Traveling with Pomegranates

This post must seem like it belongs among the movies, music, and books I write about on Mondays. After all, it's by the same author, Sue Monk Kidd, who wrote the fictional fave The Secret Life of Bees and the life-changing Dance of the Dissident Daughter, a non-fiction book.

This book, however, is different-- not only because it is half-written by Kidd's daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor. What sets this books apart is that it is written as a series of journal entries over a somewhat considerable period of time, during which Ann is struggling to find herself after a bump-in-the-road in her post-grad plans, and Sue is dealing with the many changes surrounding menopause and empty-nest syndrome.

The women seek answers, in Greece and France, in new homes, new jobs, new relationships. But mostly, they seek themselves through their journaling. They even journal about their journaling while they're in France, looking at ancient and magnificent works of art!?! It completely inspired me, and I go back to this book whenever I'm feeling doubtful, insecure, or lazy about my own journaling.

So, if you're tired of the how-to's, or you just need some good inspiration (and a good read too!), check this book out at your local library, your local independent (OR corporate) bookstore, or online here.

Demiurgic Dames

In the middle of winter, when Lake Michigan looks like the Arctic Sea and walking from a parking spot to a restaurant in 10 degree weather is so daunting that we're sampling yet another pizza delivery place, books become a lifeline for us.

This is truly a silver lining, as in Vegas we had lamented those rainy days spent drinking tea and losing ourselves in a good book. Dreams of rain have turned to snow, but it's the same book-lovin' gray to us, and we are both finally reading again.

Thus, my discovery of two fun women writers' short story collections. Bright, lively, fresh, and likely to make one blush at times, these gals have injected some color into my short winter days.

Alissa Nutting, a fellow Las Vegan, has recently come out with a story collection with a great title: Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls, which explores many of the areas in a woman's life that rarely get discussed in such a novel, honest, and hilarious fashion: our need to be needed, our need to be desired, and much, much, more. These stories stretch your imagination, make you laugh, and demand that you dig deep.

Similarly, Miranda July's No One Belongs Here More Than You explores well-hidden parts of humanity that tend to seep out into our larger existences, sometimes without our noticing. These stories have a sweet, simple lesson: you are okay.

I look for creative inspiration everywhere, especially in the cold, dark months where it can be difficult to find. Right now these books have lent themselves as my companions while I write and submit my own blogs and poems, cook like crazy, and add to the beauty and self-expression of our home.

Thanks, ladies!