Tag: Slice of Life

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Calling All Book Club Recommendations

all I want to do

is turn pages and get lost

in a mystery

to read poetry

biography and memoir

fiction, non-fiction

I’ll take all of it,

add it to my TBR

pile, curl up, and read

Come sit right here by me if you’re a reader. Settle in, pour a cup of coffee, and let’s have a book chat. I want to hear what stories have kept you reading this year, and how your reading has inspired new adventures.

I’ll go first. Right now, I’m reading Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson, which will be the January 2026 pick for our Kindred Spirits book club. It has me on the edge of my seat at every new twist and turn. I especially like that the setting is taking me back to our trip to Woodstock, Vermont in November of 2024, where we had one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had in my life, complete with Vermont maple syrup that was made from the trees on the property where we were staying. A friend and member of the Kindred Spirits book club recommended Woodstock as a stop on our trip after NCTE last year, and we used her exact trip itinerary from a trip she’d taken with her daughter in planning our own. While my husband and I were in Woodstock, we took some time to go exploring a few back roads while we were there, and I have some of the setting assigned to places we saw, such as the famous bridge. It’s hard to imagine that a crime like the one in this book could happen there, but where there are humans, there will be crime. This book inspired me to wrap up in a blanket I bought from the Vermont Flannel Company while I was there and to pull up the photos from that amazing trip and add them to the new digital photo frame my daughter sent us for Christmas. Oh, to go back there!

The Kindred Spirits dive into exciting fiction, and this group tends to gravitate toward thrillers. Once we’ve finished reading a book, we plan some sort of adventure to go along with what we have read so that we allow our reading to inspire new discoveries. You can see our reading choices and adventures from 2025 here. We’ll be meeting December 19 to put the first six months of our 2026 list together. I’d like to ask for your favorite book recommendations. Please help us out ~ which books have you read recently that you savored, and what made you fall in love with them? Also, have you ever been part of a reading retreat where everyone reads a few books and then drives an hour or two to a mountain lodge for a weekend to talk about those books, read more books, sit by the fire, eat delicious food, visit a spa, and shop in the stores on the town square? We’ve heard of those retreats and are thinking of trying one sometime this year, so we’re all ears for your most exciting book experiences as we plan a few slices of life.

A street scene of Woodstock, Vermont
My husband sits by the fire of the Woodstock Inn as we wait to eat dinner
My second favorite shop in Woodstock, where I bought our favorite blanket (the bookstore was my favorite)
Special thanks to Two Writing Teachers
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November Noel No-Nonsense Nonet

I used to laugh at those memes where families come home from trick-or-treating and put up the Christmas tree. I used to remind myself to give the turkey its day in the spotlight. I’ll admit it: I used to judge those folks, those ridiculous early decorators.

No, no, no, no, no! Not anymore.

The older I get, the more I realize I need to pace myself in decorating. It takes moving a chair to make a space for a tree, unboxing the Nativity set, and spinning a fresh bow for the year-round wreath on the east-facing front door (I love the way it frames the early morning sunrise through the door glass from my living room chair). If my husband and I are going to do all this decorating in our sixties, we need time to recover and to enjoy it before it’s time to take it all down again.

I’m firmly in the camp that if I’m putting it up, I want six to eight weeks to enjoy it. Anything less is too taxing on this body.

There have been years we didn’t decorate at all – – those years we went places and knew no one would be here to celebrate since we’d be in others’ homes in other states. But as grandchildren visit and we gather with friends and other family who often come on different weekends between now and the first of the year, we’ve come to understand those silly home-from-Halloween-now-let’s-put-up-the-tree memes.

Even though we decorate simply and minimally in the quiet shades of nature when we do, we realize it’s all about creating a Christmas ambiance that welcomes visitors who drop in anytime during the holidays. A simple burlap and twig tree, a box shrub wreath, a Nativity set and we’ll be ready to welcome the season. Come see us!

November Noel No-Nonsense Nonet

the older we get, the more we see

we need to decorate early

to recover from the work

(pacing is not enough)

dare I admit that

our Christmas tree

is going

up this

week????

Special thanks to Two Writing Teachers for providing teachers a space to write and share

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October 28 – X Marks the Spot Poems

X Marks the Spot Poem

I worked with two Humanities teachers last week on writing poetry from prose, using a blog post I’d written last week. I remembered that Mo Daley, a friend from one of my writing groups, shared this technique after attending a conference where she learned more about how to engage students with writing.

To pull poetry from prose, students took their own stream of consciousness writing from the previous week and marked an X on it. They listed the words under the X marks and used those words to create a poem.  To write X Marks the Spot poems, you can add other words and you don’t have to use them all – the idea is to create a word bank from the words you X.  You can use any form of poetry for this – this is merely an idea technique.             

  My words:

                  abide      daily        we            Jesus      car           granddaughter     unison    play         they         Silas        of           patient   tempted                  packaged               gathered                 can          to              died         children                                                       how         did           story       because                  for            when       boxes                        the           Tennessee              toys         kitchen  remind   and          of              daughter                 challenging           game      was          since                  Jesus      and          together

       Belonging

we gathered in the kitchen

with the children

laughed in unison

at the stories

as we ate together

at a table that seated

everyone – past, present, and future

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Gratitude for the Kindred Spirits Book Club and My Writing Group Friends

Kindred Spirits From L-R: Jennifer, me, Martina, Joy, Jill, Janette

Last year, we started a Central Office book club in our rural Georgia school district. This was Janette’s idea, but she graciously allowed me to help organize its inception. We asked another local book club if we could read their books they were not using, and we gave each title another round of reading before placing these in Little Free Libraries according to the grant provisions with which they were originally purchased. This club has become a sisterhood, and much like my writing group friends, our interactions go beyond the daily water station office talk into what goes on in our lives and how we feel about issues that arise in the books we read. We connect on a deeper level this way.

We’re a cross-section of society, which lends to richer discussion. I’m the oldest. Martina is the youngest. All of us are mothers and wives. Two of us are real sisters (Jill and Joy). Four of us are grandmothers. Two of us are preachers’ kids. We’ve all been through some tough times and bring differing perspectives to our conversations. But what’s most important is that we are all readers, we understand that every book is not going to get five stars but that there is something to take from each, and we embrace our collective voice on womanhood and readership. We’re the Kindred Spirits – and we are aptly named.

Last April, I shared a poem with our group each day during National Poetry Month, and while most were written by well-known poets, one or two were poems that I wrote. They know that writing poetry is what keeps me balanced at all times, but particularly in tough times – of which there have been many lately in my life. When my father died in June, I was sad that he would not be here to see the book I’d been working on for so long come out on Labor Day weekend.

Imagine my surprise when my Kindred Spirit sisters knew I was feeling down and threw an after-lunch dessert party for me and presented me with a poem that they had all written to cheer me up and celebrate me. I was moved to tears as they explained that they had each written two lines, and that the lines appeared in alphabetical order according to their names: Janette, Jennifer, Jill, Joy, and Martina.

I framed it and keep it among my greatest treasures; it means so much to me that in a time when I was grieving, my reading sisters built me up and reminded me that we are all in this together – – and that the tears along the journey can be turned into laughter and joy. We feel it in our local coffee shop on our small town square each month as we sip our brews and talk about the characters we have come to love (and dislike). We feel it at work as we deal with our day to day duties, and we will feel it in the movie theater later this week as we watch our monthly novel come to the big screen: Colleen Hoover’s Regretting You.

I’m not sure where I’d be without my reading group – and my writing groups. Today is a day to celebrate all of you (if you’re reading this, it includes you, too) who make a difference in my life. My glass is raised to you, dear friends, for all that you mean to me. You inspire me, and I appreciate each and every one of you!

Poem written for me by my Kindred Spirits book club
Front: Jill, Janette, Martina; Back: me, Joy (Jennifer is missing)

Books We’ve Read in our Club So Far:

The Beautiful and the Wild by Peggy Townsend

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

The Last Flight by Julie Clark

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon

The Wedding People by Allison Espach

One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury

God of the Woods by Liz Moore

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

and

Selected Poems-a-Day for National Poetry Month


Book Club Haiku

we’re always on the

lookout for our next great read

….any suggestions?

Special thanks to Two Writing Teachers for hosting Slice of Life
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Dirt-Strong-Willed Dogwalking: My Favorite Sport

This month, I continue writing posts from prompts in the Writing Down the Bones Card Deck by Natalie Goldberg, shared with me by my friend Barb Edler of Iowa. I’m continuing this month so that I can experience the entire deck of prompts. Today’s post asks about a sport we love -or hate.

My favorite sport is dirt-strong-willed dog walking, and if it ever becomes a competitive sport, I’m going for gold. I’ve been competing against our dog Ollie for several years now, and though I have yet to win, I think every time I hook up the leash that I’m getting close. We have a double leash for two of our boys, and the other is allowed to walk off-leash. Not Ollie. He and Fitz share a double-ended leash, and Ollie pulls on one end while Fitz pulls in the opposite direction on the other end, leaving me as the midpoint referee. My poem today is a nonet, which has nine lines with that many syllables on each line, in ascending or descending order.

Ollie with his favorite toy

Dirt-Strong-Willed Dogwalking Nonet

taking Ollie on a walk involves

sheer tenacity as he pulls

doing his Ollie thing, hard

headed, clumsy, stubborn,

falling in every

grass-covered hole

climbing out

dirt-strong-

willed

Special thanks to Two Writing Teachers
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Paying Attention

Last month, I started writing posts from prompts in the Writing Down the Bones Card Deck by Natalie Goldberg, shared with me by my friend Barb Edler of Iowa in our Stafford Challenge small group. I’m continuing so that I can experience the entire deck of prompts. One thing I appreciate as a writer is that during times when I’ve barely got my head above water with all the energy and demands from life and work, there are prompts to get me started – – which, of course, is the most important spark. Today, the prompt hits home in tender spots, asking us to write about what we feel when we see a homeless person holding a sign on the corner or to tell about a specific person that perhaps we didn’t pay attention to.

Here’s Your Sign

some topics hit deep

too deep to think into ~ I’ve

known a sign holder

and what got her there

I’ve witnessed her miracle

of overcoming

I know the power

of a mother’s fervent prayers

for a daughter lost

when I see homeless

sign holders I feel this pain:

that’s a mother’s child

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No, Thank You

This month, I’m writing posts from prompts in the Writing Down the Bones Card Deck by Natalie Goldberg, shared with me by my friend Barb Edler of Iowa. Goldberg asks us to begin by writing, “No, Thank You…” and to keep going. And each time we get stuck, to return to those words and keep going. Today, I share a Nonet – a poem consisting of nine lines with that number of syllables on each line in ascending or descending order.

No, Thank You Nonet

no thank you to the constant going

I’m ready to have a weekend

when I can just stay at home

and bask in no deadlines

rest the day away

watch a movie

read a book

walk the

dogs

I’m honored to share a weekly feature with Ethicalela.com’s readers this week as students across the nation return to school. Here is a first-day activity that aims to build connections and strengthen relationships so that learning can thrive in the classroom. Cheers to all teachers who know the fine art of getting their arms around their students and teaching humans – not standards, not curriculum. You’re the real difference-makers in a world that often tries to convince us otherwise. This morning, I raise my mug of coffee to you as you go out into the most fertile fields of all to plant seeds and make change. You, my friend, are a change maker.

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What Did You Bring

This month, I’m writing posts from prompts in the Writing Down the Bones Card Deck by Natalie Goldberg, shared with me by my friend Barb Edler of Iowa. Today’s post inspires us to write about what we bring – in our purses, on a trip, to a party, in our suitcases, in our book bags or in our cars.

I’m reminded of our adventure book club that met at Barnstormer’s Restaurant in Williamson, Georgia the. month I couldn’t attend. You read that right. I’m reminded of a memory I don’t actually have. We’d recently finished reading a book entitled The Last Flight, where two women change identities to fly off to new lives but then one plane crashes. This inspired us to meet at our local small airport’s restaurant and actually bring a bag of only the five things we would take if we ever left and were limited in our departure possessions. They had to fit in a tote bag or small personal bag you’d carry when flying. We excluded cell phones, chargers, wallets with money/photos, and medications.

Only thing is, that’s when my father was in Hospice in his final hours and I was out of town – so I heard all about what happened at that book club meeting but was not able to attend. Today, this question for the prompt is timely. What would I bring?

5 Things I’d Bring

I’d bring the tiny obsidian dog

to remind me you knew my heart

I’d bring the silver pearl cross

to remind me you knew my faith

I’d bring the pumpkin bread recipe

to remind me you value tradition

I’d bring the bracelet with the cardinal

to remind me you know transcendending love

of motherhood

I’d bring the memories

to carry you in my heart forever

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How’s the Weather?

This month, I’m writing posts from prompts in the Writing Down the Bones Card Deck by Natalie Goldberg, shared with me by my friend Barb Edler of Iowa. Today’s prompt opens with a quote: “All of the sadness in the city came suddenly with the first cold rains of winter.” – A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway.

Goldberg invites us to write about weather – so I chose a shape poem for today’s writing, using a memory from Route 66, where I was so frightened by the sky I was practically trembling in the back seat. To see the shape, phone must be turned sideways…..(a real twister)…..

In Tulsa, Oklahoma

I’ve lived through hurricanes I’ve walked the eye in one

that came right over me ~ sunshine in the middle ~

but the wickedest weather I’ve seen was in

Oklahoma traveling Route 66 the sky

was yellow gray like a constipated

face only with the fear of the

stomach so ominous

it erased all

memory of

sunshine

Actual footage of the day I was scared
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Writing Down the Bones Card #3 of 60 – I’m Looking At…

This month, I’m starting the journey of writing through 60 cards from Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones, introduced by my writing group sister Barb Edler of Iowa. Last month, our small group of Stafford Challenge writers (Denise Krebs, Glenda Funk, Barb Edler and I) wrote using one of the cards, and this month – just last night on our Zoom writing call – we wrote using the prompt on another one. Today, the prompt is simply What I’m Looking At. I used those words to get started and let them meet me exactly where I was in that moment.

I’m looking at

the swirl of the birdbath

each drop from the roof

plunking in, rippling the surface

each morning breeze

casting dance shadows

with rain and wind

bringing the promise

of the changing seasons

a respite from the heat

to the cool, healing waters

just feet from where I sit

so close

I can almost touch it