Reviews with TLC

A Planned Occasion by Angie Kim packs a lifetime into a few pages. Centered around a gift being saved for a special occasion that never comes, A Planned Occasion explores Mina's life and marriage. Kim explores cultural differences, love, marriage, parenting, loss, and grief in this alluring story that revolves around a surprise wedding present that Mina's mother gave her on her wedding day. Saving that present for a special occasion that seems doomed to materialize delves into the importance of celebrating life's little moments as well as exploring how assumptions and intentions can create misunderstandings that never get resolved. I felt Mina's heartache and her husband's pain. I longed for them to take the picnic with each attempt. A Planned Occasion is a sweet, beautiful story about lost opportunity. Check back soon for my thoughts on other books I'm reading including: Positivity: Top Notch Research Reveals the 3-to-1 Ratio That Will Change Your Life  by B...

Verseweavers the Oregon Poetry Association Anthology of Prize-winning Poems Number 27/2022 is a compilation of the winning poems from the Oregon Poetry Association's Contests with both the Spring and the Fall winning poems published along with notes from the judges and the biographies of the judges as well as the winning poets. As a member, I receive a copy of Verseweavers each year when it's published. I have come to look forward to it, and the poems in the 2022 anthology prove my anticipation warranted. As usual, poems represent myriad styles, topics, and points of view. Some are better than others, but I enjoyed them all this time. Verseweavers is a wonderful anthology of poetry that exemplifies how poetry often reflects society, community, and individuality. Verseweavers is only available through the Oregon Poetry Association store . Check back soon for my thoughts on other books I'm reading including: A Planned Occasion  by Angie Kim Positivity: Top Notch Research ...

Ancient Deceptions by Joanne Pence, the fourth book in Pence's Ancient Secrets series, pulls threads from previous books in a way that continues the lives of Michael Rempart and his friends and family from the first three books while introducing new characters who may or may not survive. Ancient Deceptions explores history and ancient mythologies with a new twist as it centers around an archeological dig in Ukraine. Pence whips up a frenzy of supernatural intrigue that whips the characters from country to country as they fight to find and protect their loved ones all while trying to reconcile their own insecurities and deal with personal issues. The dig site's secrets are as symbolic for the characters' struggles as they are real for those uncovering them and suffering from the consequences. Deception and truth often get mixed up in a soup that sours the savory as the characters try to figure out what is reality and what is fantasy in this intriguing and engaging story.  ...

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury surprised me on almost every page. Bradbury's collection of essays on writing were far more inspiring and uplifting than I expected. His blunt assessment of writing was uncomfortably familiar. His confidence in some essays bordered on overwhelming. Then he'd turn it around in another with a reminder of the doubts that accompany any artistic work. Zen in the Art of Writing pushed me to get to the computer and made me long to feel my hand moving a pen across a blank sheet of paper in spite of the fact he often referred to his typewriter. Bradbury reminded me that writing is a combination of hard work and letting one's imagination play. The poetry at the end of the book was a pleasant surprise! I enjoyed Zen in the Art of Writing far more than I expected to. Even looking at it on my desk right now makes me itch to get back to my writing projects.    Check back soon for my thoughts on other books I'm reading including: Ancient De...

Do Unto Animals: A Friendly Guide to How Animals Live, and How We Can Make Their Lives Better by Tracey Stewart uses humor to tell the story of her journey to becoming an animal activist in a way that focuses on actions that can be taken to address the mistreatment of animals to help them live better lives. She doesn't shy away from her mistakes or her challenges as she's worked at becoming more aware and active. Do Unto Animals talks about the intelligence and emotional lives of animals as well as their familial and group connections. Stewart gently explores the ways humans destroy animals habitats and then get angry when those same animals have no place else to go. Stewart offers tips for being helpful to animals along with directions for making homemade things to help animals. The illustrations in Do Unto Animals make the book that much more enticing, encouraging, and inspirational. Do Unto Animals pushed me to remember that all the animals in our environment contribute ...

Golden Hills: A Short Story by Jennifer Weiner is the sweetest scandal story I've ever read. I enjoyed the story. I cared about the characters enough that I wanted them to find connection and forgiveness and honesty. Golden Hills shows what happens when people actually care about the mistakes they make and want to make things right. I found it refreshing to read a story where the characters actually wrestled with the consequences of their decisions. Golden Hills is a simple story built around complex characters and issues that demonstrates how easy it is to lose perspective when we try to hide our insecurities behind our bravado. Check back soon for my thoughts on other books I'm reading including: Do Unto Others: A Friendly Guide to How Animals Live, and How We Can Make Their Lives Better  by Tracey Stewart Ancient Deceptions   by Joanne Pence Art in the Zen of Writing  by Ray Bradbury Verseweavers: The Oregon Poetry Association Anthology of Prize-winning Poems N...

The Collected Poems of Elizabeth Barrett Browning by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a 669 page book of poetry including Aurora Leigh A Poem in Nine Books and Sonnets from the Portuguese. I took my time with this collection of poetry giving myself time to think about the poems and follow the journey. I enjoyed much of Browning's poetry included in this collection. Some of the poems felt timeless while some were clearly rooted in their time. Some felt intimate while others felt like they were exploring the state of the world. I got a little impatient with Aurora Leigh A Poem in Nine Books  at times but overall found it compelling in that I did care about the characters and what was happening to them. Browning explored much of the world around her through her poetic lens.  The Collected Poems of Elizabeth Barrett Browning offers a wide range of Browning's work and a glimpse into her poetic mind.  Check back soon for my thoughts on other books I'm reading including: Do ...

Deluge by Charmaine Wilkerson is an intense short story told in second person which elicited reactions from me I didn't quite expect. Deluge pulled me in and held on tight giving me a rollercoaster of reactions and even had me urging the characters to resolve their differences and find a way to move forward together. A decision that feels right in the moment leads to unintended consequences including another decision made in a moment that leads to other unintended consequences in this short story about family secrets that cause the main character to question who she is, her own memories, and the life she's lead. The woman in this story questions if her happy life was still happy if it was based on a lie that leaves her questioning her identity right down to her name. Check back soon for my thoughts on other books I'm reading including: The Collected Poems of Elizabeth Barrett Browning Do Unto Others: A Friendly Guide to How Animals Live, and How We Can Make Their Lives Be...

The Productive Writer: Strategies and Systems for Greater Productivity, Profit and Pleasure by Sage Cohen has some interesting moments and some disappointing moments. She offers some timeless tips and inspiration alongside some others that are a bit outdated. I can't really fault her for the outdated tips as they were relevant at the time The Productive Writer was published, but I ended up skimming over those parts. She writes about many things I've done some version of at earlier points in my writing career but don't really do anymore. I like Cohen's work as a general rule, but I'm not really the target audience for this particular book. I think it could serve some people well as long as it's read with the full knowledge that some of the book isn't quite as applicable to today's writer as it was when the book was published. The Productive Writer is well-written and interesting and contains some fun, creative anecdotes that kept me reading or at least...