I’ve had a few conversations with people in recent weeks in which we quietly admit to each other that we are actually feeling much better and happier in the new normal of staying at home, meeting by video, and long hours of solitude. In Facebook groups, I’ve noticed that each time someone posts this sentiment, […]
Fiction Book Review: Transcription by Kate Atkinson
Transcription takes place in two different times in the main character’s life in London. After a small preface in 1981, the story picks up in 1950 at the start of the Cold War where we meet Juliet, the main character, who works at the BBC as a producer of a radio show for children. She […]
May 2020 TBR List – What I’m Reading in May
I’m combing my shelves and book buys from the past year for my current TBRs. But I’ve also been checking out more e-books from my library. I’ve resisted e-books for a very long time. Mostly to save my eyes. Looking at blue screen eight hours a day is enough. At home, I need the soothing […]
Home Alone Together, Week Nine: It’s Okay to Smile
Wow, it’s been over two months. It’s so very hard to believe. There are stirrings outside my door of reawakening. My state and county and workplace are all making plans for thoughtful, careful reopening. It is a little scary, I must admit. My cocoon these past months has been a protective bubble of rejuvenating solitude. […]
Nonfiction Book Review: Prairie Fires
Like so many others, I loved the Little House on the Prairie books and read them many times over throughout childhood and even as a teen. I remember watching Little House on television, too. I heard about Prairie Fires in a women writers group, it happened to be at my library, and I checked it […]
Home Alone Together, Week Eight: 6 Little Things That Brought Me Cheer
I started this series of blog posts by sharing things that I had seen that brought me cheer during a week of difficulty and panic. The difficulty in my little corner of the world (which is now my apartment since I don’t go anywhere) is less looming, though not completely gone. I’ve adjusted and adapted […]
Nonfiction Book Review: Birth Order by Linda Blair
I’m fascinated by birth order, in case you couldn’t tell, and after reading Leman’s books and a few on oldest daughters, I discovered psychologist Linda Blair’s Birth Order: What Your Position in the Family Really Tells You About Your Character. One of the complaints out there about birth order is that it isn’t real, it […]
Home Alone Together, Week Seven: Celebrating Achievements and Finding Comfort
This has been a quieter week than the previous ones. But still, there were highlights of happiness and comfort. I was not one of those people encouraging everyone to use this time wisely and take action on long buried dreams. Or even to clean out that messy closet or drawer or room (which I do […]