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Lord, This Wore Me Down

(I INTRODUCED this set of book reviews here. This is the 4th in the series) Pedro ParamoJuan Rulfo (set in Mexico, pub 1955)Plot Summary: man returns to (literal) ghost town searching for his father This is the second time in as many reviews that I find myself reviewing a book not for its writing or character development or dialogue or atmosphere...

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How Do You Choose What to Read?

(I INTRODUCED this set of book reviews here. This is the 3rd in the series) The Transmigration of BodiesYuri Herrera (set somewhere in Mexico, pub 2016)Plot Summary: During a killing plague, a fixer is called to solve a dispute between two crime families Goodreads reviews are to advise other readers whether they want to read the book or not,...

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When You are Set Apart by Your Gifts

(I introduced this set of book reviews here. This is the 2nd in the series) The Loneliness of AngelsMyriam J.A. Chancy (set primarily in Haiti, pub 2010Plot summary: a family tries to understand—and live with—its gift of discernment I recently have read a lot of books in a very short span of time, all by authors with whom I was previously...

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What if We Quit Dying?

As I mentioned earlier, when I was in school, I loved the week between Christmas and New Year’s because all I did during that time was read, book after book. I wanted to replicate that reading marathon this year, and, in particular, read the Spanish-language based books my Mother gave me for Christmas last year (yeah, I know I’m late,...

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We are Wonders of the Universe

They were strangers to me. One I had met the Sunday before and spoken with for about five minutes. The workshop host I had admired mostly from afar and met with to set up the workshop. The group had a mother and daughter in it, but otherwise, they appeared to be as unknown to each other as they were to me. Now, we, this group of strangers, were...

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Claim the Disappearing: Chapters 6-10

(I’ve been unrolling this novel on this blog one chapter at a time. Earlier, I gathered Chapters 1-5 for your convenience. Click here to read them if you want before reading Chapters 6-10 gathered below. Whether the blog offering will continue past these first 10 chapters is up in the air!) CLAIM THE DISAPPEARING: 6 The first Bigmama...

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How Did I Do?

In 2018, I made a promise to myself: I would get all my old work out there so I could move on to new work. This led to a whirlwind of publication. In 2018, I published Tracking Happiness in print, ebook, and audiobook (I do thank you for continuing to buy the audio book—audio books give you a nice pop in revenue, and it’s nice when a book...

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Claim the Disappearing: 10

(I invite you to enjoy this free New Orleans novel, courtesy of the wonder that is the internet, unrolled a teensy bit at a time. If you are just joining us, feel free to return to THE BEGINNING and work your way through.) Talking about the past is easy. The past is done. The only choice of the tale-teller is to pick through the events jumbled...

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Sunday Question

What action would you take after reading this? Ellen Morris Prewitt is an award-winning writer who uses creativity to create community. Her first published book was on making crosses from broken and found objects as a form of active prayer (Making Crosses: A Creative Connection to God (Paraclete Press, 2009.) The book led her to facilitate two...

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Claim the Disappearing: Chapter 9

(I invite you to enjoy this free New Orleans novel, courtesy of the wonder that is the internet, unrolled a teensy bit at a time. If you are just joining us, feel free to return to THE BEGINNING and work your way through.) The saint cleared his throat, urging me to get on with it. Outside the transom window, a tourist walked by in a tall jester’s...

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