In the fall of 2011, an eighth-grade student of mine wrote a beautiful letter to Ruta Sepetys, the author of Between Shades of Gray, detailing what she’d gleaned from Sepetys’ first novel  – the power of perseverance, integrity, and love. Since then, …

Ah, Wednesday, how I love you. The Midweek Mix is a fun break! I’m sitting here (it’s Tuesday night) watching Chopped on Netflix while I type up this Mix. Is anyone else obsessed with this show? It’s just so gosh …

In April, my book club read Station Eleven. I dove into with my usual lack-of-research bravado – all I knew about the book was that it was some sort of post-apocalyptic novel. This genre really isn’t my cup of tea …

Whit I’m on a total thriller / mystery kick after binging on The Girl on The Train by Paula Hawkins and wanting more afterward. In the Woods by Tana French – I picked this up at the mystery bookstore near …

I can’t remember exactly where I first saw this book, but the most likely place is our local bookstore, Magers and Quinn. A fairly new book, Portage was published in October 2015 by University of Minnesota Press, a publisher of …

Say whaaaaat? Midweek again? My, how time flies when you hold yourself to doing a Wednesday blog post 😂 What’s on my mind this week? In the words of Mario, Let’s a-go! Current Read: The Girls by Emma Cline I’m getting …

I’m an audiobook devotee, and here’s why: Audiobooks are a multi-tasker’s dream.  Reading while driving, folding laundry, running, or doing dishes?  What more could a modern bibliophile ask for? Also, the best listens are supremely motivating – I’ll slog an extra mile or …

Furiously Happy is, in my humble opinion, something that should be read by anyone who struggles with any kind of depression, anxiety, or other mental illness, as well as those close to someone who does. Lawson uses absurd and hilarious …