I’m always sad to see summer ending, but it’s nice to see kids going back to school, and we are going on vacation! I’ve been working hard and need this break. We’re going to Hawaii to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We seriously considered whether to cancel, in light of COVID, but we are vaccinated, our trip…
This summer I read several powerful books about race that I’d encourage everyone to read, particularly if you’re interested in U.S. history and racism. In my last post, I wrote about Caste by Isabel Wilkerson. After Caste, I read Gilbert King’s Devil in the Grove, a Pulitzer Prize winner that describes racism and the justice…
This summer I read two powerful books about race that I’d encourage everyone to read, particularly those interested in U.S. history and racial issues. This is a discussion of the first of those two books. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson, is a book you’ve probably already heard much about. I found it…
I have so many mixed feelings about this book, but in the end, Emily Henry told a story where I cared deeply about the characters. I can tell I’ve reacted emotionally to a book when I’m thinking about the characters in the days after I’ve put the book down. It’s a combination of missing the…
I’ve generally been avoiding reading lists lately, except for this one. I love everything about summer, including thinking about what I want to read. Cathy’s 20 Books of Summer challenge is simple — it’s just a list of 20 books we plan to read over the next three months. This is coming in a bit…
I’m always sad when summer ends, but this has been a really strange summer. 2020 can’t end soon enough for me. What a truly horrible week. On the personal side, I actually have some positive news. I applied for a promotion at work and will now be managing a group of programs and a staff…
I always read a lot in summer, because I like to sit outside and read, even in the heat, and thanks to audiobooks I can read while I garden. This was a really good reading month, mainly because of the diversity of authors and locations I read about, including China, Russia, Mexico, the Dominican Republic,…
I’m so happy it’s finally summer! This year, I’ve been avoiding TBR lists and trying to take some of the pressure off of what and how I read. But I’ll make an exception for the 20 Books of Summer Challenge, hosted by Cathy at 746books.com, because it’s a pretty laid back challenge and summer feels…
I really like the 20 Books of Summer challenge, hosted by 746 Books, because it keeps me focused on a specific list of books rather than reading whatever comes my way. This summer, I wanted to read more books I owned. I always feel pressured to read library books, because I have to give them…
Farewell, summer! In August I read three books for book clubs and blog events, met a local author, and finished out the 20 Books of Summer challenge, reading 12 of the books on my original list. Here’s what I read in August: Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse Miracle Creek by Angie Kim A Woman…
I recommend this historical novel about two researchers who discover a cache of letters from the 1660s about a rabbi in London and the young Jewish woman he’s taken in, Ester Velasquez. The rabbi and Ester have emigrated from Amsterdam, but before that they were refugees from the Inquisition in Portugal. The researchers soon discover…
Twenty Books of Summer is back! It will run from June 3 through August, and basically the challenge is to make a list of 20 books and read those books over the next three months. This year I decided at least 10 of the books need to be ones I already own. The reason is that I’ve…
The Book Stop 