Early in the summer I wrote of my love for the Netflix adaptation of Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone, part of the "Grishaverse," and how I was glad to have gotten to the show before reading the book(s) because "the book is always better." Well, I have now read the first book in the series … Continue reading Notions, the “Revisiting the Book is Always Better” edition or ‘Shadow and Bone’ redux
Notions
Notions, the Pick Your Metaphor Edition
It's May. The trees are in full leaf and the pines stretch forth new shoots like fingernails painted in tennis-ball green. Wildflowers spring up everywhere—daisies, wild iris, lupine. There are more sunny days than grey days and many of those days have been truly warm. So why do I feel so exhausted, so languid, so … Continue reading Notions, the Pick Your Metaphor Edition
Notions, January 2021 Edition
This is the time of year I realize just how much dark time we still have to go. Work is busy. The outside is dark and dreary. And I mostly want to just curl up with a book. Alas. While we wait for spring, here are some of the fun, interesting, and/or gorgeous things I've … Continue reading Notions, January 2021 Edition
Notions, the How is it October?!?! edition
When I was in Scotland a few years ago, I started to notice that "sticky toffee pudding" was on the dessert menu of every restaurant I went to, from the most basic of pubs to hipster joints elevating classic Scottish comfort foods. It began to feel like the de facto dessert of Scotland. So on … Continue reading Notions, the How is it October?!?! edition
Notions, Late Summer Edition
I'm cooking up something different than normal that may go up as early as tomorrow. For now, I present this collection of beautiful, powerful, and/or thought-provoking items for your holiday weekend. If you read one thing on this list, read Jesmyn Ward's jaw-dropping, heart-breaking, awe-inspiring essay on the death of her Beloved and its resonances … Continue reading Notions, Late Summer Edition
Notions, early July edition
In Dani Shapiro's Devotion she describes the yogic idea of samskara, which describes "the knots of energy that are locked in the hips, the heart, the jaw, the lungs. Each knot tells a story—a narrative rich with emotional detail. Release a samskara and you release a story." It makes for a potent, poetic image, as … Continue reading Notions, early July edition
Going Off Book: Quarantine Celebrity-ing, + Notions, Late April Edition
Celebrity-ing While Quarantining During the COVID-19 pandemic, while most of us #shelterinplace, celebrities have been putting out elaborately orchestrated videos to entertain the troops, as it were, and keep up morale. And generally speaking, call me "curmudgeon" if you must, I loathe what feels to me like being pandered to by rich and famous people. … Continue reading Going Off Book: Quarantine Celebrity-ing, + Notions, Late April Edition
Notions, Early April Edition
Hello. How are you? Doing okay or not so much or a combination of all of the above? Man, I miss bookstores and libraries.Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Here are some fun things from the internet to entertain, delight, and/or tickle your brain: Doing some reading while social distancing? Check out Bookshop, an online book retailer that … Continue reading Notions, Early April Edition
Mantel’s “Wolf Hall” Trilogy, + Mini-Notions Because We Need the Little Things Now
I am somewhat loathe to recommend Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall" trilogy since I know that, fundamentally, it will not be everyone's cup of mead. To start, these are big books. Wolf Hall clocks in at 559 pages, Bring up the Bodies 434, and the just-released conclusion, The Mirror and the Light, an easy, breezy 764 … Continue reading Mantel’s “Wolf Hall” Trilogy, + Mini-Notions Because We Need the Little Things Now
Notions, January 2020 edition (Formerly “Bits and Bobs”)
I am in a hell of my own making. (A delightful hell! The best kind of hell!) I have too many books to read. I have books for work and I have books for fun, books that flirted with me from the library shelves (their come-hither covers obscuring their three-week checkout times!) and books gifted … Continue reading Notions, January 2020 edition (Formerly “Bits and Bobs”)
Dogs, Coffee, & Books 