Latest Reads

 As you may know, or at least have heard, winter in Minnesota can drag on for a while. This year was no exception, with a long spring to follow. Heck, last Saturday, it was cold enough to see my breath!

But I digress. I'm working on being more "glass half full" so I'm choosing to see it as an opportunity to read some different things. 

First up, Jenna Bush Hager's "Everything Beautiful in Its Time." It's a look at her relationship with her grandparents on both sides. Obviously, we know President George H.W. and Barbara Bush, but it also includes her mom's parents, Harold and Jenna Welch. Most folks love their grandparents, I know I did. Jenna Bush Hager brought them to life and shared their many life lessons in a fun, readable manner. I'm not a big fan of President Bush, but her stories certainly make him more human. That's one of the great parts about non-fiction!

Next up, my yearly foray into the classics. I started this year's choice, Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre," in March. Oye, it's 500 pages in small print, 1847, Victorian English. It was long and arduous, with flashes of brilliance in it. For those into these period romance pieces, this is a fine example. What I took from it was inspiration. She had some long, flowery descriptions of relationships and things, which I am working on modifying for my own use. Like I said, flashes of genius.

I suspect that in years past, without much else available for entertainment, long books were a thing. Without 500 channels to choose from, what else would one do in the evening? For me, it was a slog, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

 So what to take away from these works? Both were written by strong women about love and its different forms. It (love) is perhaps the greatest literary trope there is. I would guess it's because love brings out strong emotions. That concept in its own right is inspiring my new work! Not just to write about love, but to show how love impacts everything. 

Happy reading!