According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2006, 70% of mothers worked outside the home. Are they actually costing the family money? The median salary for women in the United States, in full-time, all-year jobs, is $28,000, according to the 2000 census. Of course, many women make more than this, depending on their career. The […]
Novel Destinations: Ethiopia – A Powerful Read!!!
Oh. My. Gosh. “Cutting for Stones,” by Abraham Verghese, is one of those books that will stay with me for a very long time. When I finished it, I felt like I had parted ways with friends. First of all, what comes to mind when you hear the word, “Ethiopia?” Skinny, black skeletons with distended […]
Novel Destinations – Norway
“Out Stealing Horses,” by Perr Peterson, is set in eastern Norway in late 1999. The main character is a man named Trond, who is in the twilight of his life. He has moved out into the countryside to be alone, to avoid human entanglements and to reflect on his past. As fate would have it, […]
Novel Destination, Scriptures and 2012
It has been a fun year of virtual travel through books. I’ve been to Afghanistan, China and France during the period of my own lifetime. I’ve been in the Caribbean around the turn of the 20th century. I spent several centuries in Russia, and I am currently reading “Out Stealing Horses” set in eastern Norway […]
Novel Destinations: The South of France
A Year in Provence, by Peter Mayle, sent me to the atlas. This was a place I had never heard of. But as I was reading, I kept seeing Cary Grant and Debra Kerr visiting Grandmother in the movie An Affair to Remember. A Year in Provence is the true chronicle of Peter Mayle and […]
Keep the Spirit in Christmas Gift Giving
I’ve been pondering why it is so complicated to simplify one’s life. It seems especially challenging during the Christmas season. We want to give our loved ones all of the gifts we can to express our love, yet our budgets simply do not allow it. (There’s that word again – simply.) How do we simplify […]
Novel Destination: CHINA! via “Iron & Silk”
In the book, Iron & Silk, Mark Salzman relates his experiences while teaching English to Chinese medical students during 1982-1984. It is a non-fiction work, an easy read, and very enlightening. (And there’s a movie!) I enjoyed the time I spent with Mark in China, especially meeting the people he met. There were his master […]
Novel Destination: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Whew! That was a quick trip to Afghanistan and back. That is because “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” by Khaled Hosseini, is a quick read and a good story. It opens in the 1950s in northern Afghanistan. It is the life stories of two women, and how their lives become entwined. Mr. Hosseini was able to […]
Novel Destination: Russia
I’m baaack! Remember the Novel Destinations book list for adults? It is very important that we keep our minds stimulated while in the midst of teaching ABCs, potty training, diapers, cooking, cleaning . . . When I was a young mother, I did not realize how important my own education was until I found myself […]
Using Common Scents to Nurture Traditions
The sense of smell is one of the most powerful stimulants to memory. Why not take advantage of that with and for our families? Several years ago, I was a foster parent to a houseful. The children that came to my home usually had no religious background. I created opportunities to plant seeds of goodness […]
A Novel Destination: Caribbean 1880-1930
Since school started, my travels have been restricted. I finished “Love in the Time of Cholera,” by Gabriel García Márquez, after forcing myself to read such an un-appealing title. The setting is somewhere in the Caribbean, and the main characters are Fermina Daza and Florentino Ariza. The meet when they are very young and love […]
Novel Destinations: Japan and Italy
Novel Destinations – Adult Reading Program Every time I type ‘Adult’ reading program, I hope I am not misunderstood! These are not X-rated books – simply a book list for grown-ups to read to keep their brains fresh while mired down in Dr. Seuss and Dora the Explorer. My last stop was Japan – Memoirs […]
