Unexpected Magic: Celebrating the final edition of March Magics with All Good Things

March 19, 2023March 18, 2023 ~ Lory ~ 14 Comments

When Kristen of We Be Reading announced she'd be hosting March Magics (a celebration of favorite fantasy authors Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett) for one final time, I wanted to do something special. It was hard to choose what to read, from among both authors' voluminous and wonderful works. All good things, indeed! Somewhat … Continue reading Unexpected Magic: Celebrating the final edition of March Magics with All Good Things

Spiritual Memoir Review: Crazy Brave and Poet Warrior

March 12, 2023March 12, 2023 ~ Lory ~ 6 Comments

Joy Harjo, Crazy Brave (2012) and Poet Warrior (2021) After my uncomfortable experience reading Autobiography of a Yogi, it was a relief to dive into poet Joy Harjo's memoirs and encounter a completely different kind of spiritual teacher, an older-sister guide who can instruct me about the path I also want to follow: Poet, Warrior, … Continue reading Spiritual Memoir Review: Crazy Brave and Poet Warrior

Advent/Lent: A Poem

March 9, 2023July 26, 2023 ~ Lory ~ 12 Comments

Recently I had two poems published in the online journal Kosmeo, which is subtitled "Adorning the profession of the gospel through creative offerings." One of the poems, "What the Rich Young Man Said," was published in an earlier version on my blog here -- but I've revised is since then, because I keep thinking about … Continue reading Advent/Lent: A Poem

Month in Review: February 2023

March 5, 2023March 5, 2023 ~ Lory ~ 18 Comments

Literature February is a short month, but I got a lot of reading done, thanks partly to a bout of sickness that confined me to the house for a few days. Highlights included finishing David Copperfield and comparing it to Demon Copperhead; the ongoing #LoveHain readalong hosted by Calmgrove; discovering the beautiful, harrowing memoirs of … Continue reading Month in Review: February 2023

Beautiful Books: The Tombs of Atuan

February 22, 2023February 22, 2023 ~ Lory ~ 4 Comments

This is a re-post of my review originally published at Shiny New Books. And if you'd like to go on to read about the next in the series, over at SNB you can read my latest review of the Folio Society edition of The Farthest Shore, which posted today. In our upside-down world of reversed … Continue reading Beautiful Books: The Tombs of Atuan

A New Journey: My spiritual direction training, Part I

silhouette of woman standing near body of water

February 19, 2023February 17, 2023 ~ Lory ~ 7 Comments

Last year, I embarked on a journey of trying to solve some longstanding health issues, which I shared with you in these posts. This year, although those questions are not all worked through, I felt strong enough to start another kind of venture, a training in Spiritual Direction that is offered online by the Sisters … Continue reading A New Journey: My spiritual direction training, Part I

Spiritual Memoir Review: Autobiography of a Yogi

February 12, 2023February 26, 2023 ~ Lory ~ 23 Comments

Paramhansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi (1946) When I embarked on my Spiritual Memoir Challenge this year, I did not expect the first book I chose to read for it to be so ... challenging. It raised a lot of questions for me, and I'm not sure how to express them. I don't want to … Continue reading Spiritual Memoir Review: Autobiography of a Yogi

Month in Review: January 2023

February 5, 2023February 5, 2023 ~ Lory ~ 30 Comments

Literature A new year begins! I devoted a number of posts to reviewing my reading from last year, which was interesting for me, at least. Check them out here: My Life in Books My Year in Nonfiction My Year in Fiction Around the World Update Along with general plans for 2023, I announced a new … Continue reading Month in Review: January 2023

A new writing (and publishing) impulse

January 29, 2023January 21, 2023 ~ Lory ~ 15 Comments

In the last few years, I started writing poetry again. I'd done it in fits and spurts since childhood, but was never really satisfied with my efforts. Then a personal crisis gave me a new impetus, inspiring me to produce one or even two or three poems a day, for several months. I found this … Continue reading A new writing (and publishing) impulse