Book review: “Only Gossip Prospers: A Novel of Louisa May Alcott in New York” by Lorraine Tosiello

Lorraine Tosiello, MD, has been a practicing internist in New York and New Jersey for 38+ years, specializing in infectious diseases. She has dedicated her professional life to the care of people with HIV. You could say it is a passion of hers, one that a certain 19th century author would have approved of wholeheartedly. …

Spending the holidays with Louisa May Alcott, from Discover Concord magazine

I am pleased to present an article that was recently published in the Winter edition of Discover Concord magazine. You can find the article on page 12: https://issuu.com/discoverconcordma/docs/dcwinter19web/1?ff       Here is a tease: "The purpose of ... Alcott's juvenile writing, was to teach morality. What makes these stories rise above the popular but …

Book Review: “Little Women: The Official Movie Companion”

I am pleased to present this guest post review by Niina Niskanen who has frequently left thoughtful comments on this blog. The premiere of the new Little Women feature film is approaching and recently a movie companion written by Gina McIntyre was released with beautiful photographs taken from the set by Wilson Webb. The book …

Year-long Louisa May Alcott Readalong premieres on YouTube

I am pleased to announce a year-long initiative created by Meghan Hanet and Kate Howe called A Year with Louisa May Alcott Readalong, hosted on YouTube. Each month (from November, 2019 through September, 2020) Meghan and Kate will cover a work by Alcott, conducting a discussion group via their "BookTube" channel. The introductory video outlines …

Podcast interview with Jenne Bergstrom and Miko Osada, authors of “The Little Women Cookbook: Novel Takes on Classic Recipes from Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy, and Friends”

Here is a wonderful interview with two librarians, who, because they love making food from their favorite stories, authored The Little Women Cookbook: Novel Takes on Classic Recipes from Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy, and Friends.    Also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ptZVV0V4IoA You can connect with Jenne and Miko on their website, 36eggs.com; they are also …

Hospital Sketches as it first appeared, serialized in the Boston Commonwealth Newspaper

Here is a great find, thanks to our friend JBee - PDF versions of the Boston Commonwealth which serialized Hospital Sketches before it was published as a book. There is a page of additional information and citations for each PDF. There other files as well, not related to Hospital Sketches, including  letters that were published …

Podcast interview with Wini Moranville, author of “The Little Women Cookbook: Tempting Recipes from the March Sisters and Their Friends and Family”

I recently spoke with food writer Wini Moranville about her cookbook and the role of food in Little Women. It was a fascinating discussion which I am sharing with you as a podcast.   Also available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3sCDGhWnBM The article referred to in the podcast is "Strawberries and Salt: Culinary Hazards and Moral Education …

Exciting news from Walpole, NH, home to the Alcotts in the mid 1850s

Back in 2016, I visited Walpole, NH, home to the Alcott family from 1855-1857. Accompanied by Alcott scholar Dr. Kristi Martin, we had the pleasure of meeting Ray Boas, Walpole's town historian. He gave us a lovely tour of the town, pointing out the homes where Louisa and Anna had performed with the Walpole Amateur …

Writing for magazines and websites (just as Louisa May Alcott did)

Wishing to have articles published in magazines and on websites, I did some research online. Magazine writing was, of course, Louisa May Alcott's bread and butter, even after her success with Little Women. After spending about an hour searching with Google, I found that there are many possibilities both in print publications and websites for …

Book review: Treat yourself to these delicious Little Women cookbooks

First, a disclaimer: I am no cook. And my diet regimen does not permit a lot of these foods (unfortunately). However, as someone who loves to eat, I did find the recipes in both of these books to be very tempting; I was quite hungry by the time I finished going through them. For devotees …