Books

April is National Poetry Month, and this year I’d like to honor one of my favorite poets, Pablo Neruda. About 20 years ago, a friend gifted me a copy of Neruda: Selected Poems. My friend was bilingual in English and Spanish and like many of Neruda’s…

In this short series of articles for Sixty and Me, we looked at the issue of children moving away from books and also explored 20 ways to get them started – or to help them continue – their reading journey. Whether you have grandchildren…

In my previous article, I wrote about the lack of reading habits – and lack of love toward reading – in the younger generations. Our grandchildren don’t seem to have a healthy exposure and/or regard toward books which, in turn, inhibits the development of their critical thinking capabilities. Naturally, the whole society will suffer in future years.

One day, while visiting one of our grandchildren, an 8-year-old, I stepped out the back door to locate her. She was perched snuggly up in an oak tree, reading; as if that’s where everyone might choose to spend their afternoon…

The bad news? I’m still recovering from a nasty case of the flu. The silver lining? My malady gave me the perfect excuse to lay around and read! During my convalescence, I ripped through – and enjoyed – the following books…

We are heading into the height of travel season, but sometimes a vacation is not in the cards. A great way to take a minivacation from the comfort of your home is to read books that have a strong sense of place. Each of the authors I share…

Back in 2010 or so, having finally finished my first book (nonfiction about my family history in Australia) and knowing traditional publishers would be unlikely to take it on, I decided to self-publish it…

As I looked over the Oscar nominations last week, I grimaced at a couple of the movies vying for Best Picture. But, I reminded myself, we all enjoy different sorts of films. And it’s the same with books. The novel one woman raves about may not be her walking…

This reading binge takes me down the rabbit hole of 17th century history, European and American. I’m amazed reading European history that the colonies are mentioned as an afterthought. They were successful commercial…

In my reading life, I did something different this year. I kept track of all the books I read, along with comments about what I liked or disliked. Friends often ask me to recommend a book, and this method helps me remember what I read two…