The Wedding by Dorothy West has long been a favorite of mine in large part because I love the east coast, including Martha’s Vineyard. This book brings to life the hierarchy we create within a race– by income, color, and upbringing. The very thing that should make us more solid can tear us apart. But […]
Author: jackums
BeBe Moore Campbell Marathon
I had a Bebe Moore Campbell marathon. I started with Your Blues Aint Like Mine and was greedy for her writing style; so I moved on to What You Owe Me, Brothers and Sisters…and then finally devoured Singing in the Comeback Choir. I’m glad I reread them in that order. Your Blues Aint Like Mine […]
Pilgrim’s Wilderness by Tom Kizzia and The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
I had the great pleasure of visiting the state of Alaska. It is vast, majestic, beautiful, and treacherous. I cannot imagine what the original settlers endured in their quest for gold, a new life, land; and for some later on peace of mind or freedom from the rules that we all must follow. Both of […]
So, it’s been a minute…
I had so many good intentions of keeping this up…finding an outlet…maybe making some connections. And then life took over. And because I am not a professional blogger I did not have any pre-written posts to plug in. So I disappeared and just struggled to get everything done in real time in my non-blogging world. […]
On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon by Kaye Gibbons and The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
There are some periods in history that I tend to read often. I have many books set during the period of slavery or transitioning from slavery through the civil war to emancipation. I also have many books that bring to life the Holocaust period. I’m not sure why. Many because I want to learn/understand what […]
Farewell Charlie Pride.
I am really mad, no pissed, about the death of Charlie Pride from COVID-19. I know that he was older. I know he had a full and amazing life. I know that ultimately, we are not the captains of our own ships. But he was also a man still producing music. He was awarded the […]
Oops to Opps.
I quite frequently have failures and little things that just don’t go as planned. But the trick is to turn those oops into opportunities. A prime example is the Thanksgiving pound cakes. I’m not sure why but some of them didn’t come out pretty. Too brown but the inside was moist and good. Crumbled because […]
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
I think first read Daphne Du Maurier in high school when I couldn’t put down Rebecca. That books scared me but also put a spell on me so that I couldn’t put it down until the last page had been turned. My Cousin Rachel had the same effect. Throughout the entire I was a little […]
Paper Goods.
For me simplify can mean so many things. Decluttering. Using what I have. Making it easy on myself. Taking the short cut. To that end, when I made my cakes for Thanksgiving, I wanted a simple but holiday-ish way to package them for each household. Paper goods to the rescue. For less than 12 people, […]
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
This book held me captive from the first line. The author showed a time in history with such ugliness and dire consequences as one that also allowed the human spirit to exhibit it’s best as kind, compassionate, loving, and hopeful. There were many heroes during the Holocaust and this allows one to see a glimpse […]