Fostering a new renaissance through creativity, authenticity, spirituality, and art
I enjoyed this encouraging book of lessons from centenarians, and give it five stars. Written by Neenah Ellis about her interviews for her NPR series, it is more than the sum of its parts, as she examines her own life and responses in the process. I found her digression about “limbic response” fascinating, for example, … Read more
This novel raises controversial issues about sex education and about the separation of church and state in suburban America. It raises questions about whether we should inflict our opinions on others, and if we do, whether or not it helps them. This book contrasts not only conservatives and liberals, atheists and fundamentalists, promiscuity and abstinence, … Read more
I checked this book out so many times from the library, I finally bought it with one of my amazon credit card coupons. I’m so glad I did! I find this book very inspirational. Claire Harrigan’s paintings I think are stellar but her advise is just as good. You can see in the sneak preview … Read more
When I bought this book in 2001, I read the preface describing his “spiritual healing” during medical intervention, and I put the book down. Now, years later, I picked it up and persevered past language about “energy” that was not phrased as I would say it, to embrace the true universal meaning the author was … Read more
I got this book at that recent library sale and have really been enjoying it. His pictures have wit and commentary while still being endearing. I took the liberty of sharing a few pages below, but check out his work for yourself on his website here. Apparently there is a $150 collector’s edition of this … Read more
Something about summer requires some good chic lit. (Normally I’d call it a “beach read,” but the beaches I’ve been on recently were too gorgeous for reading anything…) Anyway, the kind of book I mean is something far from great literature or demanding concepts. I like it for it’s fashion, it’s indulgences, the food and … Read more
I liked this book by Malcolm Gladwell and give it five stars. He debunks the theory that success is based on talent and instead shows how it is mostly the result of opportunities and hard work. “Outliers” are people that represent a phenomenon outside of everyday experience, but Gladwell shows that these exceptional people are … Read more
I liked this book by Kathryn Stockett and give it 5 stars. This recently released novel is about black help in white homes in the early 1960’s. Through the voices of three women, one white woman in her early twenties, and two black maids, it clarifies the complexities of these relationships complicated by the climate … Read more
I have really enjoyed this book by Dawn De Vries Sokol and even give it five stars. I bought it in the fall and have savored it slowly and incrementally at bedtime, studying each page thoroughly and carefully before going on to the next. I disciplined myself not to flip forward, and didn’t allow myself … Read more
I read this classic book by Jean Henri-Fabre (France 1823 – 1915) to my homeschooled 6th grader as supplementary science material this year. She gives the book four stars in general, and five stars in the category of “school books.” She would often pick it out of the stack over other ongoing things. Originally published … Read more
This classic by D.H. Lawrence has been on my to-be-read list for probably twenty years. The best thing I can say about it is that it is off my list, finished, and I can move on to reading something I will enjoy more! I got so bogged down in the middle, I almost abandoned the … Read more
I loved this book and give it five stars. I heard a retrospective on NPR of their best interviews with writers, and that is where I first heard of May Sarton. I liked what she said in the interview, so I looked her up. She is the author of 48 books of poetry, fiction and … Read more
This is the first book I’ve ever read of Anthony Trollope. I liked it well enough to add it’s sequel, Barchester Towers to my reading list. I give it four stars. It took a while to get into it, and the warm-up and detailed description at points seemed quite drawn out, but the character development … Read more
My 12 year old daughter has read this book by Trenton Lee Stewart so many times, I finally succumbed to seeing what it was all about, and we listened to it in the car together. Recently, we made more progress on it than usual when we were caught in a colossal traffic jam as we … Read more
A review of this book in the Christian Science Monitor said, “This remarkable book will stir and provoke thought. It offers rewards to any reader concerned with the promise and power of faith, and the hunger for spiritual discovery.” It lived up to this description and much more. Pagels makes clear how choosing the gospel … Read more
The above two books are the best (non-spiritual) non-fiction I have read since the Omnivore’s Dilemma a few years ago. Now that I have to return them to the library after hogging them for months, I thought I’d review them together since I wrote extensively on the topic of their content in former posts: (see … Read more
I read this book because I had read another book titled The Beekeeper’s Apprentice a few years ago, also by Laurie R. King, and had really enjoyed it. I wanted to read something further by her, and this was the only other title by her in my local library. I enjoyed this book too, but … Read more