Books From My Library: A List to Soothe, Inspire, and Keep You Going

  • April 06, 2020
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Many people are familiar with Little House on the Prairie as a TV show but haven’t read the Laura Ingalls Wilder books on which it was based. The books reflect the time period more accurately, and the simple, clean prose brings me into their characters’ lives so easily each time I dip into them. When they didn’t have something, they made do. When troubles came, they weathered them. The Long Winter is a testament to surviving blizzards, no school, and food shortages (spoiler: they all live). And for those who get hungry at some of the food descriptions, check out:

The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Classic Stories, by Barbara M Walker.

For simpler choices in cooking, I love The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen, by Donna Klein. I’m more likely to have onions, carrots, and lentils in my kitchen than cream to make butter with.

Feeling introspective? In need of meditation advice? Journey of Awakening, by Ram Dass, is a good place to start.

And finally, for amusement, This Time Together, by Carol Burnett, is an especially good read if you can’t focus. Each chapter is a standalone piece and short, with sections that had me laughing.

What are you reading to stay relaxed and positive?

 

Why I Hesitate Reading New Authors

  • February 03, 2020
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suspicion book photo

You might think I hesitate because the story (whether traditionally published or indie) could be filled with spelling or grammatical errors and without a track record there’s no way to know. While those are huge factors, that’s not the problem for me.

A Real Ghost Story

  • October 28, 2019
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Following up on prior Halloween reviews of books on real ghost stories, I found a new one in the independent bookstore Briars & Brambles in the Catskill Mountains. But I admit I was taken aback at finding one story more real than I had expected.

Is it Time to Purge Your Bookcase?

  • November 26, 2018
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“Too many books?” you cry. “How can I have too many books?”

It happens. Maybe others in your household have grumbled complaints or given you the stink eye as they tried to find a place to sit. Maybe your home is neat and clean but feels tiny and cramped.

Two Ghost Stories for Halloween

  • October 07, 2018
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spooky photo

I thought I’d recommend a few ghost stories but could only find two on my shelf. So, two it is. Why is it so hard to find good ones? Part of me thinks it’s because we’ve become so jaded in this modern Wi-Fi world—we’ve read more, watched more, and know all the tropes. And it is hard. Ghosts are defined as the spirits of dead people who can be seen or heard by others. Why is that scary?

Here are two completely different but riveting takes that are good for shivers. While they’re young adult, they hold up well for those of us over the age of majority.

I Was Illiterate

  • April 22, 2018
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“Your child will never learn to read.”

That’s what my first-grade teacher told my mother on open school night. With one sentence, she consigned me to a lifetime of illiteracy.

Librarians: My Superheroes

  • April 15, 2018
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When I was a kid, I read a book of short stories that haunted me for years. The stories ranged from fantasy to horror, and while I remembered the basic plots of two of the stories, I couldn’t remember the titles or the authors. I tried my best but finally realized that the chances of finding the book were slim to none.

Eclectic Reading or Who I Really Am

  • April 09, 2018
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I’m a reader as well as a writer. How else could I know the magic of books? Here’s my current reading list, which covers urban fantasy, thrillers, and crafting.

What’s on your reading list?

 

 

A Cozy Place to Read

  • January 08, 2018
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No, the window seat above is not my home. It’s a fantasy of mine, found online.

And yet…does it have to be only a fantasy? Why not create my own little nook?

I have a couch. It’s comfy. And my coffee table is a large black trunk from my college days.

In case the couch isn’t what I need as I dive deep into a story, I have a rocking chair, bought years ago in the Adirondacks. The first time I sat in one like this with its curved back, my spine sank into it with relief.

But I wanted more. So this year I bought an electric heater that looks like a wood burning stove. It’s positioned across from my couch, and curling up on the couch while the flames flicker makes reading something to be savored. The best part about the model is that I can have the “flames” flickering without the heater working.

This is obviously a wintertime thing, when the temps dive below zero and multiple cups of hot tea with honey rest on a nearby surface while I escape into pages of summer and wild blueberries. When the seasons come around again, there will be changes made to create cool, quiet moments as I read about characters in snowstorms.

What about you? Do you have a reading nook, a special corner where stories find you?

 

Real Ghosts for Halloween

  • October 23, 2017
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Along the narrow, twisty road of the Palisades Parkway in New York State lies a small, neat, spooky house.

Okay, not spooky. It’s the Visitor Center. But the one thing I adore about visitor centers is the selection of local or regional books. This year’s buy was Ghosts of Rockland County by Linda Zimmermann.

Rule number one: Don’t read it at night. Learn from my mistakes. While the book is filled with fascinating history about people and places of the area, never forget: It’s a book about ghosts.

From sightings of Benedict Arnold to a young woman named Lily who loved to socialize a decade after her passing to a ghost family annoyed at the current “intruders,” this book makes for a very good read, especially around this time of year.

 

Less factual in tone but no less interesting is Spooky New York: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore, retold by S. E. Schlosser. It reads like someone telling tales around a campfire and includes other creatures of the night along with ghosts.

So settle in with some hot chocolate, a warm blanket, and a circle of people to regale with stories of things that go bump in the night. Or read them alone—if you dare.

 

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