N/A

I appreciate Glennon Doyle Melton's journey toward becoming in touch with herself in her book "Love Warrior." It's not an easy journey. It's one where she learns knowing what she needs, what she desires and what she doesn't want in her life will lead her closer to the joys in life. The truths she learns do not come without extraordinary pain. Along the way, it felt good to read a person's true opinion about our churches. There are still cracks among the congregations of these Holy places. There are a few congregants who still have not discovered how to speak to another person's pain. Instead certain ones still come with a list of what you should have done and what you need to do now in order to fix your problem. Are they like Job's friends? I feel free to mention Job here because the author does mention God in the memoir. It was my feeling that she traveled to the churches of God first for help. I felt sad to read about pornography. It is s

I have enjoyed another cozy. This one, "Murder in the Secret Garden" by Ellery Adams involves chilling poisonous plants like the mandrake and chemicals like Arsenic. From what I can understand poisonous plants can also have good benefits along with those too awful deadly ones. There are also facts about rare books. One character goes so far as to steal an Herbology which is small enough to fit inside a waistband. There is the Gutenberg Bible, monks and what can go terribly wrong in an order, in this case the Benedictine order. It seems we are unafraid to do wrong in the most holiest of places. Of course there is murder where Ellery Adams taps into the idea of why good people murder other people. In a roundabout way she writes about the length of anger. If it is not addressed, it grows into "rage." These are only a few of the important issues that are addressed. On the lighter side is the description of the book retreat, Storyton Hall where rooms and pools are n

I have enjoyed another cozy. This one, "Murder in the Secret Garden" by Ellery Adams involves chilling poisonous plants like the mandrake and chemicals like Arsenic. From what I can understand poisonous plants can also have good benefits along with those too awful deadly ones. There are also facts about rare books. One character goes so far as to steal an Herbology which is small enough to fit inside a waistband. There is the Gutenberg Bible, monks and what can go terribly wrong in an order, in this case the Benedictine order. It seems we are unafraid to do wrong in the most holiest of places. Of course there is murder where Ellery Adams taps into the idea of why good people murder other people. In a roundabout way she writes about the length of anger. If it is not addressed, it grows into "rage." These are only a few of the important issues that are addressed. On the lighter side is the description of the book retreat, Storyton Hall where rooms and pools are n

It begins with 1909. It's March. Unfortunately, it's not a autumnal month of the year. There is trouble, anger, jealousy, an affair, and guess who is involved? Mark Twain. I'm not a fan of Mark Twain. Well, I loved Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. I've always felt unsafe with his racial values. Perhaps, I have judged him by his appearance: The white goatee, the white suit, the whole look. I just never wanted him to make me laugh. I wouldn't give in and read  "The Celebrated Jumping Frog Of Calveras County.  twain.lib.virginia.edu/huckfinn/jumpfrog.html   At last, I'm going to read this short story. It's followed me for years. I pray it won't make me laugh. If I laugh, it will mean Mark Twain is in line to become an author I like.I hope along the way to read to learn about this author's personal life. I'm already feeling sorry for that woman, but that's not right. Maybe I'm thinking of Anna Karenina. Well, I'm off to read about Isabel

It begins with 1909. It's March. Unfortunately, it's not a autumnal month of the year. There is trouble, anger, jealousy, an affair, and guess who is involved? Mark Twain. I'm not a fan of Mark Twain. Well, I loved Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. I've always felt unsafe with his racial values. Perhaps, I have judged him by his appearance: The white goatee, the white suit, the whole look. I just never wanted him to make me laugh. I wouldn't give in and read  "The Celebrated Jumping Frog Of Calveras County.  twain.lib.virginia.edu/huckfinn/jumpfrog.html   At last, I'm going to read this short story. It's followed me for years. I pray it won't make me laugh. If I laugh, it will mean Mark Twain is in line to become an author I like. Yummy, the first page has taken me away to somewhere else where there is a "painting of the Pitti Palace in Florence." sbas.fi.it/english/musei/palatina/ This man, Mark Twain, is very complicated. He's not a Hum

"He didn't even feel it. So he tried again, this time digging in his nails. He just wanted to feel something, physical pain, to tell him that he was alive, that this was all happening." adailyrhythm.com

This is a simply written and beautiful written Bible book. Children and grown-ups will enjoy it. I especially relished looking at the colorful paintings. These pictures seemed to fit the stories so well.Then, there are the prayers and scriptures. All information is easy to find and fun to glance over again and again. The book begins with the Creation story and ends with the New Jerusalem. I would like to end by mentioning the poetry. One stanza in particular is great for grace before a meal. "At this table / Take your place: / Feast upon / God's love and grace." Both The Old Testament and New Testament are shared within the pages of the book. The content pages are very easy to follow allowing a reader to choose randomly what to read for that day or night. kregel.com/lois-rock/the-bible-and-me/

It has been a light and heavy week with " Murdered in Argentina" by Dianne Harman. The heavy part was the murder of Ray, a CEO, who loved Fly fishing. The light and fun part was the armchair visit to Argentina. I didn't know anything about Argentina. Now I know there is a high production of my favorite sweet, chocolate. There is also a high production of leather. I have to mention the foods which made me feel hungry for a bit of beef or tomatoes. I felt happy to see the recipes at the end of the novella. Oh, the Fly fishing was fun too. I thought of the movie titled A River Runs Through It." I have fallen in love with Dianne Harman's mysteries because they are simply written. There isn't a lot of folderol. At times she might slide into too much detail. However, this doesn't happen often. I really liked the fact that the solution in this one makes perfect sense. I shocked myself by solving bits of it before the end of all the drama. There is the w

Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad has led to a desire to widen my net of genres. I haven't read Alternative Histories often. In this one, I felt deeply hurt not to read Harriet Tubman's name within the pages. However, I kept in mind that this is an invented history. A uniquely designed history is one where the author has the option to fictionalize the past as much as he or she may desire. I understand that point well. Therefore if I have a deep desire to read more research about Harriet Tubman I must choose another genre rather than an Alternative History. I did like reading about the tunnels and the railroad mechanisms. I tried very hard to gather a picture in my mind. Thinking that this railroad would not look like the engines I'm use to seeing. I could also feel the places in the novel where I thought Colson Whitehead's enthusiasm glowed. At times, I thought his light glowed too brightly. Then, I had to catch myself like a fisherman catc

Naive? Maybe. I can't name anything bad about this book. Honestly. I loved the whole book. I especially liked learning about Jacqueline Woodson's family and sense of place through poetry. While reading the book, her family became my family. I won't forget her favorite uncle and his troubles. Neither will I forget her mother and her gentle way of teaching obedience. I will remember her friend, Maria and Maria's mother's cooking. I recalled the History of New York from what I had learned in my elementary school: the Dutch, Peter Stuyvesant and the slaves. In brown girl dreaming , I came away loving the trips so many of us have made from the North to the South and back again. I will think more about the role religion plays in our lives. I found it easy to put away the negative words I have heard about a place called Kingdom Hall and congregations called Jehovah Witnesses. Most of all I will continue to ponder the importance of a girl coming of age in the United St

Add caption bibliophilebythesea.blogger.com North Texas May 1877 "Are you lost, miss?" Startled, the woman turned in her saddle and glared wide-eyed at him. Beneath the brim of her dark hat, vibrant blue eyes watched him.

“You've got to bend with the wind or you're broken.” ― Ernest J. Gaines , Conversations with Ernest Gaines   I am loving this short story. Before reading the first words I had fallen in love with it. Because I love Ernest J. Gaines as an author . I first met him through the Oprah Winfrey Show. The book club choice was A Lesson Before Dying. Just writing this title leaves me wanting to read the novel again. I've read it more than once. It's that thought provoking. Now, this short story is really good too. Its sent me back to childhood memories. Sadly, there is always someone in a neighborhood peculiar or  eccentric, so different that children choose to laugh at that person. The person becomes entertainment for the lazy days of summer. There is a lady like that in "My Grandpa And The Haint." Her name is Madame Toussaint, an old hoodoo lady."  Now that I am a woman there are feelings for these people. Usually, they are lovable, m

Thought about little Hosiah in Murder At Cape Three Points by Kwei Quartey. I met him in another novel written by the same author. He has a heart condition. My feelings for Hosiah were already deepened because of  Death At The Voyager Hotel . However, this morning my feelings caught up with me again after reading that Children's Hospital In Philadelphia is thought of as one of the finest facilities for children. The article is in the US World Report for 2016.  chop.edu/about-us/us-news-world-report#.V77PY62pnEg It's still difficult to think about children struggling with an illness or illnesses. Thank goodness for authors like Kwei Quartey who are not afraid to write about these issues in their books. For personal reasons CHOP is one among a few hospitals which are special to me because of their care for mothers and children. I must think of two hospitals where my children were born or nursed for emergencies.

where is my summer? Gone, a wind away- spring thoughts until my winter comes again to bliss my feet while walking down this Hallowed path

It has not been hard to fall in love with Lily. For most of my life, I've wanted a Dachshund. When I was a child, I called these dogs hot dogs. I suppose my wanting one has  caused quick feelings of sadness about Lily's illness. Poor Lily, I feel so badly about her feeling badly that the only cure became to shut my book for a little while. It helps to think that Edward, her master, is suffering far more than me. After all, he's known her since she was a runt. Feelings of first love fall from the book like paper leaves. I look in my cat's eyes wanting to experience those first feelings all over again. It's not hard. At some point in a given day I feel that sparkled tingle all over again inside my stomach. So Steven Rowley is successful in one particular area. I'm thinking the type of pet owned does not matter. After all, love is love is love. However, that old octopus is worthy of a stake owned by Don Quixote . The octopus needs a murderous pierce. Lily wi

This is a very interesting Nonfiction book about World War II. The focus is on women and how they adjusted or didn't adjust to the war. However, the stories of the women leak into the stories about Jews, Germans, Art and the fashion capitol of the world, Paris. There are many facts about famous people like Picasso and Colette,etc. Some of these facts are not the same old ones learned in school but new ones as well which might interest a Social History Buff. Therefore, whether a person knows about Paris during this period or not, this book might still seem fascinating.   annesebba.com  netgalley.com

Add caption bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com "It's Thursday the first time I see it. I know that it's Thursday because Thursday nights are the nights my dog, Lily, and I set aside to talk about boys we think are cute. she's twelve in actual years, which is eighty-four in dog years. I'm forty-two, which is two hundred and ninety-four in dog years--but like a really young two hundred and ninety-four, because I'm in pretty good shape and a lot of people tell me I could pass for two hundred and thirty-eight, which is actually thirty-four."

ribbon knotted twins curl close to my mother's heart do not dare die - Stay!

booksandabeat.com/ Teaser #1 "Paris was a human ruin. Where were the dogs, the cats, the flies? Where was everything?" Teaser#2  " It was part of the mechanism of genocide, to disorientate, slowly destroying any sense of belonging by depriving Jews of what they owned." I have read many times about the magnificent Art stolen from the Jewish people.  I am reading about this part of History again in Les Parisiennes by Anne Sebba. This time I am struck by a word or two used by the author. One word is " disorientation." Stealing precious Art pieces along with taking families away from neighbors and relatives led to emotions felt during senility or aging. A feeling of not knowing where you were, who you were must have come over them causing great grief. I should add the other word used by the author, Anne Sebba. This word is "dehumanization."  However, I am glued to the word disorientation. Perhaps, because I have seen people in the thr

Princess of the Wild Swans by Diane Zahler i s about hate and love in the land of fairy tales. I have loved reading this book so much. It took me aways from the world of stress and worry. I have decided to read the rest of the series. The tale begins with a queen cursing her stepsons. She changes the boys to swans. Their sister, the Princess, is heartbroken. Finally, there is a way to turn the curse. She must sew shirts of stinging nettles for each brother. Her hands become ugly and sore. On my fairy tale journey, I met many fun characters including the wicked queen, Orianna. At one point, she wore a ruby ring. That's the only time I wanted to get close to her. How big was the ruby?  I especially loved the governess, Mistress Tuileach. She's so kind to Princess Meriel who can not speak. She sends her thoughts to you. There comes a time when the old, cruel Queen will separate the two from one another. Along the way, I have fallen in love with swans. Also, a guy named Liam

Black is beautiful like swans slowly dancing by summer ballerinas

Hydrangea bushes~ rainbows surrounded by leaves eclipsed by glass skies

I had a hard time finding the cover for Life Studies by Susan Vreeland.  The other covers are easy to find. Not the cover of my stories. So, I'm showing a cover of an audio. I will also add the cover of the book on Susan Vreeland's website and on a book site. Are we beginning, to or have we always censored Art? Some museum sculptures have made me turn away with a bashful smile. However, this cover is one I happen to like, and I don't feel the apron strings of the Victorian Age tied around me. The lady shown on the cover is admirable. She is brave enough to sit comfortably in the style she chooses, naked, and read a book. Were her venetian blinds tightly shut? Did she pose for a painting and regret it later on after she started another chore? Her character leaves me guessing about her thoughts. What makes a woman so relaxed? And in what room is she? The robes are lovely. Her robes look like an expensive Japanese fabric. Her robes fall as easily as her body. Have w

a stained glass rose life cut by my father a time ago in summer

  Cora I felt worried. I wasn't feeling close to Cora. Now, I have changed. She is a strong woman I would love to have met and known. She never forgot her mother. Before her escape to freedom with Caesar, she has a special way of saying goodbye to her friends at Hob. Not with words, but with objects: "a comb, a square of polished silver...the pile of blue stones that Nag called her "Indian rocks." Her farewell. I do worry about that hatchet. When I think of a hatchet, I only think of agonizing cruelty done to oneself or to someone else. If this were a man carrying a hatchet would it seem less frightening? In other words, a woman may carry a basket and child but not a hammer, ax or hatchet. Why? Women are always thought of as emotional, hysterical, quick with their tongues and maybe with their hands too. Perhaps, these stereotypical thoughts make me feel afraid of Cora when she carries that hatchet. Just looked at hatchets. If a tree isn't near by to cut for

I always hate to read about the slave ships that crossed from Africa to different places. one of those places was the United States, etc. The journey for the people had to have been as emotionally painful as Colson Whitehead describes in his book. I never knew the exact location in Africa from which the people were taken at that time. So I quickly latched on to the name of the place 'Ouidah.' Then, I wanted to know more about that particular home of the people who would soon become the property of the people here and elsewhere. I was certainly shocked that the name Ouidah means procession of the serpent. Then, I came across Brazil in my reference reading. Coincidence? I need to ask Mr. Whitehead (smile). I bring up Brazil because most of us have our minds turned toward Rio for the Olympic games. Also, the serpents...did the people who lived in Ouidah think snakes had a magical or godlike power? Why the name Ouidah which means a 'procession of snakes?' It was

I'm spending time with Colson Whitehead. His new book is "The Underground Railroad." I'm striving to feel a close connection to Cora. It will come. It will come. In the meantime, I have discovered online a short story written by Colson Whitehead. Pow! The beginning floated me away into the world of Sag Harbor with people commuting back to the city for work and other duties. His story is so picturesque. I don't have a brother, but I could feel myself, a girl, curled up next to a brother while driving in the back of my parents' car. Just wanted to share a line or two. Immediately I catch the relationship between two siblings, brothers. "The trick of those early-morning jaunts was to wake up just enough to haul a bag of clothes down to the car, nestle in, and then retreat back into sleep. My brother and I did a zombie march, slow and mute, to the back seat, where we turned into our separate nooks, sniffing the upholstery, butt to butt, looking mo

I received this beautiful book from Barbour Publishers. I'm thinking about how to review it. While reading the " powerful" prayers inside the book, I realize these prayers can fit Cancer or any other health challenge. These prayers are also a way of knowing God more fully. I've read about His faithfulness and love. I want to also spend time reading about His " will" for us. I certainly feel reading these pages will bring a growth in faith. I think of the book as a cornucopia of prayers.

Stilled as in image, at dawn sliding into blue harbor, boats clang, where does he the man I imagine gripping several ropes return from. Is he conflicted, does he perceive the sky oscillating like a dimmer machine, a mouth, a war, language not declaring its most effective self, bellum grazing ever nearer to beauty, a possible apotheosis how what is left of sense is comfort. Not inebriated much anymore, I rented a lawn to stand in with you, crueler was always singing to our mutual forks, knives. Our translation of a subject drones on unblinking, something black for him returning, his forearms there laid themselves down, ships gone out another pale-plated night. poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/detail/57583 Today I discovered a new poet. Her name is Wendy Xu. I also have a new word for my vocabulary list, or for my Wednesday meme, Wondrous Words hosted by Bermudaonion . The word is "phrasis."  This phrase from the poem seems to fit the search I've done this mor

  Charles Lamb is truly a Humorist. Just an essay title by him can cause laughter. For example, "A Chapter on Ears" is one that is funny. Never have I thought about ears and Architecture together. He likens ears to Architecture by using the term "volute." Our ears are like spirals and we can liken these ears to Architectural styles such as Ionic and Corinthian. Now, I picture the ear as a seashell. Here is one photograph. It is an Ionic Pillar. I just want to add a quote from Mr. Lamb's essay.  "Mistake me not, reader—nor imagine that I am by nature destitute of those exterior twin appendages, hanging ornaments, and (architecturally speaking) handsome volutes to the human capital." buffaloah.com/a/DCTNRY/i/ionicord.html   grammar.about.com/od/classicessays/a/A-Chapter-On-Ears-By-Charles-Lamb.htm

I Samuel 16:7  This is a Non-fiction book about the WestLake family. "A Different Beautiful" by Courtney WestLake is about the birth of the author's second child, Brenna.  Brenna is born with Harlequin ichthyosis. The mother, Courtney WestLake, writes about how she discovered the importance of seeing the beauty in differences while living with her daughter's rare skin disease. In our world, advertisements can make us feel uncomfortable. People seem perfect. They are slim, good-looking and have beautiful skin and their lives are perfect in every way.  Through emotional ups and downs the lesson is learned that no one is perfect. All of us are uniquely created by God. Our differences are our blessings. I liked the fact that Courtney WestLake did not just write about harlequin ichthyosis. She also wrote about people she had met. For example, there is one mother whose child has Downs Syndrome. There are also blogs introduced in the book which I had never seen or r

I remember reading essays in school. However, I wasn't looking for those writings this morning. I just happened upon an essay about London by Charles Lamb . I had to laugh while reading it. It's rare to find an author of this period or any person during any era writing about their enjoyment of crowds over solitude. It seems more intelligent, more lofty, to talk about the delight in listening to the birds, looking at the clouds pass or walking slowly through a field of poppies thinking about your next painting. Here is the quote that speaks about this man's love of a crowd. "For my own part, now the fit is long past, I have no hesitation in declaring, that a mob of happy faces crowding up at the pit door of Drury-Lane Theatre just at the hour of five, give me ten thousand finer pleasures, than I ever received from all the flocks of silly sheep , that have whitened the plains of Arcadia or Epsom Downs." grammar.about.com/od/classicessays/a/London-By-Charles-

INTRODUCTION When we encounter the unexpected, one of the most commonly used phrases is, "My world was turned upside down." But when my husband, my son, and I welcomed our daughter into our family, our world was not turned upside down. When something is turned upside down, it falls apart. bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com/

The Power Of Presence by Neil T. Anderson is a true love story about a husband and wife. It is a book which is very thought provoking. When the author's wife becomes ill with dementia, their whole lives change. All of a sudden he must care for his wife, Joanne, in the smallest of ways from feeding her to helping her rise from a chair to combing her hair. What helps Dr. Anderson get through it is the awareness of God's presence. It's very interesting to read about his ability to find beauty and purpose in silence. He looks at a football game with the volume turned down. He remains silent to listen to her words which are out of order, one thing becomes another thing and her dreams are, well, who can understand a person's dreams? Much worse are the dreams of someone who is to put it gently losing touch with reality gradually. While reading their story, what touched me the most were the small conversations between the two. The times when she did come bac

  This is a wonderful WWII Christian mystery by Mike Hollow. When I met the victim, she was already dead. Still, I cared about her. Felt very concerned about why someone would murder her. It proves our character or reputation lasts longer than our fleshly life whether good or bad. Besides, now I know about the Fifth Column. Why was I shocked? These people rise up during the horrors of war to protect themselves in any country. Fifth Column by Mike Hollow has put me in the mood for more spy novels, and I would like to know more about WWI, The Great War. In the meantime, there is so much World History in this World War II mystery novel.  kregel.com/fiction/fifth-column/

How does a family get use to the idea that their father, son or brother is working far away in a foreign country with explosives? They must worry constantly. This is the job of one American who is written about in Fire In My Eyes. I'm writing down his whole job title, or I would never remember it. It is US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officer . When I think of dangerous explosives, I am reminded of Princess Diana. One of her concerns was unexploded explosives lying in residential areas, on beaches where children, teens and other people might walk not expecting to meet their death. I also think of a fictional character in The English Patient. He did the same kind of dangerous work. Since Fire In My Eyes is a true account, I am looking forward to learning more about the lives of these heroes. The setting is Afghanistan.

I received an inspiring book this week. It is a courtesy copy from Barbour Publishing . It is about illness in a family. Their struggle to help their baby deal with a terminal illness. The cover shows the love for the child. There when the baby was born and growing as the life tender moment continued. When I read about the struggles of other people whether families or single people I learn how to become less complaining in my own struggles. These lives strongly help growth in the area of perseverence, never giving up and love. This book and its synopsis are a reminder of a Pastor's words from the scriptures a week or so ago as America traveled through the days of Black Lives Matter. For a long time, it's been my favorite scripture discovered during days at my childhood home and brought into the times of trial during marriage, motherhood and aging. The scripture helped me keep going. What helped this family go on? One of the worse scares I would think is having an infan

rosecityreader.blogspot.com "The Anderson shelter had guarded his life for another night, but it felt like a grave. Only the thin sheet of corrugated iron at his side separated him from the cold earth in which he was lying. He drifted in and out of a restless, shallow dream."

going for grapes with ladder and pail in the first slashing rain of September    rain steeping the dust in a joyous squelch   the sky standing up like steam from a kettle of grapes at the boil    wild fox grapes wickedly high    tangled in must of cobweb and bug spit going for grapes    year after year    we two with ladder and pail stained with the rain of grapes our private language Maxine Kumin  english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/g_l/kumin/onlinepoems                                         1980

This short story by Langston Hughes is rich in History. What does Langston Hughes leave out? Nothing. The short story takes place in Georgia. Bert is born to the White master of the plantation. His mother is a Negro or Black woman who is Norwood's mistress. Of all the children born to him, Bert is the lightest one. So many issues to discuss and think about all relevant to how Black people socialize with White people and how Black people interact with one another now, today. Of course, this is not new knowledge. All of us know about miscegenation. It's just that the scars of our History must never become raked aside as old knowledge versus new knowledge. History helps us know ourselves better. The better we know ourselves, the better we will treat one another. Also, love between different races is beautiful. The problem is many people hate it, feel shame and hurt other people for choosing to love someone from a different culture. It breaks my heart to read that Bert wasn'

I am not good at understanding war battles. However, I picked this book with the thought of learning more about the Yankees and their fight in the Civil War that divided a nation. Along the way, I found myself deeply involved with picturing the firing of guns at Fort Sumter. I always find it interesting that one state, South Carolina, decided to secede from the Union.  In "Friends Of The WigWam,"  the author, John William Huelskamp, writes Historical Fiction so descriptively. There is the wonderful dialogue between young people. There are Civil War letters and the fictional voice of Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln and Grant. There are photographs, paintings and other historical helps. There is no table of contents which felt strange. Not surprisingly, there is the ugliness of war; bloodshed, the death of young men . I will end with one of the most important characters to me along with Abraham Lincoln. friendsofthewigwam.com/ Ely P

suggestedpost.eu truebookaddict.com/2016/07/cat-thursday-caught-in-act

The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts is about a beautiful horses and an ugly time. It's a time when men like German, Gustav Rau, and others of the Third Reich see the value only in the pure breed of a horse and the purity of the German, Aryan blood. There are kind hearted men like Alois Podhajsky, a veternarian, who sees in a broken horse its ability to thrive and become again valuable. Alois Podhajsky also healed many horses during this horrid time of war and hate. This is Germany, Poland and other Axis Powers during The Thirties and in to World War II. A special horse is Neapolitano Africa, Alois Podhajsky's horse which might have been left unloved and as an outcast without the vet. At first, I thought the nonfiction story disjointed. Then, I began to see the need to fix my eyes on her goal as an author. I chose to look at the theme as one about the Jewish people parallel to the Equestrian History of the Horse. It was then that I could see the richness of the Jewish cultu

  When I don't understand a novel, it's best to take a deep breath, slow down and relax. Because the first impressions can change for better or worse. I decided not to like a novel after reading a few chapters. The language seemed strange. However, something made me keep on reading and not stop. This morning I picked up the book again. A light began to glow. I could relate to a character. The setting seemed very personal and one I would pick for a house. I stopped. There was no need to start from the beginning again. I remembered it. I only needed to follow up on two key words, Dystopian and Survivalist. I've read these types of novels but not in a long while. The last one I can think of is The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I still like to think of the father and the son, their difficulties and the love shared between the two. The novel I'm writing about this morning is about the melting of ice, etc.   It's titled Sunlight Pilgrims by Jenni Fagan. I have an ARC fr

 The beginning of The 100-Year Life by Gratton & Scot t really caught my interest. I felt happy to see the personal story examples of Jane and Jack. I didn't want Jack's story to end. His reality seemed like mine. One where you work all your life, and die soon after retirement. I asked myself, 'where are the golden years?' I thought the future cities interesting also. The book shows clearly that life is going to become revolutionized, all new for the next generation.  I did have a hard time understanding all the statistics. Numbers frighten me. No interest there, but a new interest in exploring the new world of the future where education will increase. Future students will have more universities to choose from in "smart cities." This idea of smart cities seems to contradictory. Is this a reference to more people versus machines and robots working the job market? Perhaps, I fear the word robotics. After reading a couple more case studies, I am lef

In so many ways people are more alike than different. As I read There Was A Man, There Was A Woman by Sandra Cisneros, I thought of the many times missed by not pausing and looking at the gift of nature. There have been a few times nature has gave me a hard nudge. I was forced to look down or look up, as in this instance, at the moon. When I have looked up at the moon, it has always astonished me. Thinking back to the time when men walked on the moon's surface is still incredible. When I was young and heard the older people talking about their fears or their feelings of 'thou shalt not touch or go there,' there was a feeling of why not skip and play and forget about that old moon. When the astronauts brought back moon dust, I began to dream about that distant place in space.  Now, just seeing the word moon written in a book can curl my toes. If walking or riding in a car, there is excitement like seeing a newborn for the very first time. In this short story, two people