Tag Archives: books

Essays, Writing

Secrets of a Summer Night (Book Review)

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These images created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompts using AI on Gencraft.com website.

In London, 1843, it is most egregious to be a young lady out in society if you don’t check all the boxes considered desirable for marriage. Four young ladies find themselves on the wrong side of the marriage market, sitting alone together and decide to form an alliance, calling themselves The Wallflowers. They make pacts to help each other snag husbands and form fierce friendships along the way. And what, pray tell, are their crimes? One has fallen on hard times and does not have as much money as she used to because her father passed away and left more debt than wealth. Oh, and she’s old, a whopping 25 years old. Another has a stutter. And two are from America, for shame.

They decide to start with Annabelle because her situation is the direst, this being her last season due to her aged decrepitness of 25 years and near spinsterhood. And to her chagrin, the only male sniffing around her is Simon Hunt, a brash, outspoken, not-very-gentlemanly, non-noble, annoying man who grates on her nerves. He is fascinated with Annabelle and has even suggested that he will take her on as a mistress if she gets desperate enough. Needless to say, she is not impressed by his offer. The ensuing tale is delightful, playful, and full of twists and turns. There are even several extremely climactic and traumatic events near the end that kept me flipping pages late into the night.

I will give away that Annabelle’s situation is satisfactorily resolved, but that means we have three more Wallflowers to marry off. I can’t wait for their books. And hints have already been given throughout Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas as to who the next pairing might be.

Kleypas, Lisa. Secrets of a Summer Night, Avon Books, 2004.

Essays, Writing

Again The Magic (Book Review)        

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Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on Gencraft.com website.

It has finally happened. All my life I’ve heard of the trope where a royal young lady falls in love with the stable boy, but I’ve never actually read a romance where that was present.  Again The Magic by Lisa Kleypas opens in Hampshire, England, in 1832. Lady Aline Marsden is the oldest daughter of the Earl of Westcliff. Her best friend and closest confidant is the stable boy McKenna who she has grown up with. But their relationship has budded into much more than friendship as they have blossomed into young adults. And that spells disaster for the fate of McKenna if the Earl finds out. Separation, a terrible accident, crossing of continents, new friendships, and deaths occur in rapid succession.

Jump to 1844, a changing world, a new Earl (Aline’s brother, who is more open-minded), and visiting Americans. Is love possible for either Aline or her sister Livia? A desperate alcoholic is on the brink of no return as he drinks himself to death. A woman stays in hiding due to grief and unwillingness to be hurt ever again. A man seeks revenge. And the new Earl, Marcus Marsden tries to keep everything afloat with modernizing investments in American technologies, a radical idea that other gentry are not open to. There are so many different fascinating threads of character stories in this novel that kept me hooked, eager to know their outcomes. I adore the loving, but no-nonsense, Mrs. Faircloth who is a surrogate mother to both Aline and McKenna. In my opinion, this is the best book yet in the series. The development of Ms. Kleypas’s writing is richer, the descriptions more alive, and the character development better flushed out. I can’t wait for the next book.

Kleypas, Lisa. Again The Magic, Avon Books, 2004.

These 2 images created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompts using AI on Gencraft.com website.

Essays, Writing

Three Weddings And A Kiss (Book Review)

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Fancy Free by Catherine Anderson

Set in a rural town in Oregon in the 1890s, Fancy Free by Catherine Anderson is a charming tale of hijinks gone wrong, misunderstandings galore, and a literal shotgun wedding that throws a nearly blind young lady into a household of eight males. In her attempts to keep her blindness hidden for fear of rejection, Rachel scorches the clothes, puts salt in the pies, and trips over everything, leading to many wacky scenarios. And just as true love seems to be blossoming, another woman arrives on the scene to throw a kink in the works. I quite enjoyed this novella and could totally see it as a successful film. I would watch it in a heartbeat.

The Mad Earl’s Bride by Loretta Chase

The novella The Mad Earl’s Bride by Loretta Chase was my favorite of the four stories in this collection. It is set in the late 1820s in Dartmoor, Devon, England, with the dangerous bogs of the open moors playing a part in the storyline. The story centers around a mother and son who seem to experience similar symptoms of a brain disorder that has no cure. The young heroine of the story is a medical student who will not give up on researching the problem and refuses to kowtow to the opinions of most of the medical experts of the day. Her open-minded, science-obsessed, driven nature makes her a perfect match for the man who has lost all hope of survival, let alone comfort or peace. The romance is fabulous, and the peak inside the medical world of the early 1820s is fascinating.

Promises by Lisa Kleypas

I dedicated an entire review to this novella set in London because it went with the cannon of stories I was reading in The Gamblers of Craven’s Series. See “Promises (Novella Review)” for full details.

The Kiss by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

This is the shortest of the four novellas in the book and by far the most unsettling. This one takes place near Charleston, South Carolina, around the turn of the 19th century, and addresses themes of human trafficking. A 19-year-old woman from London is being sold by her good-for-nothing uncle to some sleazy older man and escapes long enough to run into a tall, handsome, rich stranger, who just happens to be a very eligible bachelor. You can imagine where the story goes from here. Black servants in the home are mentioned, and the author makes a terrible attempt at dialect. There might be a reason this book is out of print. I will say that there is some good chemistry between the characters. I would not have chosen to end with this novella, but no one asked for my input. 

Anderson, Catherine; Chase, Loretta; Kleypas, Lisa; Woodiwiss, Kathleen E., Three Weddings And A Kiss, Avon Books, 1995.

Essays, Writing

Then Came You (Book Review)         

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Red dress images created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompts using AI on Gencraft.com website.

I love romances that contain the enemies to lovers trope, with a splash of danger, dramatic irony, and breaking of social conventions. Then Came You by Lisa Kleypas delivers on each of these qualities and more. There is gambling, kidnapping, bear rescues, fox hunts, and a scheming heroine who defies as many social conventions as she can as she fights to save her family.

There are more steamy scenes than I was expecting for a piece of historical fiction set in 1820s London, that’s for sure. But I was fascinated by the fickle gossip that could make or break reputations, ruin lives, and restore order in the uber-rich circles of the aristocratic elite, as seen in Regency-era novels and shows like Bridgerton. This is the first of 23 books and stories in this world and/or family lineage that I plan to read by this author. I was excited to discover Ms. Kleypas through a BookToker/ fellow reader/ TikTok account I follow.  

Some parts of the story felt a bit reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, but there were even more layers, with our “shrew” Lily having her own complicated past to manage. Plus, she is a much more likeable character from start to finish than that of Kat in Taming of the Shrew. I could totally see this as a fabulous movie with Holly Earl playing Lily and someone like Charlie Hunnam or Theo James as the love interest. And I can’t wait to read the next book because I bet it is going to focus on the owner of the casino, who we only get brief glimpses of in this novel, but is obviously a multi-faceted character with an ocean’s deep story ready for the telling.

Kleypas, Lisa. Then Came You, Avon Books, 1993.

Essays, Writing

The Book of Delights (Book Review)

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The Book of Delights, essays by Ross Gay, is a “delightful” read. He is a bit of a rambler, as far as his writing style and sounds like he does quite a bit of happy ambling in other areas of his life, as well. He shares musings, observations, and anecdotes about the little things that bring him joy, like unexpected laughter, birthdays, gardening, and good music. Even his essay titles are a delight. “My Birthday, Kinda,” “Joy Is Such a Human Madness,” “Tomato on Board,” and “The Do-Over,” to name a few. I, myself, am a huge fan of the do-over in life. I share in that delight, unless I am the one winning the game and think the other person does not deserve a do-over.

I love his comparison between all that we are and all that we love and all that makes up our experience to a healthy forest where “the roots” reach down into “the earth below” and in that place “there exists a constant communication between those roots and mycelium, where often the ill or weak or stressed are supported by the strong and surplused.” In another essay he discusses his love of finding delightful things and then the immediate desire he has to share that delight with anyone nearby. This impulse to share seems to be universal, “the urge to elbow your neighbor, who maybe was not even your neighbor until the bird flew between you.” He suggests that this urge might be because “our delight grows as we share it.

An example of his beautifully descriptive writing is this about bees. “There is a kind of flowering bush, new to me, that I’ve been studying on my walks in Marfa. On that bush, whose blooms exude a curtain of syrupy fragrance, a beckoning of it, there are always a few thumb-size all-black bumblebees. Their wings appear, when the light hits them right, metallic blue-green. I have never seen anything so beautiful.” His delight and description of these beautiful black bees inspired me to make some AI art about black bees with iridescent other-worldly wings, an example of contagious delight spreading beyond the observation to the page to the reader to AI to many platforms where I post my art.

Whether it is recording sweet hellos, feeling the wind from a hummingbird wing, a cup of good coffee, or a nap in the rain, Mr. Gay delights in sharing his special moments with us, and for that, I am grateful. I should warn that nothing is off limits in Mr. Gay’s writing. Inappropriate dreams, aging private body parts, bowel movements, peeing his pants, etc., are all fodder for pondering and finding delight, even if the joy is simply in the crisis being over. I am inspired to begin jotting down moments in my day that bring me joy. I have begun journals of this very same type of writing many times. I think it is time again, thanks to being reminded how delightful our little lives are at times.

Gay, Ross. The Book of Delights, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2022.

Essays, Writing

Poems & Prayers (Book Review)       

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I had the lovely experience of going to Bass Concert Hall and listening to Matthew McConaughey share poetry, while his good friend John Batiste played piano. They had conversations on stage, shared musings, ideas on faith, doubt, life, and death, and entertained us like we were in their living room with a personal intimacy that is hard to create in crowds that size. Both of those men are very talented and charismatic, so it was a night to remember. With the purchase of the ticket, we were handed a copy of Mr. McConaughey’s book Poems & Prayers. I have been reading it in little bite-size chunks since that evening many months ago.

I am always pleased to support local artists and writers and have always felt that Mr. McConaughey’s southern charm feels comfortable and known. I like that nothing is off limits in his poetry. He is vulnerable, disarming, and honest. He likes to rhyme, isn’t afraid to cuss, talk about sex, drugs, and rock & roll, and tell on himself. There are pithy proverbs, notes on what was happening in his life when he wrote some of the poems, and little life lessons he learned along the way. His middle ground views are just radical enough that leftists could find concepts to love. And they are just conservative enough that people on the right can say, “He’s one of us.” But he refuses to commit to a lane and instead calls on everyone to love, have integrity, and believe in something.

His faith is not too preachy. Here’s an example of his faith poetry:

I believe that
faith is the answer
in the end.

But for now all I
know is that it
helps on the way
there.

Until then. Amen.

I would argue that Mr. McConaughey is a better actor than poet or preacher, but if clever rhymes, simple meter, and faith-filled/recovery poetry sound appealing, this book is worth a read. Poems & Prayers has found a place in my poetry collection on my shelf of local writers.

McConaughey, Matthew Poems & Prayers, Crown Publishing, 2025.

Essays, Writing

Hafiz – Poem 41

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All images created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompts using AI on Gencraft.com website.

I am reading Hafiz’s Little Book of Life, poetry by Hafiz-e Shirazi. He is challenging me to become more comfortable with ambiguity. I will share his poem and some of my thoughts on his poem (sometimes with the help of experts when the concepts are too hard for me), followed by a poem and some art inspired by his poem.

Hafiz’s Poem 41:

The sanctuary of the heart is no place
For the company of antagonists

Where a demon departs
An angel arrives

Some thoughts:

This one is lovely. The imagery is that of simply letting go of negativity to make space for the beauty and love that will naturally flow into the vacuum created. We don’t have to do anything special to fill ourselves with goodness. We simply must make room. Remove bitterness and compassion can enter. Release antagonistic thoughts and peace has a place. Let go of prideful arrogance and humility will naturally make a home inside us. Release fear and love can breathe easily. There is no demon to fight, no dragon to slay, no war to be waged. They are simply not invited in, like vampires whose welcome has been rescinded. We would not walk into a sacred temple and spit on the floor. Our hearts deserve as much respect.

What are we allowing to dwell in our inner sanctuaries? Is it time for some hangers-on to be evicted? Our heart is not supposed to house every wound, fear, resentment, and lie we have ever been told. When harm finally leaves, healing can walk in quietly and take up occupancy. Instead of having to vanquish foes, we must merely open a window and allow pain to exit so holiness can enter. Time to do some inner house cleaning.

My Poem 41:

Sweep out the house.
Dirt belongs outside,
not in our hearts.
Throw back the curtains
and open the windows.

The stale air must exit,
so a fresh breeze,
sweet with spring scents,
can fill our space.
Then healing can begin.

Hafiz. Hafiz’s Little Book of Life. Translated by Erfan Mojib and Gary Gach, Hampton Roads Publishing, 2023.

Essays, Writing

Hafiz – Poem 40

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All images created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompts using AI on Gencraft.com website.

I am reading Hafiz’s Little Book of Life, poetry by Hafiz-e Shirazi. He is challenging me to become more comfortable with ambiguity. I will share his poem and some of my thoughts on his poem (sometimes with the help of experts when the concepts are too hard for me), followed by a poem and some art inspired by his poem.

Hafiz’s Poem 39:

Peace in both realms
Depends on your interpretation
Of these two utterances

“Be merciful with friends”

“Be tolerant of foes”

Some thoughts:

I’m not sure what two realms Hafiz is conceptualizing in this poem. There are so many options including: private life v. public life; religious life v. secular life; inner existence v. outer existence; human/earthly realm v. spiritual/divine realm; etc. I am going to keep it simple and consider the two realms “those who think like us” v. “those who do not think like us” as a simple way of saying “friend” or “foe.” That could apply to a number of different realms and is certainly relevant in current society where so much seems to balance on scales of dichotomy. Liberal v. Conservative; Rich v. Poor; Science v. Religion; Nature v. Progress; etc. We tend to be painted into black and white corners in nearly every conversation we enter.

I think Hafiz is suggesting that true peace depends on the way we perceive the gray areas that are not so easy to navigate. Can we be friends with someone who fails us? Those we love often hurt us the most because we care about their opinions and count on them. Can we be soft and loving to maintain relationships with those closest to us, even during the tough times? They are only human. And with our foes, can we allow for complexity and seek to understand without dehumanizing, othering, and judging too harshly? They are only human.

We will never have peace if we demand our way is the only way and there can be no other. Yes, we should have ideals, but then we must be merciful, tolerant, and gentle in our application of those principles as regards others. Can we hold compassion for those close to us and restraint toward those who oppose us? Will our differences and our interactions expand our hearts or harden them? The way we interpret these concepts holds the key to lasting peace.

My Poem 40:

Loving another means
accepting that they are human,
with all that entails,
including:
lateness, forgetfulness, distraction,
fear, ailments, impatience, frustration,
weakness, faults, arguments, disappointment,
and the list could go on…

The other we love may be friend or foe.
Both are in the same category of human,
with all that entails,
including:
beating heart, breathing lungs, thoughts,
opinions, feet to walk away, mouths that open,
hands that ball up into fists and clasp in prayer,
and the list could go on…

Hafiz. Hafiz’s Little Book of Life. Translated by Erfan Mojib and Gary Gach, Hampton Roads Publishing, 2023.

Essays, Writing

A Happy Pocket Full of Money (Book Review)

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Oh my goodness, this book was hard for me to slog through. I’m not exactly sure what was so challenging for me, but I was unable to keep focused for more than a few pages at a time. A Happy Pocket Full of Money by David Cameron Gikandi was chosen as a book club pick for a women’s trading group I’m a part of for Day Trading. I try to play along but this one did not do it for me.

Perhaps I have read too many “Think Yourself Rich” books and have grown weary of the sound bites and platitudes. There must be something to said concepts for so many wealthy people to espouse them. I’m not saying they are false, but perhaps the constant koan-like paradoxes have exhausted me. I don’t know. My brain could not jump from one metaphor to another quote to a different story across a leap of faith required to accept the link between quantum physics and wealth generation. It is probably a failing or weakness on my part, but the threads were too loosely connected for me to follow.

My favorite chapter was the last one, and no, not because it was bringing the ordeal to a close. It was truly the chapter that made the clearest argument that my brain could comprehend. It focuses on money as symbol, only worth the value ascribed by those using it in trade. There is advice about taxes, offshore accounts, investing, energy transfer, ethics, etc., but no practical advice about how to make ends meet when living paycheck to paycheck. It remains a theoretical argument only the rich can claim as proof of success, while pointing to the poor as proof of failure. At some point, those doing all they can to better themselves grow weary of being told if only they believe harder, invest smarter, and intuit better, they too can become rich.

Gikandi, David Cameron. A Happy Pocket Full of Money, Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc., 2008.

The following was repeated no less than 500 times in the book:
“I am wealth. I am abundance. I am joy.”
I decided to use those words with AI to see what kind of images would emerge. These are the result:

These images created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompts using AI on Gencraft.com website.

Essays, Writing

How to Stop Time (Book Review)     

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I can think of few premises more horrible than that of Matt Haig’s novel How to Stop Time. It is a world where some among us age painstakingly slower than average. The protagonist appears to be in his early 40s but has been alive on this earth for over 400 years. From French aristocracy to quaint village life in old England, from the dangerous streets of Shakespeare’s London to the London of the 21st Century, we are swept along with his story almost against our will. If life is a serious of tragedies with bright spots in between, imagine the tragedies of more than 5 lifetimes. The body still has aches and pains, the mind battles ups and downs, depression, anxiety, but with the added fears of being discovered, labeled a witch, a modern miracle, or a danger.

There are networks built to “protect” these long-living humans, but there are also organizations bent on finding and studying them like lab rats to enhance the lifespan of the rest of humanity. Staying hidden from both is nearly impossible, especially as modern technology advances to the point of photography, video, then internet and cell phones, and eventually social media. And how is one to love, to open the heart to vulnerability, knowing you will outlive any partner, child, grandchild, or friend? Oh, living with the pain of loss would be most unbearable for someone like me. I don’t even enjoy pondering this fictional concept any longer than I must.

But Mr. Haig has masterfully pondered these question and more in his tribute to family, humanity, love, and ode to living in the present. If nothing else, this book has made me thankful that my time here is brief in comparison. It is a good reminder to appreciate what we have and take no one we care about for granted. Change and death are inevitable constants that we must learn to accept; the alternative being the illusion of stagnation until the day we die. 

Haig, Matt. How to Stop Time, Penguin Books, 2017.