Full Moon Cherry Blossom Bloom Blooming cherry blossoms – gifted to Washington DC in 1912 by the mayor of Tokyo – are the first signs of spring. The blooms bring thousands of visitors to the tidal basin every year. It’s currently peak bloom and luckily I am here for it…finally. I went Wednesday late afternoon […]
The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett
“Parsifal is dead,” is the opening sentence of Ann Patchett‘s third novel The Magician’s Assistant. At first I was drawn into this story, eager to know more about the characters and whatever secrets they had. But, I will admit I never finished the book because my empathy for the characters was ever-diminishing. The narrator is […]
Trust
“The only reason we don’t open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don’t feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else’s eyes. ”~ […]
The Book of Unknown Americans: A Novel by Cristina Henriquez
Cristina Henriquez‘ The Book of Unknown Americans tells the story of the Rivera family who leave their happy home in Mexico to come to a dilapidated apartment building inhabited by other families who have immigrated from Central/South America looking for a better life. For the Riveras, they are sacrificing everything to get their 15 year […]
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
It’s been a while since I’ve had a very good read. This was it. In fact, this is a book that has been on my shelf for at least five years. I don’t know what I was waiting for. I want to be like Abraham Verghese, a physician who is an excellent writer. I haven’t […]
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
A Tale for the Time Being is another immigration narrative though this time it’s a reverse immersion. Nao, a 16 year old who is one of the narrators is a Californian girl who is uprooted from life as she knows it and subsequently experiences major disruption to her life when she returns with her family […]
Pretty Face, Dirty Skin!
I’m reading a book, A Tale For the Time Being, in which Nao, a Japanese girl who grew up in California and has now returned to Tokyo with her family, describes her first impression of going to the public bathhouse (sentō). Of this she says “At first I was like, No way! Forget it! I’m […]
Life according to Lauren
“…No matter what happens in life, you make up your mind how you’re going to live and what road you’re going to take in your life and that you must not allow other people to pull you off that trail, to bring you down to their way of life just because they need company…that you […]
White Tiger: A Novel by Aravind Adiga
I’m quite getting into listening to audiobooks. It’s a wonderful way to spend time on my commute to work (about 30-45 minutes) while checking off books on my to-read list. It’s particularly enjoyable when the narrator is very good and you feel yourself immersed in the story, like watching UltraHDTV! John Lee is one such […]
Gardening 2015 – The End
My last garden post was in June! Oh my! But I’m glad to report that the growing season was in fact a success. This first week of December, I’ve finally decided the green tomatoes on the vines are not going to ripen. I brought my potted peppers indoors over a month ago and they are […]
A lover of mangoes. A woman - smart, without pretense, lefthanded, Afropolitan - navigating this thing called life. An unapologetic believer in social justice and karma. Choosing to radiate positive energy and be true to myself. Here, my musings.