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 | Books Uplift
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 […]
Meant For More: Following Your Heart and Finding Your Purpose
As a child, author Karen Olson couldn’t shake the image of homeless people she’d encountered. The heart-tugging images stayed with her, and in time, she acted on the instinct to help. As founder and CEO, I am the emeritus of Family Promise, a charitable organization dedicated to sheltering, feeding, educating, and empowering the homeless community. […]
Author Q&A With Tracy Badua
Tracy Badua is an award-winning author of books for young people. By day, she is an attorney who works in national housing policy, and by night, she squeezes in writing, family time, and bites of her secret candy stash (she has strong opinions on the correct ratio of chocolate to filling in peanut butter cups). […]
Be a Beginner
Guest Post by award-winning author, Tracy Badua They say Practice makes perfect, and oh boy, it takes a lot of practice for me to get good at things. I wish I were naturally talented at writing, but behind every book lay hours of research, spotty rough drafts, and countless late nights re-reading and polishing. I’m […]
Read for Ronald McDonald House Charities
Imagine if your hobby supported a charity. Opportunities to contribute through childcare, coaching, gardening, cooking, and other leisure activities have significantly improved non-profits’ bottom lines. But reading? Yup. Thanks to The Ronald McDonald House® Charities, reading for contributions is the latest trend hitting schools in the Capital Region of Albany, New York. This fall, they’re […]
Always Think of Me
Author Lori Keesey’s story is a heartwarming tale about two souls destined to be together but held apart by fate. When T.C. reconnects with Ginny, the woman he loves, their lives have drastically changed. They are thrust together at a critical hour, and despite the hope-filled outcome, their choices sacrifice their future. I realize this […]
Popi’s All Souls Song
Simple and elegant, yet so poignant in its message of celebrating and honoring lost loved ones. Written by C.K. Malone and illustrated by Shelly Swann, this is a beautiful story every family should read. Mara and her grandmother, Nene, continue the tradition Mara’s grandfather, Popi, instilled—singing to families who have lost loved ones. Parents, children, […]
All That Really Matters
Dr. Joe Bosco is at the top of his game. A successful transplant who’s fulfilling his father’s wish for him to be an even bigger success. A tall order. His father, “the original Dr. Bosco,” the president of Tulane University, Nobel prize winner, and successful biotech engineer, stands on the principle that second place is […]