Memoir Monday ~ A Book Review

Instead of an assignment today, I'm doing a review of "My Life In France" by Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme.

Why a book review? Because this is one of the best memoirs I've read recently. It was built and written from collections of letters, journal entries, and photographs saved by members of the family. Exactly the type of writing I'm urging you to do each Monday.

From what I understand, Julia Child's grand-nephew, Alex Prud'Homme would read aloud from the saved letters or he and Julia would sort through photos and Julia would tell stories sparked from those memories.

The writing is warm, witty, and engaging. For the writers among us, there are some terrific turns of phrase and lovely language. It is a look into the passionate pursuit of creativity. It's the story of someone who loved life abroad and truly came alive when she found her calling. You'll want to pack up and move to France, roast a duck, or at the very least, you'll be inspired to try something new and challenging. What ever the call, I hope you hear it clearly.

If you loved Meryl Streep's Julia Child in the movie, you'll enjoy 'hearing' Julia's true voice through her words and rememberances. This is a good read!

Book Giveaway

Who needs a book to read?

In keeping with my shiny new philosophy to not keep as many books in the house, I'm giving this one away.



"From the Ground Up-the story of a first garden" by Amy Stewart.

It's an enjoyable read, especially if you are a gardener or fantasize about being one. Writers will enjoy the smooth, easy style of the essays. Foodies will like the recipes included at the end of each chapter.

Leave a comment on this post to be included in the drawing. At the end of the week, I'll drop everyone's name in a hat and pull out a winner.

Knit Together

Mystic Moonlight Daylily

All right, Creative Souls, listen up!

Need a good read? Like knitting? Got a dream--especially a secret, passionate, impossible dream?

Knit Together-Discover God's Pattern for Your Life by Debbie Macomber is a wonderful book I finished reading over the weekend.

Terrific!

If you have ever had a dream that you didn't think would come true, read this book. If you've ever had a dream that someone else stomped on, read this book. If you want to be inspired to dream big dreams, read this book.

Debbie Macomber is one of my favorite fiction authors. She appears regularly on the New York Time's Bestseller list. She's won RITA awards and was the first ever recipient of the Quill Award for romance fiction. That's all well and good because it shows I can pick fine authors when I find them. Ms Macomber's characters are sweet, funny, and real, like people you live next door to or work with--even the quirky ones. They have a moral and ethical fiber that I appreciate. (No, her characters do not sleep together before marriage. How cool is that in today's romance market?)

Now in her first foray into non-fiction, Ms. Macomber, an avid knitter, hits a homerun in revealing her struggles and successes in following the dreams God instilled in her heart. The pleasure she finds in creating with yarn, as well as words, also threads it's way through the book. The story of an editor telling a hopeful writer Macomber to throw her manuscript away made tears come to my eyes. Eventually that manuscript, Heartsong, would be published and featured on Good Morning, America. Which proves that editors, like baseball umpires, are not right all the time. I wonder if that editor still has a job in publishing?

If you are looking for a delightful read about finding the pattern God created for your life, whether you want to write or be the CEO of a major corporation or be the best mom you can be, please pick up this book. See my sidebar, I'm featuring it as my book of the month for June. You'll be blessed in reading it.

Personally, I'm thrilled that Debbie Macomber and God worked together to create a book I needed to read to get me back on track. It's like a personal letter to me. Isn't God wonderful to go to all that trouble?

Reading List

Summer's almost done but my reading list is not. How did that happen? In fact, the list is getting longer. A sale at a bookstore will do that.

Years ago, while running my photography business, I would rise before the sun to spend an hour reading, studying, and thinking. I like getting up early. I love thinking and creating new ideas. Why am I not doing this now?

Bad habits. Things like hitting the computer message boards before breakfast or watching re-runs of JAG. Or just plain piddling.

If it were quality things like spending time with The Pilot Guy or exercise that would be different. Both of those things deserve their own catagory of time devotion. But I'm just not getting things done.

Time to do better. Dust off those old habits and get back into them. Hopefully, they'll fit like well worn and comfortable shoes.

Look for reviews of these books in coming posts.

What?

What's that you're asking?

Oh, you want to know the titles and author names of the books on the reading lists? Why? Will there be a test? No? Yes? Maybe?

Well, okay, here they are in no particular order:

Homeschooling High School by Jeanne Gowen Dennis

Designing Effective Women's Minstries by Jill Briscoe, Laurie Katz McIntyre, and Beth Seversen

Eat Smart, Walk Strong by Leslie Sansone

A Strong West Wind by Gail Caldwell

The Ode Less Travelled by Stephen Fry

The Plot Thickens by Noah Lukeman

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

A Garden Path to Mentoring by Esther Burroughs

Writer Mama by Christina Katz

The First Five Pages byt Noah Lukeman

My Heart's At Home by Jill Savage

Mrs. Whaley and Her Charleston Garden by Emily Whaley in conversations with William Baldwin

Happy reading!