It’s a story that began with a song.

It is also a story that began long before the song or the book came to be.

The story began when the first enslaved people came to what is now the United States.

“You brought me here
to build a house...”

Rhiannon Giddens begins the song, and the text of Build a House.

I've got a book for you that will bring you such joy! A Passion for Japan, edited by John Rucynski, is both an ode to building community, and an interesting, in-depth ethnographic look at being a long-term expat resident in Japan. I LOVE it.

As a child of the 80s, I hum Prince, Howard Jones, Michael Jackson, and Duran Duran songs while I’m cooking, can instantly remember the smell of the ditto machine, pegged my jeans, wore Out of Africa-inspired outfits, devoured John Hughes movies, and couldn’t wait to get Back to the Future.

This young adult post-apocalyptic fantasy novel is fantastic escapism—but escapism with depth and a message of hope. Have you sometimes wondered if another world exists? One that feels like returning to a home that we’ve never been to but somehow always felt existed? Jenny McClain Miller & Greg Miller have created that world with Atheria. 

It’s hard to be objective about your own writing. Sometimes you hate a chapter simply because it was a struggle to write. Or you fall in love with it because it reminds you of something personal. Or because you’re proud of a joke. Or a single word. 

Once in a great while, you come across a book so compelling, interesting, and important that you want to share it with everyone. Such is the case with the latest book from author Amy Chavez, entitled The Widow, The Priest and The Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island, published by one of our favorite publishers, Tuttle. 

One of the very best things about reading is starting. Whether it’s with your own kids, your classroom, or kids you know and love, watching them make connections and learn is magical. You might choose to read to them with books you’ve known and loved for years, or embark with new discoveries. 

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Maya Angelou

As anyone who has ever traveled to Italy knows, movies like Under The Tuscan Sun, Letters To Juliette, and others are simply fuel for the fire of passion that is kindled once the visitor has had a taste of La Dolce Vita. After several years, and many trips to visit friends in Tuscany, Kyle Ball decided she wanted to buy a house in the Bel paese, or the beautiful country. Inexplicably, she was moved to buy an abandoned church in a tiny village near Greve in Chianti. Further, she spent untold amounts of money renovating it.

Combining beautiful poetry with stunning hand-drawn floral illustrations, A Garden for Grace by Ellen Mainville is an exploration of family, love, and life through lessons inspired by the beauty of nature.