The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton My rating: 3 of 5 stars "Are you a bird, an angel, or what?" ...I didn't have the answer. I certainly wasn't a bird, as far as I could tell. But in the same breath, I couldn't say I was human. What did it … Continue reading The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
Category: Books
Two Great Reads – Stargirl and Eleanor & Park
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli My rating: 5 of 5 stars I <3 Stargirl! I have read this book twice, aloud with each child at the right time. Stargirl is a gust of flowery-fresh spring air. She leaves change where she finds it, and drops more for those who might need it. She reads community bulletin … Continue reading Two Great Reads – Stargirl and Eleanor & Park
Meatless Monday – Veggie Sloppy Joes
I've been savoring a new book for DIY mini spiritual retreats: Awaken Your Senses by J. Brent Bill and Beth A. Booram. This book serves as a reminder to allow our physical beings to connect us to God, and with quotes like this - "...God is in all beauty, both the simply amazing and the amazingly … Continue reading Meatless Monday – Veggie Sloppy Joes
A Visit from the Goon Squad
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan My rating: 4 of 5 stars I put this book on my to-read list while reading Dani Shapiro's Still Writing - she mentions it more than once as a stellar piece of writing. Other than Shapiro's recommendation and having read Egan's The Keep some years back … Continue reading A Visit from the Goon Squad
The Book Thief
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak My rating: 5 of 5 stars I just closed this book, dried my eyes and blew my nose, and still haven't caught my breath... Ouch. War and death, pain and beauty. Life's worst and best in an ugly-beautiful stew. Despite having heard the accolades, I didn't want to read … Continue reading The Book Thief
Still Writing
Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life by Dani Shapiro My rating: 4 of 5 stars Writers process life through the persistent act of writing. So reading writers on writing is tantamount to reading about intentional living. Intentional because writers, like the rest of us, have to create rhythms of life in … Continue reading Still Writing
The Light Between Oceans
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman My rating: 4 of 5 stars Loss, love and justice in a mad ocean swirl. This was hard to read as I wanted to yell above the storm at the characters to choose differently. They couldn't hear me, of course, so I could only read, watch, and cry … Continue reading The Light Between Oceans
Purge
I believe that often books come into our lives at a time for a reason. A friend compiled a great list of books for me to read throughout our summer away. After enjoying one of the books I recommended to her, she started following the author's blog. That author had a promo of a free kindle download of another author's book, … Continue reading Purge
Steal Like an Artist
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon My rating: 5 of 5 stars A letter to his younger self - and to all those who need to up their own creativity - this book is fun, simple, and makes creativity approachable even for those who don't think … Continue reading Steal Like an Artist
The Snow Queen
The Snow Queen by Michael Cunningham My rating: 4 of 5 stars Life: a wondrous, glorious gift to be received with gratitude and used with gusto; also, so very ordinary. I almost gave up on this book. Nothing much happens. Lots of internal dialogue. Until I got it, and then I got it in the … Continue reading The Snow Queen