Japhy and I recently had the good fortune to spend Fall Break (Thanksgiving) in this beautiful city. The weather there was perfect and we came back to major winter weather here.
A little Cava on the coast
We are true foodies so had our trip planned around several eateries like Sunny Boy Biscuits and The Cottage. Other places like Mitch’s Seafood Market we just stumbled upon. Japhy is a great planner and she had a well-mapped out itinerary for us. We accomplished almost everything we set out to do. Cordoba Island was a highlight. Seeing the sea lions in La Jolla was delightful. We ate at several good places in Encinitas and loved our boutique hotel Cardiff-By-the-Sea Lodge (fantastic rooftop patio) which was across the street from a 7-11 ( great hot chocolate one night) and Little Fox ice cream shop we visited twice.
I love to travel and am well aware that is a privilege. Japhy and I are great about cutting costs by sharing food and finding fun things that are free. We walked a lot, took the coaster train, and even a few city buses to get to our destinations. We skipped the zoo but did walk all around Balboa Park. Our lodge had a gorgeous rooftop patio with swing chairs and a gorgeous view.
We spent time on the beach walking barefoot. We enjoyed relaxing in the very peaceful Coronado Island Public Library for about an hour. We explored a teeny tiny packed bookstore in the Hillcrest neighborhood.
Traveling provides us with such great experiences and a chance to spend one-on-one time with my kids. This year I’ve been also able to travel to Detroit to see Tristan and he and I spent our spring break in Panama City. Now I have to get out to visit Kaylee in Brooklyn to complete this circle.
I love when you finish a book and you hug it and want to start over again. When this happens I go through the rolodex in my brain and imagine who would also love this story. Recently this happened when I finished read Jeff Zentner’sThe Serpent King, a story about three teenagers struggling to survive in their small Tennessee town. Zentner created such interesting characters in Dill, Lydia, and Travis with their own idiosyncrasies and some very unfortunate family situations. It was an amazing read.
Jason Reynolds was at the library conference in St Louis last month and he was a great speaker. He mentioned two things about his life that stuck with me. 1. He takes a bath everyday to relax and soak away all his anxiety/troubles. He holds a lot of heartfelt energy from writing and the kids that he meets in school visits. 2. He wrote something years ago that later was produced into Soundtrack, an only-audio book that is scripted. I put it on hold while I was sitting in the conference and was it arrived I was amazed at the brilliant writing; it was a great listening experience. Listen to this NPR interview with Jason. He is so open and honest. Love his books.
High Tide in Tucson : Essays from Now or Never by Barbara Kingsolver was such an interesting read. It was written in 1996 and talks a lot about George Bush and the Iraqi war. Her essays are vibrant and I was happy to learn more about her life. So much of what she talks about is still very relevant today.
The Anxious Generation : How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt took me a long time to read because I’m not a strong nonfiction reader BUT I powered through. One of my big complaints about nonfiction or books with studies/graphs, etc is that they are too long and that is true of this one. I did learn a great deal and was already in the “computers are not helping us as much as we think” camp especially where social media is concerned. We spend far much time buried into technology. Last night my husband and I went out to dinner and we sat near a table of 6 college aged females and until their food arrived their faces were glued to their phones; no chatting or sharing going on.
I’m headed off on a fun vacation to San Diego with my daughter over the next week and I’m very much looking forward to the sun. I had two books packed and two books ready on my kindle and I realized that might be overkill so I unpacked The Seven Year Slip and will read that later.
It’s the end of the month and I’ve only read four books but I’ve been around a lot of fun authors! I traveled to St Louis with four other librarians from our district and had such a blast meeting other like-minded librarians and authors. We ate delicious food in the downtown area and had cocktails at The Moniker! I’d go back to St. Louis just to have one of their delicious drinks.
On the first night we went early to a James Ponti Spy party and ended up helping him and Stuart Gibbs set up for the party which gave us the opportunity to have one on one conversations with them as well as Erin Soderberg Downing. For librarians who love reading this was magical. We came back with so much swag and free books we barely fit back into the van.
I also found out that one of my author idols, Laurie Halse Anderson, is not only a very gifted writer but is a cheerleader for authors. More than one author mentioned how encouraging she was to them. Jason Reynolds (rock star author!) was in conversation on Saturday morning and he was absolutely amazing. Like a groupie I rushed to get one of his signed books and was crushed that I didn’t make it in time. The conference was amazing and I’m so happy I was able to participate.
I just finished reading The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians by James Patterson and had a connection with almost every story. If you’ve ever wanted to be a bookseller or a librarian the stories told in the book will have your full attention.
I’m almost finished with The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. I wish it was a little more condensed but I agree with his philosophy. Our kids have changed by tech, specifically having free access to the internet 24/7. I think schools should be phone free and that we should really think about how much tech we use at school plus home. For kids it becomes an addiction. If I could design my own elementary school it would have more playtime, recess before lunch so students come in hungry, better quality lunches, and more hands-on activities.
I hope this Halloween every one is safe and had fun, that Israel stops bombing Palestine, and that hope for the world remains in my heart.
I’m having a golden year at school! Students seem happy and ready to be here which in turn makes for pleasant classes and conversations.
My son moved to Detroit and I am very excited to visit this fall. There are a lot of interesting things happening in Detroit. I’ve read some lists and articles about places to eat and visit. I have a teacher account of the New York Times and it helps keep me updated on interesting Detroit places but also all that’s happening in the United States & the world. It’s good to stay updated.
Recently I read through all the Epstein birthday book sentiments and was absolutely horrified. Please can some handwriting expert confirm that it is his signature bc I’m sure that he wrote the poem conversation and drew the female figure with it; mystified how the Christian Right can stand arm in arm with this man.
School shootings, ICE raids, the Fed and FCC, canceling people and media outlets for speaking out. Teachers under threat. It’s hard to take it all in. How can we save Palestine and still support our Jewish neighbors? How will Ukraine survive Putin’s will?
I keep writing to save our public lands, our national parks. Beautiful lands that, once destroyed, will never come all the way back to us. and I wonder how will we really recover from all the damage that’s done to families, natural spaces, our communities, and our democracy? What will it take to reverse this mindset?
📚Favorite books: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, A Place for Us by Fatima Farzeen Mirza, Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kristen Miller, Kindred by Octavia Butler and Tree. Table. Book. by the amazing Lois Lowry for elementary readers of all ages.
🎬 Streaming: Butterfly (Prime), Sirens (Netflix), and Overcompensating (Prime)
And I’m looking forward to going back to the big screen to see “One Battle After Another” and “Blue Moon”.
I’ve worked on this post all month trying to revise, keep my writing in check, questioning myself. I love to write and my goal is never to offend anyone but to make people think either about books, food, connections, and politics. Peace to all my readers and thank you for reading.
Summer, for an educator, is the time we decompress between last year’s classes, mistakes we’ve made that give us inspiration for the next year, and to breathe deep and relax. I love the extra time to read and this year has been no exception. I’ve read a ton. Over the summer I read a lot of middle grade fiction and some where great and some I didn’t finish. This are my top eight titles from the summer not in any particular order because they were all five stars.
And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps: This novel-in-verse story is heart-wrenching as an adult because it shows the reality of poverty and absent parenting. Joe’s grandmother takes care of him after his mom disappears and even thought times are tough money-wise there is a lots of love but when she dies and his mom comes back temporarily life drastically changes for him. This is a quick read and it mirrors the honesty in her previous verse novel, Starfish. Should be an excellent conversation starter for you and your kids.
El Niño““` by Pamela Muñoz Ryan: This is a thrilling magical realism beach adventure that swept me away. Kai’s sister Cali disappeared in the ocean two years previous and his family of swimmers is trying to carry on. Kai lets himself get pulled in to a mythical story Cali left behind that has him believing she is still alive. Through this vision though he finally finds the strength to compete at the top.
Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar: This epic novel spans four generations of Jewish young women from the Spanish Inquisition to Cuba and on to America. This book shows the struggle of Jewish families through the years. Each young woman was unique in her story but shared a love of music and family from each generation.
Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu: Ursu leads us through a very subtle creepy story featuring Violet as she navigates a new, somewhat spooky attic room in an old home her mom and stepdad buy for the family. Violet falls ill in this new and realizes she may not be alone in the room. I listened to this on Libby and the narrator, Eva Kaminsky, did an amazing job of pulling me.
The Sherlock Society by James Ponti: Four kids and one hilarious grandfather undertake a decades old cold case involving Al Capone and his mysterious hideway near Miami. One mystery leads to another real-life problem and the kids, Alex, Zoe, Lina, and Yadi find out what it means to be a true detective. More to come and I’m looking forward to the series.
Gracie Under the Waves by Linda Sue Park: I love Park’s A Long Walk to Water and this new story lends itself to teachable moments as well. Gracie loves to snorkel and plans a vacation with her parents approval to Roatán, Honduras where she meets reef experts and finds that her passion leads her to friends and a desire to know more. Really well done and perfect for 3rd-5th grade.
The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys: Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers is featured in this 1940 mystery with Jakob and Lizzie trying to figure out more about their missing mother. This one holds many surprises and I learned a lot about how the codebreakers struggled to break through before the Nazis invade.
Tree. Table. Book. by Lois Lowry: Eleven year old Sophie is best friends with her neighbor, 88 year old Sophie. They drink tea together and have deep conversations. When the younger Sophie learns that her friend is having memory issues she starts to give her tests. As she asks her to remember a pattern of words she unleashes three very different memories of the elder Sophie’s stories taking her back to Polish childhood.
I’m excited to share these stories with students in the first few weeks of school as they rush through the library doors, eager to find new books to read.
Right now I’m readingA Place for Usby Fatima Farheen Mirza, listening to K vs J by Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft (narrated by these two authors as well) and still wading through The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.
A few nights ago on the tail end of our 10 hour drive from Winnipeg I spotted swarms of fireflies in the fields of Iowa. I was entranced by their sparkly lights. After a quick internet search it seems like populations are still declining yet I saw many swooping around and it was thrilling. I hope we never see these beautiful little creatures disappear. They look like little fairies fluttering over the fields and ditches. I feel terrible that I captured them in jars when I was a child. Luckily we did always release them but we probably caused irreparable damage to the MN firefly population.
Another summer love is rhubarb. My grandmother had a big patch of it that we would pull from every summer. She’d make pies, jam, cobblers, and a variety of other rhubarb desserts throughout the summer and she’d freeze more to have in the winter. I recently made a rhubarb/strawberry galette and vegan rhubarb bread and both were so amazing. I bought a box of peaches this week so I’m making a cobbler tomorrow.
The beach, boating and being at the lake are also high on my list in the summer. Last weekend I ventured to my brother’s house for that exact reason. I knew he and his wife had a busy weekend but they reserved Sunday for boating on Lake Minnetonka. I love crashing over the waves, feeling the sun on my face, listening for loons, and diving into the cool waters. We boated as kids and those are definitely some of my happiest memories.
Each time a make a post with JOY in it I can’t help but reflect on all that is terrible in the world as well. I can’t help it. I feel all the pain from Gaza and the Palestinian people, the Ukrainian population still fighting this war against the behemoth Russia. I’m an empath so I think about this everyday but I also am appreciating my summer, time with my kids, reading, writing, and enjoying the sun. Terrible things are part of life but what we are experiencing with children starving and bombs crashing down as people reach for food is a new kind of horror and we can find ways to help. I donate as much as I can to a variety of causes and make phone calls to our blind/deaf representatives. So while we go about our daily life, remember how many people are experiencing horrific acts and force yourself to make phone calls, donate, and talk about your fears and thoughts with others.
What I’m reading: The Anxious Generation, Kindred by Octavia Butler, El Niño by Pamela Munoz Ryan. All excellent.
We are in the middle of a June heatwave from Colorado throughout the Midwest and probably across the US. So it’s hot outside and the Trump administration (if you can even call it that) is trying to make us hotter. The “Big Beautiful Bill” H.R. 1 is ridiculous and frightening. First of all who names a bill that?
And then if you look at what’s in the bill it seems like even many Republicans would take issue with raising the debt ceiling. And cutting Medicaid and Medicare, adding more money for ICE thugs, more money to the Pentagon, canceling green energy initiatives, and renewing fossil fuel subsidies. All this is bad enough but adding in the sale of public lands as Trump’s idea of solving the housing crisis is absolutely absurd. Horrible, despicable, and completely unhinged. When will Congressional Republicans begin to care about their constituents and saying NO to Trump. 71% of Americans disagree with the sale of public lands.
I had a relaxing morning reading at home before heading off to my local farmers market and yoga class. All lovely, peaceful and privileged. When I came home I started making phone calls though using the 5 Calls app. If you’ve not used this yet please consider downloading and using it every day. I’ll be calling all week long to complain about this bill.
Now I want to focus attention to the book I finished this morning. Where Wolves Don’t Die by Anton Treuer is an excellent coming-of-age Native tale of Ezra Cloud of the Wolf Clan. Ezra has a run-in with a neighborhood bully at school and chooses to punch a locker instead of the bully which sets in motion a chain of events that opens up Ezra’s life in a new way. Treuer’s writing is poetic and I loved the characters so much. I wanted to be at the community feast to celebrate Ezra’s first kill. I wanted to sit at the kitchen table and eat Grandma Emma’s wild rice dish.
A friend purchased this book at Birchbark Books in Minneapolis and shared it with me. The book brought out a lot of emotions for me, thinking of my own ancestors who I hold dear. I highly recommend this charming yet real tale of Ezra and his family. Treuer has a long list of nonfiction books but I hope this story is the start of more fiction from him.
Make some calls, stand up and complain, all while staying cool.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (#0) by Suzanne Collins – I’ve had this on one of my many TBR shelves and when a friend handed me the new one I knew I should read this one first. I liked understanding more about Coriolanus Snow. I was intrigued by Lucy Gray Baird’s character, a whimsical love interest for the Snow.
Still Me (Me Before You series, #3) by Jojo Moyes- I just loved Louisa Clark’s characters and her struggles with a long distance relationship and the agony of working for people who are friendly but definitely not your friends. I’m sad to say good-bye to these characters.
Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar (elementary fiction)-I read this to 5th graders this year. I thought it had an interesting story line and had a lot to say about friendship but more importantly how we are tending to our environment. The fuzzy mud in the book is toxic and made by a chemical company attempting to make a fuel alternative.
Sunrise on the Reaping (#0.5) by Suzanne Collins – I loved this one! I read it quickly, Haymitch was one of my favorite characters so I enjoyed hearing his story, including the addition of Maysilee, a connection to Lucy Gray. Collins’ created such an amazing cast of characters throughout the Hunger Games series.
We Solve Murders (#1) by Richard Osman: Steve and Amy Wheeler are a entertaining duo. Steve, a retired officer, is Amy’s father-in-law and Amy is a private security bodyguard in charge of a celebrity author who has had death threats. As the three of them cross the globe to solve a mystery we are both scared and entertained.
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller: This story was such an interesting twist on relationships. Elle and her best friend Jonas spent summers together in a group of cabins near Cape Cod. Elle has an unusual and tragic childhood as her mom shuttles them between various unhealthy relationships. Eventually she leaves for London, meets her husband, and returns home only to be constantly pulled back to one tragic summer. Sometimes a first love is not meant to be left behind.
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey: I was able to get my hands on a secondhand hardcover copy of this book awhile ago. And while I enjoyed looking at the pictures and the style of the book ultimately I ended up listening to this on audio; I mean, come on, listening to Matthew’s voice as I did errands was alright, alright, alright. I loved his stories even though the first part featuring their did shock me a bit. The book made me curious about all his work and I watched Dazed and Confused to get a look at his first movie role.
I started this post at the beginning of June and literally got distracted by summer things like sleeping in, sunshine, and the lake. I went to the protest on Saturday and keep wondering what we can do to keep that momentum going. How do we impeach him and get him and Vance out of office…? Honestly we need a do-over.
What I’m reading now: reread of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt for book club, The Night Librarian by Christopher Lincoln (graphic novel for school), and The Anxious Generation by Jonathon Haidt.
I’m not great about finishing nonfiction but I heard a tip on Annie’s podcast, What Should I Read Next? She suggests reading nonfiction in the morning; giving it a separate time helps. I’m going to try this over the summer. I can sip my morning tea and read.
Keep the faith, keep reading, and enjoy the sunshine.
Yoga saved me these last few years. Heart surgery is far memory now and yoga has helped me regain muscle and physical confidence. It started with Adriene but then, Sam, a young friend of mine opened a studio in the neighborhood and I’m hooked. Teaching is a lot more emotional these days and a good round of yoga after school helps with that energy.
Some weeks I’ve managed to make classes Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Some weeks I only make a 2-3 classes but either way I’m thankful I have a place to go that feels like home. Many studios across the country focus on hot yoga or fast exercise yoga. I know I’ll offend someone with this statement but I like real yoga that means something, that goes a certain pace, that builds up and slows down into a well-intentioned savasana. I’m there to be in tune with my body, to flow for sure yet I don’t want to move at breakneck speed. There are different kinds of yoga for a wide variety of people. I just like what I like and I’m glad that many of Sam’s classes are perfect for me.
Random Thoughts:
I’m reading three great books right now and they are all about hard topics:
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller-family trauma mixed with old love but lots of trauma
The Huntress by Kate Quinn-WWII women and Nazis
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey-I’m listening to this and it’s interesting but I do not like the abusive father-son relationships.
End of the school year is coming up fast. I don’t feel ready and yet I’ve also packed my summer (possibly) too full.
Saw Japhy over Memorial Day weekend and it’s just never enough time. I’d take them all back home again for a spell. Go back in time.
Peaceful Reader 