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Ann Boland is committed to Chicago theater, opera, and arts. Involved as a theatre-goer since the early 80s, she’s witnessed firsthand the rise of Chicago's theater scene, its exceptional local talent, and the vigor of each new generation. To support her good and bad habits, Ann handles public relations for authors and the arts.

Latest Posts By Ann Boland

3 months ago

Surgery Alert! A True Story of Mayhem, Crime, and Rescue

It started with a quiet afternoon at home. Then an email came in from a friend and client, with whom we were working on scheduling a website update call. I did not expect the message I received…

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7 months ago

Selecting Books: There Are Just So Many!

Finding books to read is both planned and serendipitous. Every day I read the Wall Street Journal. They include a book review, usually non-fiction. On the weekend, they have a large book review section with new publications of a wide variety. I’ve learned to respect their choices given…

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7 months ago

Reading a Series of Books

In these book comments, I open a new mystery series, set in the Inner and Middle Temples in London, by former KC Sally Smith. It’s fun to be “in the beginning.” I read a series combined into one big book, The Complete Patrick Melrose Novels. No one book is too long…

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9 months ago

From the Page to the Screen or Stage

As you are reading, do you imagine a movie or TV series produced based on the book? I do and am thrilled when I see that a producer thought likewise. Slow Horses is now a series on Apple+. There are 15 books involving these characters, so copious of content for the screenwriters…

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9 months ago

Reading for Variety

Reading a variety of genres is fun. In this group of seven books, we have four history books, three memoirs, two novels, five that take place in foreign settings, two about war, and one natural history. Impossible? Not really. Interesting books often span genres such as The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating that is […]

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10 months ago

A Dose of Books for Summer

Diversity is the theme for these nine books – not in terms of race or gender, but topics. The one I enjoyed most was Kate Atkinson’s latest, followed by Dog of the North. Both light reading and a refreshing change of pace. None here I did not enjoy. I learned from your feedback…

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11 months ago

My Experience at the Tucson Festival of Books

Each year in March, during the University of Arizona spring break, a huge volunteer organization takes over the campus and hosts the Tucson Festival of Books (TFoB). This year 135,000 book lovers and around 350 authors immersed themselves in the world of books…

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1 year ago

Hunkering Down with Winter Books – Part II

In Part One, I highlighted three long books. Here, there is only one, but an important book, Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution. If you have a serious reader friend, take up this book together and discuss the sections…

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1 year ago

Hunkering Down with Winter Books – Part I

There are three longish books in this first installment of my winter book comments. I finally got my hands on Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. It did not disappoint. The wait list at the library is short because it came out in 2022. Then I saw a new book by Hampton Sides…

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1 year ago

Let’s Fall into Reading with These 12 Titles

Where did October and November go? Disappeared into 11 books, most of them worth considering for your book stack. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

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