These words, which I recite early every morning — in my pajamas, over my first cup of coffee — keep me moving, thinking, writing, laughing, making art, making room, making plans. I shared this mantra, as I call it, in my book There's a What in My Where?
I am learning every day
to allow the space
between
where I want to be
and
where I am
to inspire me
and not terrify me.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a book of pictures could be worth, well, millions. With Motif, a free app for Macs, iPhones or tablets, you can design books (hardcover or softcover) or calendars that feature your favorite photos of your favorite graduate, or birthday celebrant, or anniversary couple. No experience necessary; the app does all the work and provides prompts when it needs you to upload photos or, if you wish, add captions or other text. I've used Motif to make books for one of Ted's "big" birthdays and our grandson's adventure in pizza making when he turned 5 (he's 20 now), a charitable event and a day at the regional fair, and to celebrate our log house in the wilds of Rhode Island. Print one copy, or ten, or as many as you'd like. Save the file on your computer, and reorder when you need more.
From Politics & Prose, a favorite Washington DC book store, their 2024 Reading Challenge. Fun!
Every now and then, I love to immerse myself in books of a particular type or on a related theme. Lately, I've been revisiting some old favorites about Boston, where I have lived for the past 45 years, and collecting on my iPad a few that are new to me. These ten books, fiction and nonfiction, explore busing, homelessness, politics, history, corruption, race, jazz, and ducks. Click on the links to learn more about each of them; all are available in a variety of formats, and at your local public library.
Common Ground (J. Anthony Lukas 1995)
Rough Sleepers (Tracy Kidder 2023)
Make Way for Ducklings (Robert McCloskey 1941)
Another Bullshit Night in Suck City (Nick Flynn 2005)
Boston: Voices and Visions (Shaun O’Connell, editor 2010)
Boston Boy: Growing Up with Jazz and Other Rebellious Passions (Nat Hentoff 1986)
The Boston Girl (Anita Diamant 2015)
Wild Women of Boston: Mettle and Moxie in the Hub (Diana Vargo 2015)
The Last Hurrah (Edwin O’Connor 1956)
Caucasia (Danzy Senna 1999)
For pure fun, lose yourself in Robert B. Parker's Spenser books, or the Carlotta Carlyle mysteries by Linda Barnes (thanks to my friend Phyllis, for reminding me how much I enjoy both of these series).
What are your favorite Boston books? Leave them in the comments below, so we can share.
When a children's book wins every award -- Caldecott, Newbery, New York Times Best Children's Book of the Year, APALA and dozens more -- you know it's one to add to your grownup library. Here's a note from the publisher about Watercress, by Andrea Wang: "While driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl's Chinese immigrant parents spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road. They stop the car, grabbing rusty scissors and an old paper bag, and the whole family wades into the mud to gather as much as they can. At first, she's embarrassed. Why can't her family just get food from the grocery store, like everyone else? But when her mother shares a bittersweet story of her family history in China, the girl learns to appreciate the fresh food they foraged — and the memories left behind in pursuit of a new life." Author Andrea Wang calls this autobiographical story “both an apology and a love letter to my parents.” It’s a bittersweet, delicate look at how sharing the difficult parts of our histories can create powerful new moments of family history, and help connect us to our roots. Jason Chin’s beautiful illustrations move between China and the American Midwest, and were created with a mixture of traditional Chinese brushes and western media. I'm planning to pass this book on to our two-year-old grandson, to read with his parents, but I want to live with it for a while longer.
