Book Reviews

reviews of books I’ve read

An Interview with Mary Potter Kenyon

August 17, 2020 by Judy

I met Mary Potter Kenyon in February when she hosted a writers conference at Shalom Spirituality Center where she is the program coordinator. Being around other writers is always a treat for me, but this conference was especially so due to Mary’s warmth and hospitality. Rarely do I leave such a conference feeling like I’ve made a friend with the host, but this time I did. That feeling grew when I read her memoir: Refined by Fire: A Journey of Grief and Grace. Mary’s writing is as genuine as she is. When she asked for volunteers to join her launch …

Try Something New

April 21, 2020 by Judy

What new or old-new thing have you tried during your quarantine? Seems many are discovering baking—especially bread. I’m struggling to find the appeal in that—other than the smell and taste of fresh-baked bread, with plenty of butter. I only resort to baking these days when the supply of over-ripe bananas exceeds our capacity for smoothies. Then I turn to, or rather the cookbook absent its yellow cover, falls opens to the oft-used page. My go-to recipe makes two loaves of banana bread–one to eat fresh, one to freeze or pass along to a neighbor. No yeast or hours of waiting …

Book Challenge

October 7, 2019 by jhagey

If you spend any time on Facebook, you've likely seen the Book Challenge. For seven days, participants are invited to post the image of a book they've loved -- one each day without comment -- and then challenge someone else to do the same. The premise behind the challenge is to promote literacy and build a book list. For me the challenge was not commenting because how can you not comment on books you've loved? So, permit me to share those seven books here with comments.

Reviewing 2015 by the Book

December 30, 2015 by Judy

I took the challenge this year—the Goodreads Reading Challenge. I really had no idea how many books I realistically could or would read in a year. Fearful of failing, I set the bar low. I estimated I could do a bit better than a book a month and set a goal of reading 15 books for 2015. Somewhat to my surprise, I met that goal by the beginning of summer. I cautiously added another 10 to my challenge and as we near the end of the year Goodreads says I’ve exceeded my challenge by 24% having read more than 30 books. While that number includes one book listed twice, there are other books I’ve read that I’ve not bothered to post on Goodreads. So, all-in-all, I’ve more than achieved my goal.