always what I really think.

Not every book is going to work for every reader, and that's part of the fun of talking about books. I'll tell you what worked for me, what didn't, and hopefully give you enough to decide whether a book might be right for you.

Good, bad, or somewhere in between, you'll always get my honest take.

Contact

Have a question about the blog, a book you think I should read, or just want to say hello? I'd love to hear from you.

Drop me a note using the form below.

Let's Connect

I'm always happy to hear from readers, publishers, authors, and fellow book lovers.

Review Copies

I'm always open to considering books for review. I read across a pretty wide range of genres, though mysteries and thrillers tend to be particular favorites. If you'd like me to consider a book, send along a little information about it and why you think it might be a good fit for A Book A Week.

Publishers & Authors

Review requests, interviews, features, or something else you have in mind? Send me a note. I'm always happy to hear about new books and opportunities that might be a good fit for the blog.

General Inquiries

Have a question, a recommendation, or just want to talk books? Those messages are welcome, too.

Find Me Elsewhere

Send a Message

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Showing posts with label History. Show all posts

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

What can we know? The answer depends, of course, on what it means to truly know something. History’s greatest thinkers have wrestled with t...

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Ghosts of Hiroshima by Charles Pellegrino

Thursday, August 28, 2025

Ghosts of Hiroshima by Charles Pellegrino

On August 6, 1945, the American military dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and the world was forever changed. It’s difficult to comprehen...

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Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen

Friday, March 28, 2025

Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen

One of the most common icebreakers I’ve encountered is the dreaded question: If you could have dinner with any person, dead or alive, who wo...

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There There by Tommy Orange

Saturday, November 23, 2024

There There by Tommy Orange

For all its cultural significance, Thanksgiving remains surprisingly absent from much of literature, especially when compared to the abundan...

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Camino Ghosts by John Grisham

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Camino Ghosts by John Grisham

With the holiday weekend behind us, summer reading has officially arrived. I enjoyed kicking off my summer reading with John Grisham's l...

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Timeline by Michael Crichton

Friday, March 15, 2024

Timeline by Michael Crichton

Lately, my husband has rekindled his interest in reading. While I indulge in a couple of books every week, he has refrained from reading for...

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The Lost Tomb by Douglas Preston

Friday, February 2, 2024

The Lost Tomb by Douglas Preston

After watching the latest Indiana Jones movie, I found myself questioning the necessity of its existence. It seemed like a lackluster conclu...

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Atonement by Ian McEwan

Sunday, April 17, 2022

Atonement by Ian McEwan

“How guilt refined the methods of self-torture, threading the beads of detail into an eternal loop, a rosary to be fingered for a lifetime.”...

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Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

"Life is not what you think it is. Remember that. Remember me." With the arrival of November comes cooler air, shorter days, and t...

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The Gay Agenda by Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham

Saturday, May 2, 2020

The Gay Agenda by Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham

The history of LGBTQ+ people is one that is rich, but frankly, the masses are simply unaware of most of it. Sure, milestones like the repeal...

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The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Monday, April 27, 2020

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

"Slavery is everyday longing, is being born into a world of forbidden victuals and tantalizing untouchables---the land around you, the ...

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Disney's Land by Richard Snow

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Disney's Land by Richard Snow

"To all who come to this happy place: Welcome." I'll never forget my first trip to Disneyland in California. I was fifteen y...

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Origin by Dan Brown

Friday, March 8, 2019

Origin by Dan Brown

With only seven novels to his name, Dan Brown is one of the most-read authors of all time. His novel The Da Vinci Code became an instant bes...

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Circe by Madeline Miller

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Circe by Madeline Miller

"When I was born, the word for what I was did not exist." For months now I've seen the gorgeous cover of Madeline Miller...

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Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

"Sometimes fantasies are paths to realities." Walter Isaacson is no stranger to telling the stories of genius. Through his writi...

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The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

"If you want to see what this nation is all about, I always say, you have to ride the rails. Look outside as you speed through, and you...

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Autumn in Oxford by Alex Rosenberg

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Autumn in Oxford by Alex Rosenberg

Tom Wrought is being framed. Life hadn't been easy up to this point, but he never expected it to get this bad. A Pulitzer prize and coll...

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Alice in Bed by Judith Hooper

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Alice in Bed by Judith Hooper

Although her brothers Henry and William are better known, Alice James was a fascinating person in her own right. In Alice in Bed  author Jud...

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It's A Long Story: My Life by Willie Nelson

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

It's A Long Story: My Life by Willie Nelson

“Memories remind us that every moment of our lives, even the most tragic, have contributed to our strength. We’ve gotten through. We’re stil...

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The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

Sunday, October 5, 2014

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

A few years ago, The Reader was one of those novels that everyone seemed to be reading. Boosted by a successful film adaptation and a sele...

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