There’s a passage I’ve always loved in Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees in which the characters discuss whether they like sunrises or sunsets more. I agree with the protagonist, who says she loves sunrises because, no matter how many insurmountable tasks are on her to-do list each day, at sunrise, she still has hope that…
“Why”…Wednesdays
358. Why Count Down
This week at my school is Spirit Week, the days leading up to the end of our Fall sports season, a day on which almost all of our teams play against our rival school. One of my favorite traditions is that many of the previous year’s graduating seniors return to see one another and cheer…
NetGalley Review of Not You Again
title: Not You Again author: Erin La Rosa publisher: Canary Street Press publication date: November 11, 2026 pages: 336 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: death of parents, unfaithful wife summary: As Carly is waiting alone for her father’s service, she overhears the funeral director and his wife in an argument. The day gets worse…
357. Why Embrace the Devil
The photo above will, if you click it, bring you to a five-star recipe for deviled eggs. I bet that since Halloween is coming up, when you saw “Why Embrace the Devil,” your first thought wasn’t about eggs, was it? In fact, when I came up with the title for this post, I wasn’t thinking…
NetGalley Review of We Fell Apart
title: We Fell Apart author: E. Lockhart publisher: Delacorte Press publication date: November 4, 2025 pages: 320 peppers: 1 (on this scale) warnings: death, drugs being used against people’s wills, drinking alcohol, vomiting, parental abandonment summary: Shortly after her mother has followed her most recent boyfriend to Mexico, Matilda gets an email from the famous…
356. Why Activate Hope
Clicking on the photo above will take you to author Rebecca Solnit’s website. I haven’t read her books, so unlike lots of my author mentions, I’m not sharing a book review. Instead, I’m writing today’s post in response to a short quotation of hers that I heard on a podcast. Here it is: “Hope is…
NetGalley Review of Some Kind of Famous
title: Some Kind of Famous author: Ava Wilder publisher: Dell publication date: October 28, 2025 pages: 432 peppers: 3 (on this scale) warnings: drugs/alcohol addiction abortion creepy men taking advantage of teenaged girls summary: Merritt Valentine has moved to a small Colorado town to (1) spend time with her twin sister, (2) escape her past…
355. Why Preclude Regret
I took the photo above last Spring. Lilacs emit my favorite scent. As we enter the dark months of Winter ahead, I’d like to focus on what comes after: flowers, sunshine, joy. Sometimes, when we have to spend long hours inside, we start to feel trapped. In cages, we seek ways to free ourselves, and…
NetGalley Review of The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah
title: The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah author: Jean Meltzer publisher: MIRA publication date: October 21, 2025 pages: 368 peppers: 2 (on this scale) warnings: chronic illness disability migrains divorce grief infertility abortion loss wrongful termination fetal abnormalities summary: Evelyn is working her tail off to produce a live-on-TV version of A Christmas Carol; unfortunately, everything is…
354. Why Find a New El Paso
A couple of summers ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina. I took the photo above of him in Mostar. If you see this post within two days of when it goes live, please wish him a happy birthday. If not, no worries. The post is about him,…