Julie & Julia: Books, Movie, and Inspiration
From Julie and Julia, I learned that joy comes from being so passionate about something that we master it.
What are you so passionate about that you would dedicate a year of your life to master it?
Tag Archives: books
The Admiral’s Wife: Barbara Bentley on BlogTalkRadio
On Wednesday evening, August 12, 2009, Barbara Bentley was BettyJean Kling’s guest on BlogTalkRadio to talk about her book A Dance with the Devil: A True Story of Marriage to […]
Happy Birthday, Steve Martin!
Steve Martin is a true Renaissance man. He writes books, plays, and movies. He’s a comedian and an actor. He plays the banjo, juggles, and does magic and card tricks. He’s been the host of Saturday Night Live more than anyone. He’s won three Grammys and an Emmy. He was honored at the Kennedy Center in 2005 with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
And, he’s survived childhood abuse.
Pat Conroy: “I write for the people who can’t speak.”
Pat Conroy is a champion for social justice. He’s done more to break down the walls of silence surrounding domestic violence and child abuse than anyone. He summarized his quest early on in The Lords of Discipline (1980) in a passage that chills my soul every time I read it.
Celebrating Barbara Delinsky’s Birthday
Barbara Delinsky is one of my favorite writers. Her birthday was yesterday. Sixteen of her books are on my shelves. I’ve loved every one and have read several more than once.
Her life is rich with experiences that I believe have informed her writing. I was amused to learn that she got kicked out of high school Honors English and that her first pen name was Bonnie Drake.
Update on Krazy Glue Vigilantes: Mirrors Plot of Fern Michaels’ “Free Fall” and Why They Did It
Reporters must not read Fern Michaels’ books. Her Revenge of the Sisterhood series includes Free Fall in which Yoko Akia finally holds Michael Lyons, her billionaire movie-star father, accountable for her mother […]
Bravo, Marcella Chester @ Abyss 2 Hope
Bloggers are the most creative people! A few months ago, I found this very clever “Just Being Real“ blog award. The blogger is a sexual abuse survivor who believes in […]
Bill Clinton: Why He’s a Champion for Family Violence Prevention
When we think of Bill Clinton’s presidency, passage of the Violence Against Women Act isn’t typically the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, he is a tremendous champion for family violence prevention and for people who have experienced abuse. He’s walked in our shoes.
RIP: Frank McCourt, author of Angela’s Ashes
At age 66, Frank McCourt published his first book: Angela’s Ashes. It was a New York Times best-seller for two years, won a Pulitzer Prize, and became a movie. His success inspired other people who had experienced abuse to write their own memoirs. There wouldn’t be a Life Rafts section on this web site but for Frank McCourt.
Steps and Exes by Laura Kalpakian
Laura Kalpakian wrote my all-time favorite line in Steps and Exes:
“Bullshit,” said Eve,
but not too loud.
The book is set at Useless Point on Isadora Island, a fictional artistic enclave in the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest. The heroine, Celia Henry, became a young widow before she realized her late husband was not Henry West ~ she had married Henry Westervelt, the scion of a lumber baron family. Her life is unconventional and filled with a tribe of step children and ex-spouses and lovers. She runs a bed and breakfast on property that belonged to Henry’s great aunt Sophia. (See Educating Waverly by Laura Kalpakian.)
Anne Caroline Drake 