Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng is a well-written, topical book, an engrossing read, and the basis for a brand-new series starring Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon on Hulu. I want to tell you what I think about it, but let’s face it, I’m sure you can go online or pick up a TV guide … Continue reading Little Fires Everywhere, a consideration of race and class in America
I wrote and published this piece six years ago, shortly after the death of a close friend. I came across it this week, and honestly, I'd forgotten that I wrote this as a Christmas meditation. The idea of surprise is becoming a theme for me this December. Life deals us all some pretty unpleasant surprises … Continue reading Loving Harvey: some Christmas musings
Hey, it's getting cold and rainy here: perfect time to take refuge in books! Enjoy! My edition of Their Eyes Were Watching God had plenty of literary and historical notes both fore and aft, but I’ll admit I got impatient and just started in on the novel itself. I will tell you that the editors … Continue reading Book Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God
Varina is a beautiful book, because Charles Frazier writes some of the most beautiful, lyrical sentences of any author writing prose today. His words force the reader to slow down and savor every lovely description, to open oneself to the metaphors and allegories hidden within. And yet, the book made me uncomfortable. I don’t know … Continue reading Varina by Charles Frazier, a review
Warning: spoilers ahead. I’ll wave a red flag when we get close, but stay alert. This book made me very sad. I don’t know why I’m surprised, it’s right there in the tittle. It’s not that I can’t handle sad—I mean, I’ve never missed an episode ofThis Is Us. But this book made me feel sad … Continue reading The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (a book review)
Written with my Thursday Writing Group with the prompts: “59 miles,” she said, secret room filled with jasmine and. . ., never saying, this is going to be one of those days, she had that look in her eye, do, and you want to travel blind, light filtered through the trees, Linda, how to disappear … Continue reading Disappearing
Prompts: Still a vigorous man, three doors where your life is headed, work clothes come off, modern attachments, the French was on the boards, ride my indoor bike, mosaics with flowers, part of the humor of everyday life Madelaine sat in a straight-backed chair, arranging the broken pieces of crockery into a pleasing design on … Continue reading The Humor of Everyday Life
I wrote this a year ago when my cats were just babies. They’re much more disciplined now—ha! I was sitting on the toilet a half hour ago, getting a clear view of the leather belt I slipped through my denim belt loops this morning, and I noticed it—kitten teeth marks on the end of my … Continue reading Kittens for Christmas
The prompt for this one was "nature's tranquilizer." This is where it led. I had one of those nights when I thought I couldn’t sleep, when I thought my mind was turning over and over again a tired thought, a hazy dream, and then I rolled over, mumbling and wondering why I couldn’t rest, and … Continue reading Dia De Los Muertos
Written with my Thursday night group with a list of prompts that sounded like a grocery list! Janet perused the grocery list her father had handed her as she headed out the door. Her father was not as organized as her mother and he never would be. Janet simply needed to accept that. I mean, … Continue reading The Grocery List
