BOOK REVIEW: And After the Fire by Lauren Belfer

I'm not sure what to say. This book was simply beautiful. It isn't filled with a lot of action. There isn't a riveting, page-turning, can't-put-it-down storyline. What you get is a beautiful story following an uncovered treasure, an unknown manuscript of music written by JS Bach and passed through several generations until it reaches the hands of the main character in present day. It is a simple, quiet journey full of beauty and splendor. I simply loved every moment of this quiet masterpiece. If you are a lover of classical music, you will find this book to be a treasure. I simply hated it to end and to return it to the library. I have already made a space on my shelf for the copy I will buy and re-read in the future. I will always remember the quiet beauty of this book.

BOOK REVIEW - My Sister Live on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher

STARS: 5 out of 5

ok, let me see how to say this. When I started this book, I had high expectations. I try not to do that but I do sometimes. As I got going, I was loving the characters but I wasn't sure where the story was going to go. I knew part of how the character relationships would likely play out but one particular dynamic had me concerned that I wasn't going to enjoy the book. I was feeling a touch disappointed. I even put it down for a couple of busy days. But I picked it up again and continued.

Today, I finished the book. What I can tell you is that I am so very glad I continued. Aside from positively adoring 3 of the characters in the book, I truly fell in love with the book as a whole. While there are dynamics of a few of the characters that leave you feeling bothered, keeping my focus on the 3 I adored kept me going. Actually, that's not true. There is a 4th who also stole my heart.

But what I need to tell you is this. This book is light and jovial while heavy and intense all at the same time. But as you reach the climax, it becomes one of the single most beautiful books I've ever read. Nothing epic or world shattering. Just a deeply personal experience that changes how the main character views the world, his life, his family. A moment of clarity when he grows up. A single moment that was one of the hardest I have ever had to read but, as you get through it, you witness a level of growth and healing among several of the characters that changes the way they will face the world from that day forward...and it is simply beautiful.

I am so glad I continued as this book is going to my FAVES shelf. I will re-read it again (and probably again) now that I can (hopefully) make it through that section without putting the book down repeatedly to get through it. Because, as painful as it was, the beauty on the other side is worth every teary-eyed blur of the words on the page. And I feel stronger for having read it.

Read it. Take a deep breath before you hit chapter 20 (or before) but push to the other side. Your heart will feel fuller on the other side.

BOOK REVIEW - The Wonder of All Things by Jason Mott

I seem to be in the minority here but I have to say that I am absolutely in love with this book. I read and enjoyed The Return but it didn't stick with me like this one. When I started The Wonder of All Things, I was hopeful I would connect with it more deeply but was worried it wouldn't measure up to the last couple of books I'd just read (The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash, both of which I loved).

All I can say is I am so glad I picked this to read when I did. I am going through some difficult times and I needed to connect with a story...with characters...and that's exactly what happened with this wonderful book.

I am enamored with Ava and with Wash and am in awe and wonder at the beauty, depth, and simplicity of their deeply connected souls. The beauty of their relationship is at the very core of the story and it continues to unfold and blossom the deeper the story goes.

I finished the book with honest, flowing tears and clutched the book as I let the enormity of the beauty of it wash over me. I know not everyone will be affected the way I was...I suspect so many saw it from a different perspective...but I know I will never forget this book, this story, or these children. I thank you, Jason Mott, for one of the most beautiful stories I've read in a long long time. I am moving this directly to my fave books collection. I can't wait to re-read it...and yes, I'm still crying...

REVIEW - 5 stars (out of 5)

The journey begins with the first step...

For Christmas, my husband bought me an art set. We are bound by several things, including a passion for all forms of art -- music, film, sculpture, paintings, literature -- but we had been discussing our long lost impassioned hobbies. For me, it was drawing. A passion I gave up around the age of 17.

I had spent my life reading, painting, and drawing up until that point. I never was considered good and never had a "proper" art class in school. I resigned myself to the fact that I just didn't know how to draw well. I knew, through some art tests, that I had SOME talent but my assessment was that grade school level was all I could achieve. Our general art classes in school (not the ones the "real" art students enrolled in) were just project busy work (collages, etc.) but no real, true instruction. That was reserved for the classes with the "real" art students. So, I begrudgingly came to accept  that my skill would halt where it had hung for years and being a "real" artist was never in my scope. So, one day I finally put down the pencil and focused on my other artistic loves -- writing, photography, film, and literature.

Now, 30+ years later, I am suffering from a lifetime of "what if". What if I had never put it down. What if I had had "proper" lessons. What if I had an understanding then of how to improve my skill. What if YouTube had been around a lifetime ago.

Thanks to my husband, I dove back in. It didnt' happen immediately. He bought me the art kit but it sat, untouched for months and months and months, collecting dust and me wondering if I would ever be brave enough to give it another go.

Flash forward to June 2015. On June 8, we lost my mom. After years of suffering from congestive heart failure, it and age finally took their final toll and she left us to be with my dad. We buried them together, her cradling his urn in her arms, in a military service (he was a veteran). It was simple, small, and beautiful. In the aftermath, as often happens following the loss of parents, we begin to reassess our lives.

My hubby and I had already begun to simplify and downsize our lives and our home. We are looking to fill our days as simply as possible with those things we love. Turning off the TV, immersing ourselves in music, and tackling our passions and hobbies. As a result, I finally pulled out that Christmas gift - that art set - and decided the time has come.

That day was 10/17/2015. Since that day, I have begun my journey back to find myself. I've begun singing along to music (even though no one wants to hear THAT). I've been reading more. We've kept the TV off. We've delved into music artist catalogs we've only skimmed before. We've shared time with each other and with our fur-babies. We've simplified our lives and are reveling in how much more deeply fueled our souls feel.

I've spent days watching art videos on YouTube, trying to learn the things I never did so many years ago. I have found myself drawn to a handful of "teachers" through these videos and am mesmerized by their skills and talent. I have begun to absorb little things and am seeing improvements in my own work, I am certain is a result of what they are teaching me.

Heather LeBas has been the greatest influence on my journey so far. Her videos have inspired and excited me. I admire her skill and talent and strive to learn as much from her as I possibly can. She has reached out and we're talking and I hope to tap her brain as much as possible to learn what I can to further enhance my work and, more importantly, my enjoyment. I hope to expand to other areas (painting, etc.) one day but I am enjoying the journey, wherever it takes me. ...and I hope my mom and dad are seeing their not-so-little girl, so many years later, diving back into the deep end and swimming with a smile on my face.

(p.s. Ironic that I stopped drawing at the same age I quit competitive swimming, my other childhood love.) Hmmmmmm... now, if only I could find a pool to swim in regularly.... :)

Now to the art work...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1678510622436084.1073741828.1678509492436197&type=3&uploaded=74

9/11...Never Forget

A moment of contemplation. Searching deeply within myself. Yes, I feel it again. Exactly how I felt that morning, that day, the days following. Do you feel it? It's still in there.

If you lived through it, you felt it. The unity. The embracing of others. Loving everyone EQUALLY regardless of race, orientation, creed, etc. JUST as we are supposed to.

Do you remember what that felt like? NONE of it mattered except we were alive...and healthy...and hurting...and determined. Take one minute to really feel that again today. Then promise yourself not to let that go going forward

Carry 9/11 with you EVERY SINGLE DAY. Let it be a part of you.‪#‎NeverForget‬ ‪#‎tears‬