When Ping visits the market with her grandfather, she’s overwhelmed with all the decorations, food, and New Year celebratory energy around them. They settle on buying a tangerine tree, which symbolizes good luck. But when they take it home, Ping feels something is missing—the perfect pot. Through a concerted effort, tries and misses, Ping, with […]
Tag Archives | Book Review
Walking Well: A New Approach for Comfort, Vitality, and Inspiration in Every Step
Written by two movement experts, Michael J. Gelb and Bruce Fertman, Walking Well is a book strongly advocating the power of steps. But it’s not about getting out and walking; it’s about walking well to enjoy the experience and gain from the endeavor. Much of this begins in the mind. Fear of falling or past […]
The 12 Week Year: Get More Done In 12 Weeks Than Others Do In 12 Months
I love books that inspire productivity. The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington is one of them. The authors challenge you to shift your mindset to quadruple your goals this year. This thought process improves outcomes, momentum, productivity, and confidence. Whether you desire personal or professional success, consider the metrics. […]
One Great Love: An Advent and Christmas Treasury of Readings, Poems, and Prayers
The editors at Paraclete Press put together a heartwarming collection of holiday-related classics in this beautifully presented book. The images, photographs, and artwork are breathtaking (you know I’m a visual gal), but where they found such a plethora of Christmas content is a magical mystery. There are stories you know, songs you’ve sung, poems you’ve […]
Nisha’s Just-Right Christmas Tree
Little Nisha insists on a big tree, but her parents remind her that they live in a small apartment. That doesn’t deter Nisha from believing in the impossible—”a tree as big as a camel and as wide as an elephant.” Still, her Baba stresses they need a reasonably sized tree to drag home and carry […]
Author Q&A With Kay Smith-Blum
An Austin, TX transplant and lifetime environmental advocate, Kay Smith-Blum has resided in Seattle for more than four decades. The recent upheaval over leaking waste tanks at the Hanford site in Washington state compelled her to write a Hanford story in a way that would educate and entertain readers, resulting in her debut novel, Tangles. […]
It Starts with a Kiss: A Very Merry Fairbanks Christmas
Margaret Fairbanks is due home for the holidays. On her way through the village, a winter storm whips up, and she’s forced to waylay her journey and spend the night at her family’s cottage. When she arrives, she discovers it inhabited by Grayson Rochester, a “gentleman farmer” seeking shelter from the storm. The two discover […]
Morning Fuel: Daily Inspirations to Stretch Your Mind Before Starting Your Day
Daily inspirational tomes are a vastly popular way to harvest a few pearls of wisdom to start or end the day. This collection by best-selling author Rebecca Faye Smith Galli is designed to meet that need. With 365 short and sweet Gregorian calendar-themed reads, each one invites you deeper into her world. To clarify, “Becky” […]
The Stand-In
Gracie Reed decides to organize her life with an app that will keep her focused and on the path of becoming a total boss. It isn’t working. She’s got a sexual predator for a boss, is struggling to find a new job, and fretting about how she’s going to afford the care facility where her […]
Thanksgiving In the Woods
I love a good holiday book designed to be read aloud and shared with friends, children, and family—one that can be passed down for generations. Thanksgiving in the Woods is such a book. Written by Phillis Alsdurf and Illustrated by Jenny Lovlie, Thanksgiving in the Woods is charming picture book in storyline and visual appeal, […]