May 2023 - Mystery of a Shrinking Violet

Awaken Your Genius by Ozan Varol

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Barbara W. Klaser

It’s early in the year yet, but Awaken Your Genius, by Ozan Varol, may turn out to be, for me, the best nonfiction read of 2023.

I just had the pleasure of reading this book, which is not so much a pleasure-reading experience as it is eye-opening, even mind-opening, though it’s also a pleasure to read. I’m 66, and I have to say, this book made me feel young and ready to look at myself more clearly so that I can navigate a path forward with more self-knowledge. For the same reasons, if I knew a teenager I wanted to buy a gift for, I’d get them this book.

Some J. S. Bach

Posted on May 28, 2023September 8, 2023 by Barbara W. Klaser

I want to take a moment to share this here while it’s on my mind. I’ve watched/heard this video a number of times because it’s a favorite of my spouse’s, and sometimes we watch music videos in the evenings. This one, every time we come back to it, amazes me yet again. I love how it brings musician friends from around the world together in one performance.

Bach’s Prelude in c minor for 6 Instruments played by Sansar Sangidorj and friends.

Jane Austen on my mind

Posted on May 27, 2023 by Barbara W. Klaser

For those who, like me, can’t seem to get enough Jane Austen, whether it’s her books, information about her, variations on her works, or discussion of her works, I thought I’d share some of my finds. This will probably span several blog posts. First, there are a few YouTube channels I follow that provide content about Jane Austen or her fiction, some of them only occasionally, some more frequently. Here are a few of my favorite videos they’ve shared.

An Affectionate Heart by Heather Moll

Posted on May 8, 2023May 12, 2023 by Barbara W. Klaser

An Affectionate Heart by Heather Moll is one of those novels that I thought about immediately rereading as soon as I finished it. It’s a fresh take on Pride and Prejudice that mostly takes place in Meryton. There are so many passages I wanted to linger over, yet I also wanted to find out what happened next, so I frequently moved along too quickly to savor everything I wished to.

April 2023 favorite reads

Posted on May 7, 2023May 12, 2023 by Barbara W. Klaser

My 4- to 5-star reads for April 2023. Note, some of these books may only be available from Amazon and/or as Kindle ebooks. April was a busy reading month, and I also pored over a number of yarn craft books. I posted about those on my other blog, Swatches Yarns and Frogs.