Weekend Book Review: The Gospel of Wellness

The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care by Rina Raphael My rating: 4 of 5 starsGenre: Nonfiction, Health, Self-help Edition Reviewed: Hardcover, 352 pages Published September 20th 2022 by Henry Holt and Co. The Gospel of Wellness by journalist Rina Raphael is a much-needed close up look at the $4.4 Read More

Who’s in Control?

I come to you today, humbled, after having my grand plans for the month subdued by, you guessed it, Covid. My daughter came down with it the day after I declared my intention to awaken and join the world. Within days I found myself miserable and dormant. I am surprised at the extent to which Read More

September’s Word of the Month: Awaken

Washing dishes at the kitchen sink, mind wandering, my gaze falls on a healthy potted hydrangea offering up the last of its fading blooms. But this isn’t a sad sight; it’s amazing. I had long since given up on this plant, as the past few years all it could muster were a few leggy leaves Read More

Weekend Book Review: Bad City

A Deep Dive into Scandal Bad City: Peril and Power in the City of Angels by Paul Pringle My rating: 5 of 5 stars Genre: Nonfiction, Investigative Journalism Edition Reviewed: Hardcover, 304 pages Published July 19th 2022 by Celadon Books Upon reading Bad City by Paul Pringle, my first thought was that it might have better Read More

Weekend Book Review: The Untethered Soul

The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself Author: Michael A. Singer Genre: Self-Help, Spirituality Page Length: 186 pages, auidiobook is 6 hours, 10 minutes Publisher/Publication Date: New Harbinger Publications, Oct. 3, 2007 “There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind – you are the Read More

Weekend Book Review: The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle by Jannette Walls Page Length: 288 pages Publisher/Publication Date: Scribner, 2006 Rating: 5 of 5 Stars In the opening scene of Jeannette Walls,’ The Glass Castle, we are invited into an NYC taxi cab with Jeannette on her way to an important business dinner. As we are stuck in traffic, our gaze Read More

Heartbreaks

Yesterday evening my husband and I were watching a National Geographic nature show with my nine-year-old daughter when enjoyment turned to tears. We got to the inevitable point where the bear catches up to the newborn elk, who had fallen behind the herd, and you know the rest. My daughter ran upstairs crying and vowing Read More

Weekend Book Review: Violeta

Violeta by Isabel Allende My rating: 5 of 5 stars Genre: Historical Fiction Hardcover, 336 pages Published January 25th 2022 by Ballantine Books I can’t believe that I am just now getting around to reading Isabel Allende, and I can’t wait to read more. As an avid fan of historical fiction, Latin American authors, and magical Read More

August’s Word of the Month: Consistency

Ok, I know that Consistency isn’t a very sexy word…but the alternative is chaos. I believe consistency is key, especially for people in recovery; building a collection of actions and habits that contribute to your daily success. If we leave things to chance, our subconscious slips into the driver’s seat, and impulses and whims seem Read More

Weekend Book Review: We Are the Light

We Are the Light by Matthew Quick My rating: 5 of 5 starsGenre: Contemporary Fiction Length: 256 pages Publisher: Avid Reader Press/Simon Schuster We Are the Light by Matthew Quick (author of The Silver Linings Playbook) is an epistolary novel with a timely, if not tragic focus. After a mass shooting in Majestic, PA, where Read More