Dear Reader, How much do you know about your family ancestry? I’m currently reading a book called White Like Her by Gail Lukasik. This personal story details Lukasik’s family history in light of the revelation that Gail’s mother identified herself as a white woman even though she had black ancestry. While the story makes commentary... Continue Reading →
Wet, Hot, Coronavirus Summer
Dear Reader, Where is this coronavirus ‘thing’ headed anyway? This is a great question that you will, of course, not get a straight answer on. As is so often the case in the United States, this country is once again divided on the coronavirus issue. I scanned news articles today and categorized/ summarized the following... Continue Reading →
[Review] Negroland
Dear Reader, I recently finished reading the book Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup (review here), which documents the author’s unfortunate and tragic imprisonment as a slave in Louisiana from 1841 – 1853. Wanting to hear more about the role of race in America, I decided to read Negroland by Margo Jefferson, which tells... Continue Reading →
The Beginner’s Bread
Dear Reader, Are you a fan of flatbread? To be honest, although I have had flatbread in the past, I had never prepared one until the pandemic. For many, flatbreads have become a new staple as they require so few ingredients, but also because they can be really, very good! In my flatbread adventures, I... Continue Reading →
[Review] Twelve Years A Slave
Dear Reader, Is it better to have liberty that is lost than to never have been free at all? This is a horrible question and one that should never have to be asked, however, I ponder it all the same as I finish reading Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. What a sad story,... Continue Reading →
My Oh Migraine!
Dear Reader, There’s nothing like sickness to help put things into perspective. And, no, I am not talking about the coronavirus today. Instead, I am considering my recent experience with a migraine headache. I am no stranger migraines; however, this recent episode was particularly long and agonizing. It was a beautiful Sunday morning, however, before... Continue Reading →
[Review] You’ll Grow Out of It
Dear Reader, The funny thing about memoirs is that unlike with fiction, the protagonist is a real person who you can Google and find out more about. I enjoy learning about the author whose memoir I read, but one thing I will not do is Google a picture of the author until I have completed... Continue Reading →
[Review] Indecent
Dear Reader, Why do we read fiction? Unlike an algebra textbook or a cookbook, our motivations for reading something that is totally ‘make believe’ is unclear. Of course, there are obvious answers to my question – we read ‘for fun’ or simply because we want to ‘know what happens.’ Lately, I have been reading memoirs,... Continue Reading →
Three is Company
Dear Reader, You know how the bright sky can darken within a matter of minutes before a storm? That’s what happened when I was sitting outside to write one afternoon. It was a warm, humid day in Boston, but the sky was overcast and there was a slight breeze, which made the air comfortable rather... Continue Reading →
[Review] I was Told There’d Be Cake
Dear Reader, And like that! There were no more pages to read. Have ever read a book so quickly that it feels like a little episode in your head rather than a full book? That is exactly what happened to me when I completed I Was Told There'd Be Cake: Essays by Sloane Crosley in... Continue Reading →