We read so many picture books at our home so when one is really good, my son and I really take notice. While our tastes may differ, books with heart seem to capture us both. Since my 8-year-old is quickly aging out of picture books, I really savor these moments. Why does the universe make us fall in love with our children only to wrench them from us so fast? But back to really good picture books. Our Kailua librarian is a genius at plucking unique picture books from piles and featuring them on the bookshelf. I’m not sure if…
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Kao Kalia Yang’s The Most Beautiful Thing illustrated by Khoa Le and published by Carolrhoda Books, is the most beautiful book. The illustrations are art worthy. The story like a beautifully stitched quilt layered with meaning and yet, so fitting for a children’s book. What makes this one special is how specific and detailed the story is. The way the author writes about the grandmother makes you feel like you know her, as if she is a real person. Listen to the first sentence: “My grandmother is so old, no one knows how old she is.” Isn’t that a perfect line? It…
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It’s near summer and I am finally on the mend. We still have sick people in our home, however. 2024 was definitely a year of multiple viruses passing through our doors. While I am sad that a quarter of the year is over and I’ve mostly been at home, I am super grateful to be recovering from long Covid, and for all the time I had and likely needed to rest. It also gave me many days of reflection, painting, and of course reading. I’m going to do a quick review of three picture books that left an impact on…
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Brigid Delaney’s book *Reasons Not to Worry: How to Be Stoic in Chaotic Times, hit all the right notes for me. It was an easy read. It offered personal gut-wrenching stories of the author’s experience. It broke down the how tos in easily digestible nuggets that stay and helped me get through particularly debilitating flares with long-Covid. First of all, if you are not familiar with stoicism, it is a way of being that was created by philosophers a very long time ago like BC times. Seneda, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius are three stoics from the late period of Stoicism. What…
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At this point, my interest in Hawaii sugar plantation life might be an obsession. I’ve been immersed in books, journal articles, phone interviews, maps and more. The history of sugar plantation workers in Hawaii is part of my ancestral history after all. It’s why I am a gosei, or fifth generation Japanese American born and raised in Hawaii. I got my BA in English and minored in Ethnic Studies because I loved to write, and even then had a fascination with this period in history. My mom, aunties and uncle were raised on a sugar plantation on Kauai but, I…
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These two books are taking real estate on my nightstand. After finding so many gems, I wondered how I could have possibly grown as a fiction and nonfiction writer without it. If you’re looking for fresh reads to give you a new perspective on your writing, you might want to add these to your reading list. Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write with Confidence by William Kenower If you want to grow as a writer, at some point you’re going to need to get deep. This is particularly the case if you’re writing fiction or a personal essay.…
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*The title’s paying homage to Flo Rida featuring Timbaland’s Stuck On My Elevator. “You’re a busy entrepreneur. On top of doing what you love to do, which is making your product or providing a service to others, you’re in charge of marketing, accounting, and writing your own copy. But your business is off the hook. You can barely keep up with the demands let alone sit down and right that newsletter, press release, blog or product description. What are you going to do? Why not hire a freelance writer? It will save you time and money. Instead of sitting…
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Ah how the world has changed! Horses have replaced cars. Computers take over the world. The word “Apple” no longer automatically conjures up images of a ripe red fruit. Grandmas communicate with their grandkids through text. And on rainy days, people find comfort in their e-readers instead of their hardcover books. It is my friend, a new age-a digital one. Yet, as we become more digital, there is simultaneously a greater need for communication. With businesses having to work even harder to get our attention, let alone our wallets, we see a shift in how we communicate. Yes it has…
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I’m an avid reader with a voracious appetite for books (and sometimes for food too! Have you seen my photos on Facebook?). It’s not uncommon to find up to 10 books falling off my nightstand all competing for my attention. Now that I’ve got a Kindle, my obsession takes on a whole other monster, but at least it’s a neater one. One of the first books I had the chance to read on my new Kindle is author Angela Atkinson’s The Practical Freelance Writer’s Guide to Author Websites. She kindly offered her new book for free to book reviewers and I grabbed at…