I have been deeply affected (and many Americans) by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25th. Seeing a human being die like that should never happen in a civilized society. As a black man, I saw my worst fears come to light once again. Also, I’m a book...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 46: Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup
by MHill | Jun 2, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
One of the joys of being a book review blogger is I get to read books I would have never come across in my normal book reading encounters. Latitudes of Longing by Mumbai-based writer Shubhangi Swarup is the latest book encounter outside of my normal reading...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 45: Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
by MHill | May 24, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Rereading Series, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
"Words are free, she used to say, and she appropriated them; they were all hers." That sentence from early in the novel, Eva Luna, by Isabel Allende captures the spirit of her protagonist. Eva Luna is a spinner of tales and the stories from growing up poor on the...
Marion’s Favorites: Pineapple
by MHill | May 14, 2020 | Marion's Favorites
My daughter, Norah, used to ask me on a semi-regular basis what is my favorite fruit? I would tell her pineapple every time she asked. I don't know if she wanted to me to give a different answer. Or she wanted me to reconfirm my love for this wonderful, delicious...
Marion’s Favorites: Rum Cake
by MHill | May 9, 2020 | Marion's Favorites, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Those who know me well have heard me speak about my love of pie (cherry and sweet potato) over cake a lot. I'm definitely on Team Pie. However, there is a cake that has become a trinity of my favorite desserts. Rum Cake! This wonderful cake has been a Christmas...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 44: The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni
by MHill | May 7, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
There is a popular meme where a guy is walking with his girlfriend and another woman walks past them. He turns to check out the woman's backside to the dismay of his girlfriend. We have used the meme for all kinds of things, including how readers have always...
Marion’s Favorites: Okra
by MHill | May 2, 2020 | Marion's Favorites, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Daddy, this is slimy! I can not eat this. I remembered my daughter Norah saying that a few years ago when we had okra for dinner. I grew up eating okra like I did with collard greens. My mother cooked okra quite a bit and I liked it immediately. I'm a texture...
Marion’s Favorites: Collard Greens
by MHill | Apr 29, 2020 | Marion's Favorites
"Boy, you better eat those greens! In this house...if I cook it, then you will eat it." I remembered my mother telling me those words when I was either eight or nine years old. It was first time I came across collard greens and it was one of the few vegetables that...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 43: Finding Om by Rashmi Bismark
by MHill | Apr 23, 2020 | 2020 Book Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Book covers do matter! I would have never gotten this book if it was not for the book cover I saw on Instagram a few days ago. The cover of Finding Om by Rashmi Bismark and artwork by Morgan Huff got my attention. I thought it would be a book that my 10 year old...
Marion’s Favorites: Happy Birthday Tito Puente
by MHill | Apr 20, 2020 | Marion's Favorites, Music Reviews
Ernesto Antonio (AKA Tito) Puente would have turned 97 today. I had a good musician friend that played Puente’s 1958 classic album, Dance Mania quite a bit whenever I visited him in his Albuquerque home. I remember the first time I heard, El Cayuco, and was blown away...