July 28, 2025
The creature jumped onto a chair, then the table. Mop and broom wailed away. Chairs toppled. A basket flew in the air, sending napkins everywhere.
July 14, 2025
Because I was fourteen, the icy cold Pacific Ocean warmed to bathwater within minutes of immersion. Beyond the official beaches, after scrambling down a wooded ravine now collapsed into itself, lost to time.
July 11, 2025
A charming, modern fairy tale, The Tinker and The Witch: A Cozy Fantasy Character Tale by G.J. Daily, takes me back to those juvenile fantasies like […]
July 10, 2025
Fated call to arms
to answer a distant king
dragged from island home
Dragged from island home
on ships full with tools of war
an unwilling pawn
July 5, 2025
Of course I judge a book by its cover. I know it’s wrong, but a pretty cover will lure me in. The Imagined Life by Andrew Porter possesses one of those magical covers that’s not merely beautiful, but reflects equally the gorgeous writing within.
July 3, 2025
July 2, 2025
The remake came as a surprise to some, but it was well-received, especially by those who hadn’t seen the original. They enjoyed the visuals and were excited to see a movie centered around dragons. For those of us who grew up with the original How to Train Your Dragon, the trailer alone brought back that same joy and nostalgia.
June 30, 2025
In We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin, ten haunting years have passed since Trumanell Branson disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a smear of blood and a town suspended in yearning.
June 29, 2025
The confections you keep in a milk-glass bowl hold fast, freckled with dust and faded by sun. Think bolted bric-a-brac with colors leaking…
June 27, 2025
I first heard of Matcha when a friend’s friend from Singapore sent her a bag of the fine, green powder. Amazon was around by now, but things like this weren’t so readily available to Americans – nor did we seem to know to look for it.
When I married a man who’s intrigued with all things Japanese, Matcha returned to my awareness, especially when we wound up living across the highway from a Japanese market where Matcha could easily be purchased for a reasonable price.
June 21, 2025
Bold, thundering C-major chords seize the day with no room for doubt. It’s as if God is in the driving seat full of confidence and all is well. There are no obstructions on the straight and narrow, no one is being martyred, and though there are clouds in the sky, they look more like savory dumplings that might drop manna. The descending bass notes of the first three chords exude hope and a desire to get to the bottom of things. This is the hymn Bryn Myrddin; Welsh singing at its best.
June 20, 2025
The storm’s coming was awful enough. The cherries would be ripening in a few short days, and the last thing they needed in this moment was too much water. But I couldn’t do anything about it. It would pass and leave whatever wreckage it chose to leave and I’d clean up as best I could.