"You and Hugh were not supposed to stay together. He was fated to go back to his wife and have that little boy with her. You two were supposed to have a quick, red-hot affair. You were supposed to end up writing postcards from exotic places telling him how much you...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 147: The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami
by MHill | Jul 22, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Haruki Murakami, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Can we truly become our authentic self? This is the question Haruki Murakami attempts to answer in his latest novel, The City and its Uncertain Walls. It was already released in Japan in April 2023 and will be released in the United States this November. Murakami...
Chaka Khan’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert
by MHill | Jul 11, 2024 | Black History Month, Marion's Favorites, Music Reviews, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Now and then, an artist (be it a musician, painter, or writer) can inject a much-needed burst of joy into your everyday life. Here for today (July 10th), Chaka Khan gave me that shot of much needed joy. Note, I did not write a dose of happiness. I wrote joy. There is...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 145: The Lies of The Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi
by MHill | Jun 12, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom From Kammbia Novella Review
When you have been taught lies, what do you believe in? Is it preferable to lie in order to safeguard society from the truth? Both questions get answered in The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi. I came across this novella from the Goodreads recommendations...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 144: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
by MHill | Jun 5, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Washing windows was great thinking work. That is one of the great mistakes people make: assuming that someone who does menial work does not like thinking. Physical labor is great for the mind, as it leaves all kinds of time to consider the world. Other work, like...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 143: The Locked Room (New York Trilogy #3) by Paul Auster
by MHill | May 22, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Paul Auster, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Wisdom From Kammbia Novella Review
Can you find your true self in living out your best friend's wishes? The narrator of The Locked Room, the last novel in Paul Auster’s innovative New York Trilogy, attempts to answer that question. A man named Fanshawe has gone missing, leaving his wife, child, and a...
RIP Paul Auster (1947-2024)
by MHill | May 10, 2024 | Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Paul Auster, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I just found out today one of my favorite authors passed away back on April 30th at the age of 77. It came as a shock to me that the renowned writer, Paul Auster, had departed from this world. I first read The New York Trilogy in my mid 20s when I lived in Santa Fe,...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 140: The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
by MHill | Apr 28, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Guy Gavriel Kay, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
A significant sign that you are truly invested in a book is when you prioritize reading amidst your busy work week and other commitments, consistently devouring 10 pages here, 15 pages there, and 20-30 pages whenever you can. A novel that entices and captivates your...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 139: Culture Care by Makoto Fujimara
by MHill | Apr 21, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Makoto Fujimara, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Nonfiction, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
"Culture care emphasizes that God cares for the whole of the creation (as his own artwork) and for history (as God's own story lived through our fallen reality), and that there is not one hair of our head or one moment of our journey that God does not pay close...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 138: Art + Faith by Makoto Fujimara
by MHill | Mar 29, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Christianity & Art, Makoto Fujimara, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
I have always had a fascination with the intersection of art and faith, particularly from the perspective of American Christianity. Throughout most of my life as an adult (currently in my early fifties), and even prior to that, it seems like these two things have been...