We were going to write a review of Anne Lamott’s autobiographical collection of nearly two dozen essays and reflections, Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith. No, really. We were. We have four pages of notes to prove it- double-sided! Then we thought we’d just to the chase. So here it is:
Revisited from last year because it just seems to fit:
‘It’s summer time, summer time. Sum-sum, summer time!’
School’s out. Finally says Mom. Summer sure took her time getting here, eh? She gimped onto the calendar with the alacrity of a crippled snail. Even so, as every cell of our beings opens to the long-lost sun, drinking in a taste of summer, we’re celebrating. Sort of.
Why? Well, have you noticed? Summer is a con artist.
After the ninety-miles-an-hour-with-your-hair/fur-on-fire frenetic pace of the school year, summer cons us into thinking we’re in for a “break.” “Slow down,” she coos, “kick back. Rest up. Wind down. After all, it’s summer!”
Well, maybe in an alternate universe,sniffs Her Momness. Then how come summer is often as jam-packed and crazy as the rest of the year? It’s just a different kind of crazy. Calendar still fill. Planners book up. The only difference seems to be the weather and venue – at home or on the beach, desert, mountain peak, park, library, baseball diamonds or pool – other than the school campus. For a lot of people, particularly families, summer is just another word for “warm weather whirlwind.”
Mom used to lean into summer with the noblest of intentions: Dive into multiple Summer Reading programs. Polish a coupla dozen blog posts. Read nine million books. Draft a zillion book reviews.
That lasts for maybe a week or two, until summer hits full-throttle and that “have so much time now” illusion evaporates into a moist mirage.
Manageable and bite-sized
Someone suggested a summer goal of setting aside two hours a day to write. Realizing that summer is a charmer, a warm-weather chimera, Mom just laughed. And poked along at my own pace: devoting twenty minutes a day to write uninterrupted. It’s not as impressive as two hours, but it’s manageable. Realistic. Bite-sized.
Know what? asketh Her Momness. She found that if she focuses on a bite-sized goal and keep at it, she gets it. Know what else? Twenty minutes can easily tumble into 40 or 60 or 90 or more.
What bite-sized writing goals have you set for this summer?
The day before… Some very sketchy looking bales of hay.
Her Mom-ness says kindness can be hard to find these days. Elusive. Rare. So when you find it – or it finds you – be thankful. And reciprocate.
I’m not sure what that means. But it makes Mom smile. So it must be good. Like the other day.
We were out for a looong walk. Miles from home, her Mom-ness and I met up with another dog in a school playground. We played chase the ball for a while. Then the other dog went home with her Mom.
After the last ball toss, I came back limping. Mom noticed. We were a long way from my nice, soft doggie bed. Our water was almost gone. I could barely walk. How were we going to get home?
Rieden Reece is busy. He must save his big bro. His Mom. Himself. And rescue humanity from AI “integration” (think The Borg). As in, the fate of the world hangs in the balance. So no pressure, broseph in this delightful and uber absorbing sci fi adventure for middle grade readers and up.
Here’s the 4-1-1:
Today we’re getting to know Kathi Macias, author of Special Delivery.
Where do you live?
Homeland, CA (midway between LA and San Diego but a bit easy)
*Tell us something about yourself.
Kathi Macias, author.
I was born and raised in Southern California (Ventura) and still live fairly close by (in Riverside County now). My husband, Al, and I met when we were six years old and grew up just a few blocks from one another, ending up as junior/senior high sweethearts. When we were in junior high I told him I was going to be a writer some day, so writing has long been my passion and my dream. I’ve been in the Christian publishing world (with a journalism background before that) for over thirty years now, with forty published books and many more on the drawing board. I also do a lot of public speaking, traveling across the nation (and beyond) to teach writing and to lead women’s conferences and retreats.
We were gonna write an uber-detailed book review complete with quotes, citations, charts, graphs, maps, popcorn, dancing bears and a floor show. Then we came back to earth. With better things to do. Like watch paint peel.
So forget the floor show. Here are some bare-bones basics:
Today’s guest post is by Robert and Mildred Marshall, author and narrator of the I’ve Got This: A Love Story (Lucid Books, March 2025).
More on that in a min. So kindly keep your shirt on, Cookie. First, let’s hear what the Marshall have to say about why book covers matter:
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Pour yourself a lemonade. Grab a chair. Sit down. Put your feet up. Breathe. And treat yourself to a stroll through small town Americana via this cogent and convivial look at events, people, places, and perspectives from a seasoned news pro with a 50-year career in newspapers. Brimming with warmth and wit, Jospeh Wore Tennis Shoes is part news. Part biography. Part trip down Memory Lane. And all heart.
The book covers the author’s 50-year career at Minnesota weekly newspapers with reprints of the best stories from over the years. Kovar takes you beyond the nuts and bolts of a weekly newspaper and into a wide variety of behind-the-scene stories and anecdotes. What emerges is an entertaining mix of Eureka! moments, belly laughs, guffaws, colorful reportage, and a few You have got to be kidding me-s. This collection may also have you grabbing a tissue or two.
He’s lost beloved friends. His wife. And his daughter. And with two pulls of the trigger, Oliver Stone has become the most hunted man in America. Meanwhile, whoever thought a sleepy little coal mining town in the hinterlands of Virginia would end up like the Wild, Wild West? But it doesn’t take long in this David Baldacci page turner.
Well. At least “John Carr” is finally dead. But can the same be said about the shadowy “Camel Club” and the even shadowier “Triple Six Division of the CIA” – aka: the agency’s “political destabilization arm”?
Her Crankiness is at it again. That scrunchy face eye roll thing.
“Good grief!” Mom flounces. “Not again!” (“Flounces.” Isn’t that a great word? No idea what it means. But Mom likes it. So I do too.)
Now what? says I, Kimber the Magnificent. You know. The level-headed one. All even-keeled and imperturbable. (No idea what that means either. But it sounds good, huh? Can I eat it?)
Well. Gonna cut to the chase here. Save you some time. As in:
Can you hear us in the back?
Here’s what we mean. On the Sure Loser List. DO NOT do any of the following. Starting with review requests that send us to third parties. Like:
Dude. Dudette. Listen up. We’re busy. If you can’t be bothered to provide the relevant info we ask for in our Rating System and Submission Guidelines or Sample Review Request, then don’t expect us to bother with your book. We’re just funny that way.
Variation on a theme #2:
Generic much?
We get something like this on our In Box and it tells us:
This author couldn’t be bothered to spend 5 minutes on the blog finding out who we are, what we review, or what our bookish interests are. Also, we could care less about your Goodreads on Amazon page. Cuz newsflash, Cupcake: We’re neither. Hello?
This kind of request also tells us the author is too lazy to provide a decent synopsis of their work in the body of the request email. They expect us to click external links instead. Good luck with that.
#3: Other newsflash, Sweetness: This kind of generic request tells us you not only haven’t read our Submission Guidelines, but you’re also on a fishing expedition. Haven’t even bothered to check if your title is a good fit for this blog or not. Ergo, you’re wasting our time. Not. Cool. So off to the Big Kitty Litter Box In The Sky with you!
These kinds of review requests get dumped. Cuz guess what else, Cookie? We don’t have time to waste on authors who can’t or won’t follow simple instructions. There are plenty of other authors who can. And do. They’re way more likely to get our attention. Savvy?
Pages & Paws 