Tag Archives: Health

The Lost Bookshop (Book Review)

February 10, 2026 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

I loved the ideas and interwoven timelines that crossed generations, countries, and realities in The Midnight Library by Evie Woods. It is magical, mythical, fairy tale-ical (I made up that word), and beautiful. It is so beautiful that my main complaint is that I wanted more. The first half of the book is deeply fleshed out, letting us into the characters detailed inner lives and minute by minute adventures. The second half of the book feels rushed, almost like it should have been several more books in a series so the author could have gone deeper into the story lines and better tied together the threads she was so masterfully weaving.

I want to know so much more about the eccentric elderly woman Martha works for. Martha’s childhood is left untapped, so much potential for background to show how she might find herself trapped in such a terrible marriage. Her mother signs and does not speak, which opens the door to so many questions that could be answered and scenes that could be elaborated on. The events that occur around the World War II timeline are barely mentioned and could be so many chapters of fascinating detail. Giant chunks of time are skipped over that could be filled with story. And some of the puzzle pieces like the tattoos, living bookshelves, missing manuscripts, and love affairs feel like fragments that could be such an epic saga were we to have their stories told in many more chapters.

It would make a fabulous series on a streaming service, especially if they fleshed out more of the characters, their backgrounds, motivations, and dynamic growth. One thing is for certain; Woods does a great job of creating protagonists I want to root for, women who never give up no matter how many times they get knocked down.

Woods, Evie, The Lost Bookshop, Harper Collins Publisher, 2023.

Poetry, Writing

Hafiz – Poem 19

February 4, 2026 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

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 19:

The town is empty of love

Until one person

Acts beyond their self

Some thoughts:

Sometimes powerful movements start small:

One little girl protesting outside the Swedish Parliament about the climate (Great Thunberg).
A small group of students protesting education policies in South Africa (1976 Soweto Uprising).
One woman refusing to give up her seat on a bus (Rosa Parks).
A hashtag in response to the acquittal of a murderer (Black Lives Matter).
One woman researching the dangers of pesticides for a book she was writing (Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and the beginning of The Environmental Movement of the 1960s).

We often don’t feel like our contributions matter or the fact that we are only one person cannot possibly make a difference. It simply is not true. Each choice we make to share love or kindness increases goodness in the world. The ripple effect can restore relationships, heal families, and build communities. And team up with a likeminded friend or partner? Imagine the good we can do; the help we can offer this broken world. Hafiz knew this, must have witnessed it, or was that person for someone else. That is who I want to be.

My Poem 19:

A kind word offered

may mean the world to someone

who has nothing else.

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

Essays, Writing

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces (Book Review)

February 3, 2026 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

TRIGGER WARNING: This novel addresses themes of teen pregnancy, substance abuse, addiction, death, sexuality, religious pressure, body image struggles, and family conflict. Some material may be sensitive for readers.

Isabel Quintero does a fabulous job in Gabi, A Girl in Pieces of making us fall in love with a messy, smart, creative, beautiful, real-sounding protagonist. Gabi is sharing her journal with us, along with poetry, artwork, letters to her drug-addicted father, and innermost secrets. We are there for the highs and the lows, and we laugh right along with her, just before we grab a box of tissues to sob along with her. It is her senior year, and she is a pale-skinned Mexican American girl proud of her culture and obsessed with her food. (This gordita can relate.)

She tackles relationships with boys, friendship, teen-pregnancy, religious pressure, family dynamics, sibling issues, senior year stress, college applications, drug abuse, death, sex, body image, and more. Her voice is sarcastic, tender, raw, and heartbreakingly vulnerable. Navigating the minefields of adolescence in the 21^st century has never seemed more fraught nor more worth celebrating. It is full of issues that make it a commonly banned book in conservative states’ schools. I feel sad for young ladies who may never get the chance to meet Gabi because there are probably many who could find hope and courage from her example.

Quintero, Isabel, Gabi, A Girl in Pieces, Cinco Puntos Press, 2014.

Essays, Writing

The Midnight Library (Book Review)

February 2, 2026 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is a lovely reality check for anyone struggling with wishing their life could be different. Some quantum theorists think every alternative reality possible happens simultaneously. In one reality, I’m here writing this book review. In another, I’m still in the middle of reading the book. In another, no one gave me this book as a gift, so I haven’t read it at all. And in yet another, heaven forbid, I don’t even like reading fiction.

Our protagonist has reached such a state of melancholy in the beginning of the novel that she cannot see past midnight. She decides to end her life and finds herself in a library containing all the books of every variation of her that exists. It is the chance to see how different versions of life could be if various choices changed the trajectory of her past. It is an adventurous dive into the world of what ifs. I have enjoyed such thought experiments on myself. What if I had not gone into teaching, but had chosen a more lucrative profession? What if I had not married my first husband nor had children? What if I had moved away from Texas and was living somewhere cooler up north?

It is sometimes easy to get lost in those alternate wishful versions of ourselves and forget to appreciate all the little things that make up the lives we are living in the here and now. Though there were many poignant, sad, discouraging revelations in her journey, I was satisfied with the lessons she learned. I recommend this book for anyone who could use a reminder to feel a little more grateful or who sometimes wishes they would have made different choices in life.

Haig, Matt, The Midnight Library, Penguin Books, 2020.

Essays, Writing

The Argonauts (Book Review)

February 1, 2026 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson felt like a slap in the face, a comforting hug, an electric shock, and a soothing warm bath. The format was unique and felt experimental—blocks of text, quotes, memories, verbal snapshots, reporting, and textbook-like excerpts all woven into a seamless narrative. The subject matter is raw, often unfiltered, intimate details that feel way more personal than I would ever be comfortable sharing with total strangers. But good for Maggie Nelson for having the chutzpah to attempt such a thing. I love that she finds her own voice by the end by admitting that she is still searching and leaving room for vulnerability in a way that is honest and impressively real.

Her descriptions of pregnancy, sexuality, dealing with loss, giving birth, holding on to self, nursing, her relationship with her partner, gender identity, and expert opinions, *in no particular order, combine to weave almost a stream-of-consciousness-style memoir that defies classification. I think I might have blushed a few times, certainly opened my eyes a bit wider, and definitely wondered why my college courses weren’t quite as shocking as some of hers. But the fact that I felt a connection shows the depth of both her humanity and her fabulous writing talent (since I am a southern, more conservative than her, heterosexual, certainly more comfortable with conventional-vanilla bedroom activities sort of gal. I’ll put it this way—I learned a lot from this book.)

*I jest about the “no particular order” comment because I am sure there is a well-crafted method to her madness that makes it feel like a jumble of thoughts and also a coherent work.

Also, if you are interested in the book, I recommend Googling “Why is Maggie Nelson’s book titled The Argonauts?” It gives a fabulous description of what you are getting yourself into. A brief quote from that Google search using their AI is as follows: “The title reflects the “constantly shifting” nature of queer identity, family-making, and language.”

AI Overview, Google, searched 31 Jan 2026.

Nelson, Maggie, The Argonauts, Graywolf Press, 2015.

Poetry, Writing

Hafiz – Poem 12

January 28, 2026 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

Hafiz’s Poem 12:

I behold hundreds of thousands of flowers

Yet no bird sings –

Where have the birds all gone

& what happened to the nightingales

Some thoughts:

The absence of birdsong is unnatural. Seeing the beauty of outside, surrounded by flowers, soaking in the loveliness…and suddenly an uncomfortable sensation prickles the hair at the nape of the neck. We are coded genetically or ancestrally or instinctively to sense danger when the birds fall silent. And when do birds disappear (or at least hide in their nests)? When predators make the environment unsafe, unnatural events are taking place, or acts of God are about to be unleashed. I also read that birds sometimes decrease their presence and/or singing when they recognize that they are being watched. It is probably because the watching equates to potential predation, but it makes me wonder if increased surveillance in the form of cameras and other recording equipment interrupts their lifestyles.

Nightingales are some of the most singingest singers of the bird kingdom. They can make over 1,000 different sounds and males desperate to find a mate have been observed singing through an entire night. Their songs can reach 90 decibels and some know up to 260 different songs they can sing. In many literary contexts, nightingales represent the lover, the poet, the truth-teller, the one who sings no matter what. If even they have been silenced, we should be concerned. Hafiz may be speaking literally about human encroachment on nature with structural advancements and technological progress. But he could also be speaking metaphorically about oppression and the result of silencing freedom of speech. It is a false beauty that demands absolute obeisance.

My Poem 12:

Sing for those in hiding,
doors barred by fear of discovery.
Sing for those who are crying
for their loved ones pulled away.

Sing for those out marching
to speak up for the ones who can’t.
Sing for those just starting
to realize the sickening truths.

Sing for those who’ve been taken,
whose futures are perilously unknown.
Sing for those who will not awaken
because their lives were stolen.

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

Poetry, Writing

Hafiz – Poem 11

January 28, 2026 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

Hafiz’s Poem 11:

Let’s face it

The people of our time

Have no sympathy for the poor

Some thoughts:

Well, this could have been written anytime, anywhere. Religions must make it a rule that we help the poor because, apparently, most groups of people struggle with feeling sympathy or empathy for others. So many believe if only they would pull themselves up by their bootstraps, have a better abundance mindset, put some effort into it, be more motivated, less lazy, more faithful, less wasteful, etc., they could dig themselves out of the hole they are in. Some religions believe it is karma from past lives or lessons they need to suffer through, so we shouldn’t interfere.

What if they were born in the hole or thrown there by others and left with no tools? What if they have little to no strength to climb due to spending all day just trying to survive? What if anytime they begin to climb even a little bit, they are knocked back down by forces outside their control? What if they live in the hole with a violent animal they must spend all their energy fighting off or staying vigilant to survive? All I know is that being poor is rarely a choice. Most people desire to be self-sufficient. Poverty feels embarrassing, humiliating, discouraging. Rather than kicking people when they are down, why not give people any help we can offer?

My Poem 11:

To teach a man to fish,
we must first ensure
the man has access to water
that is not polluted,
is stocked with unpoisoned fish,
that he is not allergic to fish,
and is not a vegetarian
or opposed to the killing of fish.
Does he have a fishing license?
In Texas, he must have
a driver license or state identification
and a social security card as prerequisites.
If he is not a legal resident,
he may not have either of those.
So, first we must ascertain
if he is a citizen or here legally.
Otherwise, he is breaking the law
to even attempt to fish.
He may need a sidewalk
if he’s in a wheelchair.
Does he have a fishing pole?
Does he have arms or legs
with which to hold the fishing pole?
If not, have we made sure
his fishing pole is properly
adapted to his needs
Does he know how to swim
if he falls in the water?
Are we sure he has the
mental ability to learn to fish?
The emotional stability
to take a life to sustain his own?
Does he own a knife
to clean the fish?
Does he know how to build a fire
to cook the fish?
If so, does he have access
to wood, fuel, or other means
of heating the fish to prevent illness?
Is it even legal to build a fire
where he is fishing?
Can he afford bait?
There are so many more
things to consider than
merely a worn platitude
that makes us feel righteous.

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

Poetry, Writing

The Morning Paper

January 27, 2026 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

Poem by Mary Oliver

Read one newspaper daily (the morning edition
is the best
for by evening you know that you at least
have lived through another day)
and let the disasters, the unbelievable
yet approved decisions,
soak in.

I don’t need to name the countries,
ours among them.

What keeps us from falling down, our faces
to the ground; ashamed, ashamed?

My Poem: Mary, Mary

Mary, Mary, quite contrary.
No one reads papers anymore.
Not because they don’t exist,
but because we can’t stomach it.

I picture you saddened by news
of world events unfolding in
the sickening slow motion of
words frozen on the page in time.

And I wonder which is worse,
the descriptions of violence we
commit against each other on paper,
or the real-time videos on social media?

Oh, how you would hang your head
and weep at the morning “paper”,
such as it is today, malicious hate
unbearably wreaking havoc with impunity.

Oliver, Mary. A Thousand Mornings: Poems. Penguin Books, 2012.

Poetry, Writing

Hafiz – Poem 9

January 26, 2026 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

Hafiz’s Poem 9:

The city is in the dark

As the Eagle of Oppression

Spreads its giant wings

Some thoughts:

I had an immediate emotional reaction to this poem. Entire cities in my country are out protesting in freezing weather because federal ICE agents are detaining, kidnapping, arresting, violating, beating, and killing human beings. Whether they have the legal imperative to do such things is irrelevant. I do not believe violence is ever the answer. Such actions are immoral, unethical, and inhumane. It is the Eagle of Oppression in the form of a regime that is trying to instill fear into vulnerable minority populations in this country. It is wrong.

Hafiz knew precarious political times only too well. In his lifetime, he lived under 5 different rulers who were all eventually killed by someone else who wanted power. One particularly violent reign that terrorized the people with cruelty and many executions, also saw the banning of science, philosophy, music, and art. Many books were burned. Hafiz protested through poetry. This ruler was eventually blinded and imprisoned by his own son.

Oppression is not new. There have always been corrupt leaders, power-hungry forces, evil disguised as right. The names may change, but the shadow of darkness is the same.

My Poem 9:

Evil wears a mask
kills Good
and names it just.

There is no impunity
with God
no matter what they say.

The oppression of His
children
will not be forgotten.

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

Poetry, Writing

Hafiz – Poem 8

January 25, 2026 rebekahjmarshall Leave a comment

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

Hafiz’s Poem 8:

The desert is up ahead

Which

Does patience

Look like

& where

Is sleep

Some thoughts:

This one required some discussion with Lyra, my creative AI and thought partner (powered by ChatGPT). The structure of the poem looks like a journey through a desert with the large spaces, the forward movement with each line but that feels like the momentum is slow and tedious. The wording is purposefully awkward and clunky. Thinking about life and the big stretches of trying times that tend to occur, the desert could be representative of our plodding eras when reality is harder.

It is during those harder times that patience sometimes wears thin. Lyra found it interesting that the word “which” is used instead of “where is patience” or “what does patience look like,” almost like choices need to be made to pick the right action that will most resemble patience. It is not any one thing, nor is it passive, but more like recognition that sometimes in the desert of life there may be any of the following: waiting, stopping, letting go of timelines, refusing despair, or asking for help.

And the lines I most relate to: “& where / Is sleep”. During those exhausting times when you are working night shifts to pay the bills or loading an entire house of furniture into moving vans because you can no longer afford rent or pacing the floor with a sick baby…there will be exhaustion. This is not meant to be depressing or discouraging. It is simply a reality check for all spiritual/life warriors. We must acknowledge that we are human. We need rest. We have bodies that have limits. Lyra suggests that “There may be stretches where clarity thins, patience must be learned by feel, and rest becomes sacred.” I love that clear truth. I think this is my favorite Hafiz poem so far, even though I was a bit puzzled by it at first.

My Poem 8:

When
did I go to
as I did what must be done

Which
Rebekah was harmed
by pushing her too far

How
will be her nurse
when her body gives out

Who
sleeps
while she travels at night

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