Book Reviews

Bread and Wine, a Lenten and Easter companion

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For those of us who observe the Christian liturgical year, we have come to the end of Lent, and are now in the Easter season. Lent always feels long and this year even more so with what is happening here in the US and around the world.

When I am feeling the cold and bleakness of Lent, or when I am feeling anxious and fearful, I am always thankful for the words of wise people who have gone before me. And this is why Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter, is a book I’ve kept close by throughout the Lenten and Easter seasons for many years. When my own faith wavers or my spiritual fire gets low, I can be inspired and uplifted by the insights and experiences of others, which fan the flame of my own spiritual hunger, and help me to keep walking.

Within these pages, I read (and re-read each year) passages from Barbara Brown Taylor, Wendell Berry, Amy Carmichael, Karl Barth, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Dorothy Day, and Dorothy Sayers, plus many more.

So I was delighted when Plough Publishing House sent me a copy of their new revised and expanded hardcover edition of Bread and Wine to review.

And I’ve been encouraged by these readings, such as by these words from Kahlil Gibran in the chapter entitled “The Crucified”:

“Jesus was not sent here to teach the people to build magnificent churches and temples amidst the cold wretched huts and dismal hovels. He came to make the human heart a temple, the soul an altar, and the mind a priest.”

Or from the chapter entitled “Not All Right” from Tish Harrison Warren:

“The ones Jesus calls are the weary ones, the ones who snap at those they love after a long day, the ones who battle addiction, the ones who aren’t who they wish they were, the ones who know they are not strong, the ones who wrestle and repent, who fail and fail again. This is the church, these ones through whom Jesus is strong.”

Or “Waiting With Mary” by Kathleen Mulhern which both honors Mary’s experience as mother and disciple of Christ and helps us imagine what it must have been like for her as he was crucified, buried, and resurrected.

If Lent is a season you observe, Bread and Wine may also become for you a companion to take you through the reflective season of repentance, fasting, and prayer to the celebration of Easter and beyond, all the way to Pentecost. Find Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter at your local bookstore, online at Bookshop.org and Amazon.

Two Books For Midlife Women

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I have many book recommendations for women approaching or in mid-life, however, I will share two with you today.

The first book I recommend is The Queen of Myself: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife by Donna Henes (who just passed away last month). I purchased a used copy online, as it’s an out-of-print book, although you can purchase the Kindle version here.

You may or may not have heard of the Triple Goddess or the supposed three phases of womanhood: the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. As Henes writes in this book, this concept was invented by a man in the 1970s, so it’s a relatively modern idea. And she brings up the point that many women don’t reach midlife and suddenly turn into a crone. There is a missing phase.

Just as there are four seasons, we are missing “Autumn”, and what Henes has titled “the Queen phase” of life. This is an apt description of midlife. For one thing, Autumn weather is a season of fluctuation and change, which is what women experience at mid-life. We may not be in our prime, instead we are beginning to reap an abundant harvest of all we’ve planted and tended to in our earlier years.

I bought this as a gift for myself for my forty-eighth birthday and have only read through chapter three. However, I have felt so validated and comforted by her words; seen and heard. This isn’t a part of life to pretend doesn’t happen, to be ashamed of or to hide, and I’m so glad she addressed it in this book. It’s a natural phase of life and we can choose to celebrate it.

The second book is Jennifer Louden’s The Life Organizer: A Woman’s Guide to a Mindful Year. I waited to start this book until my birthday at the beginning of September. I thought it would be interesting to start a yearlong book and see where it takes me by the time another birthday comes around.

It’s not a “whip yourself into shape and get it together” type of book. Instead of barking at us like we are in boot camp, she comes alongside with very deep questions that lead to insights about ourselves that we wouldn’t otherwise have addressed. It’s a gentle and unexpected delight that I am thankful to have as a companion for this year.

It’s one that you’ll return to again and again. I also like the small size. I expected a huge book but it’s one that fits well in my hands (6×7.5 inches and only. .5 inches thick).

At various times in life, you may feel like the path has become uncertain, hard to define, or that you are lost and are not sure what to do next. This is such a helpful tool to guide you with questions so that you can pick up the threads of your own life and begin weaving again. In other words, you can live in a way that is more you and less the person you think you should be. You can allow yourself to explore, to rest, to learn, to discover, to grow, to just be you. Also if the word “mindful” in the title bothers you (because it is overused these days), when you see it, simply substitute it for the word “intentional”.

I am reading a string of excellent books these days. If you’d like to find get some more recommendations, read my latest bookish Substack post: September Reading. (And become a paid subcriber to my Substack–it helps me fund this blog so I can keep it an ad-free space of quietness, beauty, and reflection for all of us!)

Have a lovely weekend, all!

Fiction to Read or Consider

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This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps keep my blog ad-free.

Family Family by Laurie Frankel had such an unusual feel to me. Themes include teen pregnancy, adoption, and childhood trauma, but it isn’t sad or even serious. Everything almost feels like a joke.

Her main character, India Allwood, is bright, determined, creative, and goes after what she wants. She makes mistakes but makes the best of tough situations too. All the characters seemed weird, too quirky, and bit unreal. The lighthearted feel the characters and the writing had seemed too bright, too glossy, too fake like Hollywood where India lives with her adopted kids. I like that India won’t paint herself as a victim, but she also doesn’t seem to think her poor choices are worth learning from. I found her habit of ripping up pieces of paper and throwing them all over like confetti whenever (and wherever) she celebrated really irritating.

At the end some things come to the surface and are dealt with, but everything wraps up a bit too perfectly. It’s almost as if the book was written from a kid’s perspective, except it wasn’t. If you read it, I’d love to know what you think.

North Woods by Daniel Mason felt like a collection of short stories all centered around one place, instead of a novel. But I don’t like short story collections and I loved this book. It had an element of magic realism with ghosts and also a strong sense of the swiftness of time passing, and of the never-ending cycles of life, death, and rebirth.

There was a deep reverence of wild nature embedded into the novel. When I finished reading it I wanted to bow and kiss the earth and embrace the trees nearby. The author also imbued an interest in human history, starting from Puritan times and going into the future. I found it so creative and refreshing to have story after story of humans interacting with the land, the trees, wildlife, and the house as the years went on. Most were written in story form, sometimes as a letter, article, or poem. Certain characters I cared about more than others, but I never was bored. North Woods is a sweeping, unforgettable novel that is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Highly recommended!!

One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall is a mystery/thriller that has a few surprises up its sleeve. I knew that all must not be what it seemed as it starts out with Cole’s POV because this novel is a commentary on the #MeToo movement. Cole obviously thinks he’s “one of the good guys” and just seems too good to be true but he’s the only viewpoint for more than half of the book. So something felt off but I just didn’t know what exactly.

And then, as Leonora takes over telling the tale, the reader begins to be clued in to what is really happening. And that there is a clever, daring, carefully-laid trap for one unsuspecting person. It didn’t have the same feel as a typical murder mystery because of the point the book is trying to make is so loud and clear. It takes over any mysterious elements. It definitely held my interest and had some creepy/scary elements. I liked the switching POVs in the second half as it gave a clearer picture of what was going on. Trigger warnings include IVF treatment and violence toward women. Oh and I forgot to mention the book is set on the English coast with dangerous cliffs and mist and cozy cottages and the stormy sea. If any of these elements or the novel’s theme interest you, I think you’ll enjoy reading One of the Good Guys.

October, October, A Book Review

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This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. This helps keep my blog ad-free.

I don’t often read a book in one or two sittings, but October, October by Katya Balen was so good I had to. It arrived toward the end of last week and I starting reading it last night because it was already the 30th of October. This morning one of our cats woke me up at 5:45 so I stayed in bed and finished it.

This novel is written from the POV of October. I appreciated this single narrative as so many books these days skip backward and forward in time with different narrators which can be confusing. October lives in the woods with her dad. Her mother left when she was four and October’s never forgiven her. She fiercely loves her wild life with her dad, relishing everything from cold dips in the pond to climbing trees, cooking over an open fire, and growing their own food. On her eleventh birthday, her dad has an accident and she has to go live with her mother in London.

The story is told from the perspective of this sensitive young girl who just like any wild thing feels overwhelmed and out of place surrounded by walls, traffic noise, crowds of people, rules, clocks, etc. She misses her father and doesn’t know, like, or appreciate her mother, so she feels dreadfully alone and afraid. Her descriptions of how she is feeling when she’s overwhelmed by fear or anger or the noises and sensory input around her will probably be relatable to people who are highly sensitive.

This is a story of letting go of old and hurtful stories that we tell ourselves, how to see things differently, that new beginnings and new stories are possible, and that even in dark or confusing times, beauty, hope, friendship, and wild adventures can happen. It’s a story of changing, growing up, forgiveness of oneself and others, and a reminder that love surrounds us if we open to it.

I highly recommend October, October to lovers of exceptional stories with a vibrant protagonist you can root for and a feel-good, redemptive, sensible ending, those who enjoy YA or books in the 9-12 year old range. It won a Yoto Carnegie Medal in the UK and, if you like owls, this book features one. I won’t tell you more than that. Happy reading! If you’ve read it already, please share in comments!!

What I’ve Been Reading Lately

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This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. This helps keep my blog ad-free.

Here’s a very short list of three books I finished reading in the past week. Enjoy!

No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering by Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the late teacher’s most-read books. When I was in my 200-hr yoga teacher training, our teacher had a shirt that said “Yes Mud, Yes Lotus”. It became something of a trend and other women in the training were seen wearing them soon after.

I started reading this book when I was feeling a particularly strong wave of grief this summer after my son moved out West. It had been sitting in the stack near my bed for a year or more and it called to me. If you’ve ever read a book by Thich Nhat Hanh, you know how gentle, direct, and simple yet deep his writings are. They are practical and get right to the heart of human suffering and he shows you how to access peace through the simple act of breathing, through slowing down and living with mindfulness. He encourages love, peacefulness, gratitude for what we have, paying attention to our lives, and not waiting to be happy while we go through suffering. And there are many practices to try, at the end of the book.

The night I opened No Mud, No Lotus, I felt soothed and was able to breathe easier. This book is one to read if you’re going through something difficult. I also recommend my favorite book of his (so far anyway), Peace Is Every Step as well as Peace of Mind: Becoming Fully Present. Next I’m going to read his book: The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation.

The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves is the third mystery in the Two Rivers (Detective Matthew Venn series). It started out with a murder in a coastal town, a storm with lashing rain, impossible waves, a treacherous coastal path. I loved the feel for Fall reading. And it was good for about halfway through and then I began to lose interest. I think it’s that the people who were being killed off weren’t loathsome enough to be glad they got their just desserts and they weren’t innocent and nice enough to feel sorry for. I just didn’t care. I do recommend Ann Cleeves Vera Stanhope series (set in Northumberland, England) and her Shetland series (set in the–you guessed it–Shetland Islands in Scotland), so if you want great British mysteries definitely give either or both of those a read.

The Enchanted Life: Reclaiming the Magic and Wisdom of the Natural World by Sharon Blackie was one I started last year. Her books are dense with myth, fairytale, poetry, and many personal stories from many different creative people from around the world. She is such a richly storied author, and she’s lived all over the British Isles, so I thoroughly enjoy reading about her experiences. This book was no different. And she had reflection questions interspersed throughout to help the reader take what we were reading and make it part of us. Her chapters on “The Mythic Imagination”, “Coming Home to Ourselves”, and “An Ear to the Ground” were my favorites. She is an advocate for rooting in and learning to know the place we live, for however long we are there., and for living a slower, creative, and more imaginative life. If any of these themes spark something in you, you’ll enjoy this book.

I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse into my current reading life. If you enjoyed this post, you will also like reading my Substack. Here’s my latest post. You can subscribe for free to read one free post a week, or subscribe for $5 per month for access to all my posts, plus the archive. Why become a paid Substack subscriber? To support my writing on Substack plus this blog which is a gift to you: an ad-free, restful, and quiet place among increasingly busy, loud, and frenetic blogs and websites.

I’d love to know what you’re reading right now. Share in comments below!

The Invisible Hour, a Book Review

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This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. This helps keep my blog ad-free.

I loved this novel! Mia lives in a commune in rural Massachussetts and longs to leave. She’s strong, rebellious, and books are her secret passion. I really enjoyed how she was strong enough to leave everything she knew and ask for help to get to safety.


Of all the books Mia read on the sly while at the commune (outside books were prohibited), The Scarlet Letter was her favorite. She saw a similarity between how her mother was treated and how Hester Prynne, heroine of the Scarlet Letter, was treated. Or mistreated. Mia feels a strong connection to Nathaniel Hawthorne and dreams of somehow being able to meet him.


Will Mia be able to heal from the trauma inflicted at the commune? Will her love be enough to travel through time? Will she be able to accept and experience the friendship and love that is being offered to her in the here and now?


This novel also feature strong librarians and lots about libraries and books. And if that wasn’t fantastic enough, there is a real sense of seasons passing, of the flowers, herbs, fruits, vegetables, trees, and the rural New England landscape. That was a constant throughout that kept the idea of time travel rooted in the place. I highly recommend this novel.
Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Unmaking of June Farrow, A Book Review

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This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. This helps keep my blog ad-free.

The Unmaking of June Farrow is one of the most mind-bending and unexpected books I’ve ever read Adrienne Young takes us on a poignant, sensitive and soul-searching journey with the protagonist, June Farrow. This is a lovely tale of a woman discovering who she is, making sense of what is happening to her, deciding where to put down roots, and choosing who to give her heart to in the middle of impermanence.


June is from a family of women who are all expected to go mad at some point in their lives. It’s a curse passed down from mother to daughter. At the start of this story, June has just buried her grandmother who had been showing signs of insanity for many years. Her mother, acting erratically, disappeared years ago, leaving a baby behind. And at age 34, June is already having episodes of what she assumes is the family madness.


June lives in the mountains of North Carolina, where her family has always owned and run a flower farm. Like many other magical realism novels I’ve read in the past few years, this novel includes plants and caring for the land. The mention of various kinds of flowers and how to tend them is sprinkled throughout the book.

When she’s not working on the farm, June has a penchant for research. She has been trying to discover more about why her mother disappeared and where she went. She’s also working on uncovering the mysterious death of a local minister that looms over their small town. With a cryptic clue from her grandmother, and words on an old envelope, June sets off one morning, determined to find answers. Where the path leads her is beyond her wildest imaginings. She will need much courage to face the truth and she’ll discover a love she never thought was possible.


I highly recommend The Unmaking of June Farrow to fans of the magical realism and fantasy genres, as well as those who enjoy Adrienne Young’s writing. You will be captivated by June and her journey. This book will be released on October 17, 2023.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Solo Passage: a Memoir to Read this Fall

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This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. This helps keep my blog ad-free.

In Solo Passage: 13 Quests, 13 Questions, author Glenda Goodrich takes us on her solo journeys into the wild to heal, to seek answers, to uncover truths, to let go, and to become more fully herself.

Going on quests like this isn’t a part of our modern culture, so it seems unusually brave for a woman to begin doing these yearly quests at age 50. And it is! Glenda is such a fantastic storyteller that you will be engrossed in this book from page one.

She takes the reader through the preparation part of each quest: deciding on a campsite, bringing in water and basic equipment on foot, describing the landscape at each site, and explaining how the quests were organized with guides who planned for support and safety and were stationed a mile or so away.

She also writes of the shyness she had in sharing her true self and also the sense of camaraderie she builds with the other women as they gather before to share why they’re going and again at the end of each quest to share their experiences.

During each four day quest, we get a glimpse into her colorful past as she brings a part of her lived experience to light and lets it heal. She faces some really difficult memories, asks questions, and processes her pain in a different way each quest. Sometimes she gets a clear sign; other times her answer comes more subtly. She also shares vivid stories of her interactions with trees, earth, sky, all kinds of animals and insects, and what she experiences while fasting and being exposed to the elements.

She takes the reader on these thirteen riveting adventures with her and with each one she grows wiser, forgives and accepts herself more and more, and becomes more rooted in who she is. Glenda’s writing is so warm, alive, and she’s so down-to-earth and relatable, she invites the reader in and captivates us with her stories.

Solo Passage is highly recommended for midlife and beyond women who are looking for insight into their own experiences, who want to heal and become wise women who can nurture and love themselves and others. If you enjoy memoir and stories about wild places, you will want to read this book.


Thank you to She Writes Press for the Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review!

Acorn and Button, a Children’s Book Recommendation

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*This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. This helps keep my blog ad-free.

When my friend, Laurie Petrisin, announced the release of her children’s book, Acorn and Button, I was so happy for her and couldn’t wait to read it.

A little backstory: Laurie taught my two kids art all the years I homeschooled them. I didn’t have money for private art lessons, so Laurie let me barter with her. I’d bring her gluten free treats, hummus, soup, and other homemade goodies, and she’d give them a generously long art lesson. I’m pretty sure we got the better end of the deal. My kids loved her and learned drawing, color, composition, watercolor, oil painting, and so much more.

So, about Acorn and Button:

This is a picture book about two very different personalities. Acorn is sweet, sensitive, creative, and carefree, while Button is more fastidious, uptight, proper, and careful. Think Frog and Toad, but different. No “I Can Read” stilted wording, for one. And much more colorful illustrations.

So Acorn and Button meet in the woods and become fast friends. They immediately begin having adventures together, make discoveries, and learn about life. Within each adventure is a little nugget of wisdom, even though it’s never preachy. This duo learn about bravery, kindness, creativity, the seasons/cycles of nature, helping each other, making the best of not-so-ideal situations, and more.

Illustrations abound on every page: they’re colorful, action-packed, and lively, so they’ll capture the attention of a range of ages. (I’m thinking ages 6–9, although perhaps a little younger or older.)

And while this is a picture book, it’s also a chapter book. Which means you’ll have a whole week of bedtime stories, although you know they’re going to beg for just one more chapter!

Acorn and Button by Laura Petrisin is full of heartwarming, appealing, relatable characters and stories that will hold your child’s attention and yours as well. I highly recommend this adorable picture book!

And congratulations to Laurie, for all the creative work, thought, energy, and love she put into bringing Acorn and Button to life.

Friday Favorites, April 21 ’23 Edition

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This week I have a recipe, music, art, podcasts, books, aromatherapy, and a quote to share with you as inspiration. Enjoy!!!

Recipe

My husband makes this meal at least twice a month: Almond Butter Tofu Stir-Fry. Delicious crispy tofu and green beans in a spicy, flavorful sauce over rice. It’s so so good!!

Music

Starling Arrow is a five-woman acapella, spirit-folk group and their music is full of ethereal harmonies and lyrics, yet gutsy and powerful as well. I don’t like sad music and even though several songs are quieter and peaceful, there isn’t a real melancholic feel that makes me want to sob. You have to listen to them if you haven’t already. Cradle is their latest release and I’ve listened to it for three days straight and wish they were coming to Ithaca!

Art

Loré Pemberton’s art calls me back to a quiet, slower, simpler pace with her folk-style paintings.

Podcasts

Business Made Simple with Donald Miller: The Secrets to Self-Discipline and Habit Formation In this episode, Don has a conversation with Craig Groeschel about discipline and habits. One thing Craig said that stood out to me is that we are disciplined in something, even if we often say to ourselves, “I wish I had more discipline.” We can be disciplined at the wrong things, such as sleeping in each morning instead of getting up and working out, or eating too many snacks each night, or whatever. We just need to direct that power to choose something over and over into an area of life we need it in.

Marketing with Brendon Burchard: Everything You Need to Know About Publishing I found this episode so informative, as someone who wants to publish books. He covers self-publishing, distribution, and traditional publishing and talks about the pros and cons of each. I loved it and recommend it if you want to publish a book too!

Books

The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith on Audible. Are you familiar with this mystery series? It’s a comforting collection to me that I listen to over and over. The earlier half of the series are the ones I like best. In this one, Mma Makutsi starts a new business and Mma Ramotswe solves a case of a cheating husband. All the regular characters, Mr. JLB Matakoni, Mma Potakwani, and the useless apprentices make appearances. It’s a feel-good series that I highly recommend.

Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths. This was the third Harbinder Kaur mystery novel I’ve read and it was pretty good. If you like her character, a lesbian of Indian descent, and a Sikh, you’ll enjoy seeing what happens to her next. I’m not giving anything away by saying she is now working in London. It’s not as much a favorite as some other detective series, but it’s worth continuing with if you like British mysteries.

Aromatherapy

Delicata House WomanKind Blend: This is my own blend of Clary Sage, Patchouli, Lavender, and Cardamom. I use it for pms/period related symptoms like feeling irritable, down, tired, or stressed. And I also use it when I want some extra nurturing. It’s a gorgeous floral, spicy, sensual, herbaceous blend and one of my hands-down favorite blends.

Delicata House New Moon Blend: Another one of my own blends that I used to bring in some magic for this week’s New Moon Gathering on Zoom. (I hope you come to next month’s 5/18 zoom New Moon Gathering!) Anyway this blend contains White Spruce, Lavender, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Frankincense Sacra, four potent and powerful essential oils. It is all at once heady and expansive, clarifying and grounding. Get ready to plant seeds of intention with the new moon…or use it anytime you want to start or re-start. Diffuse this blend for new beginnings of any kind or for spiritual practices or rituals.

Quote

(I’m not going to add anything to these words. Just let them soak into you.)

To love or have loved, that is enough. Ask nothing further. There is no other pearl to be found in the dark folds of life. – Victor Hugo

I hope you find some good inspiration and pass it on!

If you’d like to find out my complete Friday Favorites list, join my Patreon at the Kindred Spirits Literary Society tier or higher. That’s where I share it all.

xo Kim