I finished Women in Translation Month 2020 with reading The Wind That Lays Waste by Argentinian author Selva Almada. The Wind That Lays Waste tells the story of Reverend Pearson and his daughter Leni traveling through the Argentinian countryside. Their car breaks...
Marion’s 31 Favorite Books of All Time
by MHill | Aug 30, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
2020 has been a challenging year. Dealing with a worldwide pandemic, political unrest here in America, and high profile celebrity deaths like Kobe Bryant and Chadwick Boseman have made it a year that no one saw coming. However, I have reached August 31st and another...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 54: Beton Rouge by Simone Buchholz
by MHill | Aug 22, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Beton Rouge by Simone Buchholz is my second read for Women In Translation Month 2020. I read the first Chastity Riley novel translated into English, Blue Night, last year and connected with the protagonist. Chastity Riley is a prosecutor in Hamburg and along with her...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 53: The Housekeeper and The Professor by Yoko Ogawa
by MHill | Aug 9, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews
The Housekeeper and The Professor by Yoko Ogawa is my first read for Women in Translation Month 2020. It is the story of a single parent housekeeper and her relationship with a former mathematics professor that can not take care of himself after a serious accident a...
Marion’s Favorites: Spades
by MHill | Aug 7, 2020 | Marion's Favorites, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I grew up playing card games. I have played Blackjack 21, Tonk, War, Bid Whist, Uno and Spades, my favorite card game all of my life. Spades is played with a partner and the object of the game is to win as many bids as possible. I have one rule when playing with a...
Women In Translation Month
by MHill | Jul 31, 2020 | Wisdom From Kammbia Column
August is my favorite month of the year. It's a birthday month for me and my kids. I have always looked forward to August and usually the hottest month of the year especially here in South Texas. However, I want to celebrate my favorite month a little different in...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 52: White Pages by Ran Walker
by MHill | Jul 24, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
In a reading life, you will come across a novel that speaks directly to what you are going through. It is interesting that the power of a story can connect with a book that you read at the proper time. This is the case with White Pages by Ran Walker. Kamal Jackson is...
Wisdom From Kammbia Review 51: Pacific Edge by Kim Stanley Robinson
by MHill | Jul 21, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Kim Stanley Robinson is one of the science fiction writers I have read throughout my reading life. He joins Octavia Butler, Greg Bear, and Robert Silverberg as the science fiction writers I have found interesting and thought provoking to read. Pacific Edge is the...
Best Book Ever Podcast: Episode 8
by MHill | Jul 20, 2020 | Best Book Ever Podcast, Charles De Lint, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I was invited on the Best Book Ever Podcast hosted by Julie Strauss today. We had a discussion about one of my favorite novels, Memory & Dream by Charles de Lint. Also, Julie asked about my reading philosophy and where my love of reading came from. It was an...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 50: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
by MHill | Jul 19, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews, Black History Month, Marion's All-Time Favorite Novels, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorite Duologies, Octavia Butler, Rereading Series, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I want to update a review from 2012 for one of my all-time favorite novels, Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. Parable of the Sower is the story of Lauren Olamina, a teenager growing up in a grim LA suburb where their gated community provided a semblance of a...