I just finished reading Bel Canto by Ann Patchett for a second time today. Bel Canto is Patchett's most well-known and beloved novel. This blog post is not another review of what I have already written. But, it is another look at her story and hopefully a different...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 109: All The Seas Of The World by Guy Gavriel Kay
by MHill | Jun 15, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Guy Gavriel Kay, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Guy Gavriel Kay has joined my short list of favorite authors, that includes Jorge Amado, Octavia Butler, Jonathan Carroll, Charles de Lint, Haruki Murakami, & Robert Silverberg. I have read quite a bit of each author's oeuvre and this my sixth Kay novel so far....
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 108: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
by MHill | Jun 11, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Have you ever read a novel where you hated the main character but found the story compelling? Have you ever read a novel where you loathed the main character's lifestyle choices but can still find compassion in those choices? Have you ever read a novel you did not...
Intimacy……..What Is It?
by MHill | Jun 8, 2022 | Quotes, What is Love?, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is “you're safe with me“ --that's intimacy. Words of...
Happy Birthday Miles Davis!
by MHill | May 27, 2022 | Marion's Favorites, Music Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Today would have been Miles Davis' 96th birthday. I've been listening to his music over the past couple of days. Considering the week that we've had as a country and on a personal level, Davis' music has become a balm. Songs like the classic So What & Freddie...
Marion’s Favorites: Reading Envy Podcast (Rest In Love Jenny Colvin)
by MHill | May 25, 2022 | Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Reading Envy/Jenny Colvin, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
When it comes, it comes. I found out earlier today about the passing of librarian and podcaster Jenny Colvin. She passed away last week at 43. Jenny was the host of the popular Reading Envy Podcast. She was a librarian at Furman University in South Carolina. Jenny had...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 107: Celia: Mi Vida by Celia Cruz & Ana Cristina Reymundo
by MHill | May 20, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Hispanic Heritage Month, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Music Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
As a music lover, there are some songs you hear and immediately make you want to dance. Even if you cannot dance, the song commands you to move your body to the beat. The Queen of Salsa (La Reina de la Salsa), Celia Cruz, has many songs that fit the prior...
Be Intentional
by MHill | May 14, 2022 | Wisdom From Kammbia Column
This has been a tough week. The spirit of death has touched me through three people in the past seven days. Two of them I had a personal connection with and the third person I only knew online through their popular YouTube channel. This week has reminded me of...
Wisdom From Kammbia Story Review 11: Come Home to Atropos by Steven Barnes
by MHill | May 5, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Short Story Review, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom of Kammbia Story Review
Steven Barnes writes a sarcastic, charming story that comes as an infomercial, designed to attract rich white folks who want to end their lives in paradise on a Caribbean island. However, the story reveals the illusion underneath. Travel to exotic lands always appears...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 106: Leviathan by Paul Auster
by MHill | May 1, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Paul Auster, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
What is friendship? Especially what is male friendship? Paul Auster gives us an answer in his novel, Leviathan. Leviathan is an Old Testament reference meaning a dragon-like monster, serpent or even a crocodile that represents evil. While, Auster’s novel is not...