making space for creativity
The first Newbery winner from 1922 came as somewhat of a surprise to me, for my review the Newbery project. I think my working definition of Newbery winners was something like: a really great novel by an American, for kids between 10 and 12, but enjoyed by older and younger audiences as well. But…
Sometimes on long car rides or walks, Evan will indulge me and talk about our dream house. I say it is an indulgence because Evan likes to dream slightly practically, in a way that, with not too much difficulty, could become real. I like to dream extravagantly, in a way that will never most likely,…
The snow has been falling thick and fast in Maryland these past few days. The morning after the Christmas ball, Evan and I left for a hike with just a few flurries, and when we got back five inches had fallen. The woods were deserted except for a few birds and three bounding deer, and…
For years, I resisted reading Twilight. It wasn’t that I thought I wouldn’t like it. I was afraid I would like it too much. I had heard that they were poorly written, misogynistic, and spiritually dark. And what would it say about me—a writer, a feminist, a Christian—if I liked Twilight? Twilight hit upon some…
Today we’ll continue with part four of the Fall mini-series on liturgical prayer. I started with a reflection on my journey to loving liturgy, then began to look at some of my favorite resources, and last week I shared a prayer for the Fall Holiday Michaelmas. The four prayer books we’ll look at today…
Sleep is one of those things that you don’t think about much until it’s gone. But when a big event is looming, a stressful season strikes, or sickness robs you of your z’s, suddenly sleep becomes an important riddle to unravel. But, like they told you in high school psychology, sleep truly is still…
As Evan and I prepare to head to the beach with thousands of other Mid-Atlantic citizens this weekend, I thought it would be a good time for another installment of 10 favorite summer reads. Today’s list is 10 modern fairy tales. These are single volume works similar in tone and cosmology to my 10…
I have always loved trees. They mark time with their silhouetted bare branches, budding fragrant blossoms, cool shady leaves, and firework finishes. For Christmas, I got Evan Sibley’s Book of Trees, and we’ve been marking off slowly the ones we’ve seen on hikes and mountain vacations. I have always been drawn to stories about…
School is officially out in Maryland this week, so today is another installment of Summer Reading: 10 Favorite Books. (Check out my fantasy series list). Just like the charming May B that I wrote about on Thursday, these books are set the in rough and romantic late nineteenth century. The late 1800s with its…
When I picked up Caroline Starr Rose’s book May B. this spring, I did not know it was going to be about a girl who had dyslexia. Until I was in my 20s, I did not know that I had dyslexia. I checked out May B. along with a host of other…
As temperatures fluctuate from 50 to 90 in late May in Maryland, and trees are in full summer greenery, school is about to be out. Summer is upon us. In honor of all my tutoring students who, even if they do not know it, are in search of good books to read over the summer,…
When my brother and I were little, we used to play a game on long car rides called “In My Suitcase.” One of us would start out saying, “In my suitcase you will find” and then name something, like “five pairs of teal polka dotted socks.” The other person would then respond, “In my…
When my mother was a little girl, her Aunt Janice sent her a copy of CS Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. It just sat on the living room bookshelf, and one day with no prompting or introduction my mom picked it up. I could, as a child, always imagine this…