Maine Books

Tabitha King is a Maine native who really knows first hand what life in small town Maine is really like. In the character Reuben Styles she portrays the life of rural Maine, where the everyday real people live and work. Reuben's life will take you on a ride through a part of rural Maine that the travel bureau would never lead you. Don't expect lobsters and lighthouses

Tabitha King is a truly brilliant novelist. I cannot thing of a book that I can recommend more than this one. Read it!

The characters in The Book of Reuben take on a life of their own. Reuben is an imperfect perfection. He takes life on its own terms and does the best he can do with it. He is highly moral in an immoral world when ironically the "religious" characters are the most immoral. I came away from this book and from One on One, aware that that they were written in raw, nuts and bolts language, but still seemed to reveal an underlying etheralness. The allusions reveal wide reading and living and experiencing that make the books richer. The books are well worth reading!

i truely enjoyed this book as well as all the nodds ridge books. tabitha king has a talent for well developed characters that you can really care about.reuben styles is a complex well rounded character. i would recommend any and all of tabitha kings nodd ridge books, and im hoping for more. i want to know what happens to reuben next.

As all of Tabitha King's Nodd Ridge stories, this one was captivating and beautifully written. Lovers of series books will enjoy these stories as each one continues where a previous one left off, or adds rich layers to an already full and well developed cast of characters. The reader ends the book wanting to know more, not only about the lives of the main characters, but also of all the periferal ones as well. A must read for series and Maine fiction readers.

This book is not just for the 4 to 6 group. My daughter is almost two and has loved it and learned from it since the first time it was read to her. Lots to look at and learn from in each wonderful illustration. It must have been originated from some wonderful childhood memories of Maggie Smith's.

This is a counting book with a progressive story about one family's trip to Maine (they pack one baby, two dogs, three bicycles, pass four smokestacks, etc.). The pictures are great. My three year old doesn't remember having been to Maine, and asks for this over and over because of the story about the family (there is a dropped ice cream cone, sand castles, etc.).

I have 2 children, almost 5 and just 3. We've been reading this book for a year now. They absolutely love it. It never gets old, because it's cute (illustrations) and silly/whimsical (writing). My kids love to point out all of the funny things that happen in the book -- the doggies getting in to the fresh-baked pies and eating their own ice cream cones, slimy smelly slugs on the front porch steps, the baby filling a shoe with blueberries, the brother throwing seaweed at the sister and more! It has helped my children recognize numbers in a really fun way -- by taking a summer vacation with the family/pets in the book! This book is especially meaningful to us as we have a speical connection to Maine -- we visit relatives (grandparents, aunts/uncles and first cousins) on the shore in Maine a few times per year, including a 2-week trip every summer. This book reminds us of the best of Maine while we read it all year long. Enjoy!

Every time I read this book to my children (which is often), I feel an overwhelming urge to call a travel agent and book a vacation in Maine. With delightful pictures and remarkably few words, Maggie Smith does an incredible job of capturing the joys and adventures of a family trip. Far more appealing than most other "counting" books, this one will leave you with dreams of fireflies, and a yen for blueberry pie.

My family and I are preparing to move to Maine in two weeks. I happened to see this wonderful book by chance while at the library. It has gotten our 3 year old very excited about our upcoming move and where we will be living! I love the illustrations! We plan to order a bunch of them to give to friend's children as a momento of their visit to Maine.

BERND HEINRICH IS ONE OF THE BEST AUTHORS IN THE LIFE SCIENCE FIELD. HIS WONDERFULY DISCRIPTIVE NARATIVES ARE REMINISSENT OF KONRAD LORENZ AND GERALD DURREL . ONE MAN'S OWL WILL EDUCATE YOU AND PULL YOUR HEART STRINGS. BUY THIS BOOK!!

This book was in mint condition and I was happy that I was able to get a copy of it. I have ordered many books recently and have been thrilled with the condition of my book orders.

I like to think of Bernd Heinrich as a forest sleuth. Nothing delights him more than prowling, or jogging, through miles and miles of his favorite Maine woods identifying and describing such things as the songs of birds, the cocoons of caterpillars, the smells of beetles and the droppings of moose. In this case, his interests lead him to examine the contents of the stomachs of owls - in particular the stomachs of Great Horned Owls. Owls it seems, eat their prey whole, separate the digestable from the indigestable portions in their stomachs, and when all is said and done regurgitate the inedible stuff as "owl pellets." More than you ever wanted to know about owls? That's what I thought too at first, but it gets better - really.

Not long after discovering a nest of Great Horned Owls on his property, a storm destroys part of the nest and one of the chicks falls to the ground. Heinrich, who can never resist an opportunity to study wild things up close, scoops the little fellow up, christens him Bubo and takes him home to raise. What ensues is a delightful, often revealing account of how an owl and a man struggle to cross the divide between species.

That both are determined is obvious. Heinrich puts up with all sorts of destructive and rude behavior from his childish guest. Bubo chews up, eats and regurgitates washcloths, favorite t-shirts and socks. He holds staring matches with the family cat, terrorizes guests, whom he considers competitors for Heindrich's attention, and rearranges Heindrich's eating and sleeping schedule. In return, Heindrich gets to study everything about the owl - from his eyelids and feather patterns to the mechanical workings of the owl's talons and the meanings of his various hoots and hisses. It is an uneasy if affectionate relationship.

However Heinrich, who works as a university professor, must eventually return to his job and Bubo is sent to a wildlife rehabilitation center. There, all attempts at rehabilitation fail and Bubo is pronounced incorrigable. It is also clear that Bubo is miserable. Heinrich, who feels this is a waste of Bubo's life, eventuallly reclaims the bird, takes him back to Maine and spends another summer helping the bird find his adult wings.

This is a revealing and touching story that goes way beyond the scientific study that Heinrich originally planned. As Heinrich himself acknowledges it became a very personal thing, a relationship between one man and one owl. A wonderful read.

Heinrich has a way of writing that makes a person understand the relations between people and animals. He makes me laugh at some of the interactions. I very much enjoyed this book.

This book details Bernd Heinrich's experiences with an abandoned owl that he chose to raise by hand. Heinrich is a well-known scientist who specializes in animal behavior. Because of his extensive scientific publications and experience with wild animals, he was granted the necessary permits to raise the baby owl that he found in the woods one day. The owl had fallen out of its nest and was buried in a snowbank. When Heinrich first pulled him out, the bird was in very poor condition, but with a bit of care, he was able to nurse him back to health. He was aware however, that in doing so, he would be responsible for meeting all of this infant bird's needs for months or even years to come. In this book, a journal of the owl Bubo's first three years, Heinrich details all that he learned through his association with Bubo.

Heinrich is a patient and gifted observer. He is also a scientist with a long list of questions about owl behavior. He is able to find answers to many of his questions simply by observation, but others require experiments. His experiments always involve authentic behaviors, such as mobbing or catching food, rather than artificially conceived tasks. Some of the experiments can be completed through focused observation, but one described in this book, involving whether mobbing behavior of predators is innate or learned, required the raising of additional birds, a pair of crows.

In this book, Heinrich provides much background material on owls, in addition to all of his observations. This is not just a reference book about owls, however, but also a model record of the vast amount of information that can be learned through the careful observation of just one animal. The book includes an extensive list of references and an index.

I bought this book before going to Acadia Natl Park. It was incredibly helpful. Our exploration of the Park Loop Road was more interesting because of all the helpful info in this book. Loved the pictures. Very representative of the actual places.

I can't wait to get there in late Summer '06!
This book is great for anyone planning on visiting Acadia National Park.
If the park is only half as beautiful as the pictures in the publication, I can't wait!
I've already planned several routes to run and ride (bicycles) while we are there.
Thanks!

After throughly reading this book through 3 times I have come to the conclusion it is a wonderful book full of useful information. The pictures alone are beautifuly taken giving reason enough to purchase this book. Also Mr Thayer is an excellent chemistry teacher and I hope after reviewing this comment he will raise our grades

An excellent overall introduction to Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island. Good overview of geology and natural and cultural history. Provides up-to-date information on roads and hiking trails. A wonderful guide or souvenir of the Acadian experience.

All of the books written by Robert Thayer convey the true beauty of Acadia National Park. Robert is an outstanding photographer/ author and is an inspiration for my own work. I have seen many slides of Roberts work and I am always impressed. I give this book my highest recommendation for any person interested in learning about Acadia, nature, wildlife, and especially photography. He also has 3 other books available on Amazon.com of an equal caliber.

Oh, I loved this collection. This guy's the real deal. Beautifully crafted characters rendered with lots of heart and dry, wry humor.

One of the finest collections of stories I've read in years. Whlie I admired the finely wrought point of view and the terse dialogue, what remains with me most from these stories is their sense of place, interior and exterior, whether it's a cave where two vietnam veterans encounter each other or the inside of a jail cell or a hillside with someone sledding down it.

These are character-driven stories and their quiet epiphanies and endings are compelling, but Nichols is good at opening sentences, too:

"I was stupid for a long time, I admit it."

"One fall Paul Waterman found that he could tramp the woods again. . ." (You'll have to read the story to see just how good an opening sentence that is.)

Wonderful work. I look forward to his next collection.

Mr. Nichols has produced a uniformly accomplished collection of stories here, my personal favorites among them being: "Jon-Clod," a family piece that is somehow related to the Winter Olympics; and "C'est La Vie," featuring a quarterback with a blown-out knee.

Attention all readers: Nichols is the real deal and Esquire and Zeotrope etc have known it all along.

This is a short story writer up there with the best of them. His work is classic. Sharp, tough, nuanced, delicate, heartbreaking, each story is, to me, the best of what short fiction can be.

If you care about short fiction, please, treat yourself to this book.

Be aware: you'll find no action heroes or epic conflicts in Slow Monkeys, a first collection from award-winning short story writer Jim Nichols. You won't come across any wily detectives or inscrutable medical examiners, any CIA agents or conniving society mavens. In short, you'll discover few of the suspects who inhabit the larger part of modern commercial fiction. Instead, Nichols levels his casual but penetrating scope on the less trodden world of trailer parks and migrant fruit workers, of bent marriages and blue-collar disillusion. But in this thrill-a-minute, Nike/Playstation/Tommy Hilfiger world, who wants to read about the troubles of ordinary Joes and Janes? Right?

Wrong. You want to read this book. Nichols voice comes clean and eerie as a loon call on a simple lake of autumn, thrusting even the most bored and ironic reader into that most epiphanic of environs-the real world. While this reviewer could hardly be described as a fan of relative minimalism, Nichols has a subtlety and style that can't help but win your appreciation. His language flows with assurance, firmly in the familiar but seldom stooping to dialect or the outright colloquial. His Hemingwayesque simplicity of phrase belies a deep interest in the rhythm and interaction of line and phrase. As a result of strong characterization and story, this sense of scansion is hardly noticeable on a first run-through, but upon subsequent or close examination, the lines emit a nearly poetic feel, like a concentricity of ripples on one of Nichols's Maine ponds, each expanding and accentuating the one before. This deep attention to craft is also evident in his controlled use of symbol. An ancient outboard motor, coins of ambiguous luck, dead fish, a stolen football: all these symbols could come across as contrived or labored in the hands of a less accomplished artisan but Nichols employs them with a light yet resolute touch, making the narrative resonate with aptness, substance and power.

Knowing that the most universal conflicts have little to do with political machinations or jewel heists, Nichols forces us to gaze upon the complexity of the human drama, where the simple wonder of a child keeps a lost man from the abyss; where in the shattered knee of a former high school football star we tease out the true marrow and eventuality of American dreams; where among tip-ups and ice shanties, closeted tendencies are not discussed openly but grunted at-or better yet, ignored-over a cold beer; where, everyday, families and individual souls bend, break, and are made whole again by the subtle heroism of diminished pride or lowered expectation. These commonplace heroes don't save the globe or perform superhuman feats, but they do save those around them from utter despair and ruin with tight-lipped compassion or a simple determination to persevere. Slow Monkeys is crammed with distinctly American characters, and with his perfect apprehension and appreciation of human frailty, Jim Nichols comes across as nothing less than the broad authentic voice of America.

I was captured from the very beginning to the very end, and couldn't put the book down until it was finished. The auther has a delightful way of sharing herself and her experiences with the reader. You'll feel like you have a new friend by the time you finish her book.

What a delightful little book! Hughes has extraordinary insight into the human psyche, including her own. From her "View from the Corner" (the title fits perfectly} She sees the humor, absurdities, and sometimes pathos of behavior that most of us miss, and she shows them to us.

Ms. Hughes entertains her readers with a rich view of life's every day experiences and relationships with children, family, friends, patients, and those who come into her life as guests at her B&B. With a quick wit and wonderful sense of humor, the author delights us with her stories, some humorous; others quite sobering, that bring us back to reality. I will definitely read this book more than once!

Within the 145 pages of this book of essays on life, life in Maine and "la vida loca," Ms Hughes will make you laugh, cry and cry with laughter. The comparisons to Bombeck are inevitable and enviable. Hughes writes with a flair that somehow encapsulates everyman (and woman) in her stories about relationships and the world we live in. I feel this is a book I could read over and over and over again. I know I will!

We lead different lives, but share the same life experiences. The difference between us ? L.E. Hughes is able to put the emotions,the memories,the lessons, the fears into words and give them a meaning.
SHE has written the book, but it is one I can share with my daughters, my best girlfriends, and tell them, "THIS is how I AM."

. . . during summer holidays at our cottage! The characters are ones I can identify with since they seem to be like the people who are a part of my life. I find it comforting to be reminded that there are angels amoung us and ones that protect us, even tho we can't see them--the spiritual world. It also reminds me that my prayers are crucial, no matter how small and quick some of them may be--My Lord and Saviour answers them all and hear each one, and gives power in the heavenlies.
Great job on these books! I got the first two done in a week, on my holidays and am working on the 3rd now. Its hard to put them down--so some more work around here may not get done--OOPPSS! I look forward to getting the next 2 books.

The theme "coming home" resonates as both the hallowed and human residents of Heavenly Daze ponder a possible kidnapping by the lighthouse keeper, the sudden reappearance of Stanley Bidderman after twenty years of silence, and Annie Cuvier's longing for a cruise to find Mr. Right. An island of simple folks drawn with foibles, failures, and endearing faith, Lori and Angela provide a fun and feisty read for all ages.

Lori and Angela:
I have read and reread all that that you have written about the Island of Heavenly Daze, and my question is: When can we expect more of these delightful books? They are so uplifting and spiritual, and I crave to know more about the people of Heavenly Daze and the seven angels who are assigned to watch over them. PLEASE tell me that there are more coming soon. :) I loan them out with great care, and when I think my friends have had enough time to read them, I ask for them back! You are among the few authors that I treasure in my collection.

Thank you so much for enrichng my life,
Ruth E. Young

Without a doubt one of the best books I have picked up this year. This one has been sitting in my stack and I picked it up last night to read something before bed and haven't been able to put it down! I look forward to reading the first two. I have to say that all the characters grabbed me and although I knew some of what was going to happen I couldn't wait to read it and rejoice right along with the citizens of Heavenly Daze as they learned more about themselves, each other and the Lord. Bravo!!!

Was looking for something to read on the beach and the cover caught my eye..the lighthouse. I didn't know it was a series and read Warmth in Winter first.Just finished Grace in Autumn.Great "feel-good-yank -your priorities- back -in- line- cause- God is- handling- the- situation" reading.

Whether it's your first trip cruising the Maine Coast or you've sailed here for years, you'll find this your second most valuable resource ( nothing beats a good set of charts [and radar when the fog rolls in]) because when you need to decide where you are going to drop the hook for the night the charts won't be nearly as helpful as the Tafts' years of experience. Where to go, where not go, how to approach the anchorage, what to see ashore are all combined with slices of history and dry witted anecdotes. A bit of advice to the summer cruiser-- equip your boat with mosquito netting if you want a peaceful evening in one of the most wonderful places in the world!!

One of the best cruising guides around, definitely the best for Maine. Well written, organized and easy to use. Great sketch charts and all of the info that cruisers (not tourists) really need, as well as a good bit of local color.

Please note that the authors of this book are Haft and Curtis Rindlaub

CGTTMC is only slightly less essential for succesful Maine crusing than charts and tide tables (and beer, of course). In addition to being incredibly comprehensive, it's also beautifully written... so one can still vicariously experience Maine's spectacular coastline when the boat is in the hard.

My one quibble with the book has to do with its indexing. All major (and many minor) subjects are listed, but some of the more obscure ones are not. The book contains a lot of great "color" information in sidebars and boxes; these are generally stumbled upon and, because they're not always indexed, can be hard to find later without flipping through the book.

And flipping through the book is NOT a good idea, because you'll invariably stumble upon something fascinating and start reading whole sections anew...

After sailing tens of thousands of miles in the Americas and Caribbean and using dozens of cruising guides I can honestly say this cruising guide is unsurpassed. It contains detailed information about anchorages, approaches and services available in an easy to use format. With numerous anecdotes and historical stories this book is a pleasure to just sit down and read.

A lot of successful writers do not write short stories, which is a shame because the talent of a great writer is most revealed in that particular form of expression. Even some best-selling writers just don't have the talent to tell short stories effectively; it's not easy, in a couple of dozen pages or less, to bring any character to life or to build the context of a meaningful and interesting event that will truly speak to the reader. Those who master the art of the short story should be celebrated, and Rebecca Maines deserves to be among that number. The eleven stories compiled in this collection cover an amazing range of settings, from ancient Biblical times to the distant future, as well as an eclectic mix of subjects, including religious faith, science fiction, baseball, and human psychology. Ex Cathedra is a fabulous collection of short stories born of equal parts imagination, literary sophistication, and insight into the human condition.

The collection opens with "Sarah, Who Speaks to the Lord" offering a new and morally instructive perspective on Abraham's call to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac. Next up is "Plowshares," a most memorable story indeed featuring a surprisingly effective twist. "The Age of Maturity" is the only story that didn't really grab me emotionally, but it nonetheless offers a most revealing insight into artistic expression and appreciation. Baseball stands at the foundation of two stories, "They Still Play the Blues in Chicago" and "The Next Ted Williams," the latter of which is a thoroughly entertaining look at the depths some fans will go to will their team to success. Then it's back to the future with "Lockdown" and "Returned Mail from EALTGELD," with both stories examining the sense of humanity and personal interaction that has been lost in a futuristic technological society. "Liquidation," in contrast to the somewhat disheartening visions of the previous two stories, offers a personal sense of hope that what has been lost will not necessarily be forgotten. The precarious role of humanity in an increasingly technological age also animates the story of "PRAVI."

Memorable priests stand at the forefront of the book's most impressive stories. In "Things Left Undone," an almost otherworldly priest leads the protagonist through a journey of cathartic soul-searching into the deepest depths of her heart. Then, in the book's culminating - and, to my mind, most impressive - story, a literally otherworldly priest offers one holy man - and the reader - an amazingly poignant new perspective on the true meaning of sacrifice that basically defines the Christian religion. "The Canterbury Path" is nothing short of a monumental achievement in storytelling, in my opinion.

Rebecca Maines really gets to the heart of humanity in virtually all of these nine stories, melding morality and futurism in incredibly effective and unique ways. There aren't many authors who can take you out to the ballgame, transport you hundreds of years into the future, and compel you to reexamine the meaning of faith all in the same sitting. I really can't say enough about Ex Cathedra - it's just an incredibly special, deeply impressive collection of short stories.

Genre: Special Interest

Title: Ex Cathedra

Author: Rebecca Maines

Let your mind travel from Biblical times when Abraham and Sarah have their faith put to the ultimate test, through the futuristic `Lockdown' when Retha gets locked out on the street because of yet another suicide on the train tracks. Can she make it through the terrors of the night? Is this where we are heading?

Let yourself feel Linnea, a cryogenics auditor. After a devastating financial crash she has the monumentous task of deciding which human beings stored in the facility will still have a chance at life and which ones are to be "disposed of." - The financial tier system that forever looms in reality.

There are eight more such stories in this collection with interesting takes on our past and possibly our future.

Rebecca Maines stimulates your mind to think and feel through a variety of beliefs. Each story characterizes female strength in faith, morality and the ability to survive. She is a considerably skilled writer and compels you to read on in Ex Cathedra and its variety of subjects.

Rebecca Amines is multitalented as an author, editor, actor, cat person and wife. She has published fiction as well as nonfiction such as Jolting' Joe: The Best of
Joe DiMaggio.

I would recommend this book to all readers looking for a new perspective on life as a human. For further interest check [..].

Reviewer: Cheryl Ellis, Allbooks Reviews

Title: Ex Cathedra
Author: Rebecca Maines
Publisher: Twilight Tales, Inc. Book Publications
ISBN: 0-9779856-0-1
Pages: 165
Price: $12.95 USD p/b

The most wonderful thing about Maines's stories is their deeply felt humanity; add to that her marvelous inventiveness and dark sense of humor, and you have a fine collection indeed.

Whether you lean more toward science fiction or contemporary fantasy, you'll find plenty here to enjoy, all with the same sure storytelling, and all with an unmistakeable sense of heart and authentic insight.

Really fun read loaded with cool ideas. Highly recommended.

Rebecca Maines
Twilight Tales 2006
165 Pages
ISBN# 0-9779856-0-1

Like speculative stories? How about ones with messages eerily possible? If you don't have enough time or the desire to read a novel try Rebecca Maines' anthology. It's especially for readers who enjoy speculative fiction with moral flavor. Each of the eleven tales within whispers a truth, hailing emotion and interest. All contain worthy hooks, interesting settings, smooth pacing, and characters to care about. There is also a pleasing variety to establish Maines as a woman to keep an eye on. This author holds insight to the human condition with her lively collection. Ex Cathedra is a terrific blend of achingly real possibilities and of fiction.

Two especially good stories are "Sarah, Who Speaks to the Lord' and `Returned Mail from Ealtgeld.' In the first, we re-visit an old tale from the Bible. As with the Bible, God tests Abraham's faith by asking him to kill his only son. This son is Isaac, Abraham and his wife Sarah's miracle child. God gave Isaac to them in their old age even after Sarah's menses ended. Isaac was precious and dearly loved by his parents, so following God's orders wasn't easy. In both the Bible and Maines' versions Abraham fully intends to follow God's will even though he doesn't want to. At the very moment Abraham is about to plunge the knife into his son's chest on an alter God stops him. He tells Abraham not to kill Isaac. God tells Abraham he'd passed the test of faith. In Maines' adaptation we hear Sarah's version of what happened. She speaks with God and when realizing what Abraham is about to do, does what any good mother would. The ending is surprising and most satisfying. Most female readers will find themselves smiling and possibly chuckling.

In `Returned Mail from Ealtgeld' Maines examines possible results to human's obsession with technology. Technology provides conveniences, but also isolates. With computers and the Internet connecting everyone with every place, there is little need to leave the house to speak in person. What happens if a shy, and sensitive girl never goes out? She talks with multiple people and has friends through holography, but doesn't speak face-to-face. This girl is called Fippy, and she grows into a young woman who doesn't experience life outside her home or human touch. One day her sister finds and reads a story that Fippy hadn't published yet. It's based on a real woman who grew up without holography, is afraid of technology, and likes real people. The story and what happens to Fippy speaks volumes. Maines drives home a point that makes readers realize Ex Cathedra is not only entertainment, but messages worth weighing.

The book's 5.5" x 8.4 is the perfect size to carry along. The stories contain unforgettable scenes, characters and messages. At moments Ex Cathedra is disturbing because the tales address life, yet are captivating, thoughtful, and compelling. Definitely attractive reading.

All of the stories had interesting turns
to them, and all of the characters held my interest.

The plots are great and all, but the characters were really the strongest part of the book, I got the impression from all the
stories that these were fully formed people, with robust lives outside of the small piece that the story represents.

Readers will leave with the feeling that
they all had more stories to share, if only we could ask the author to share them.

I first heard an excerpt of this book on the radio and was eager to hear the entire book. I wasn't disappointed. KB has a wonderful view of life and an even better sense of humor. She raises many theological questions and also offers sound advice. I am recommending this book to friends and colleagues alike.
mh

I really liked this book. It is poingnant, truthful and helpful to those dealing with grief and sorrow.

As a chaplain in a large hospital, I can thoroughly relate to the author's mesmerizing stories. I absolutely love this audio book. It was given to me as a gift and I am totally enthralled by the power of her stories. I cannot wait to get in my car and listen over and over again. Her stories touch me at a very deep place; she is able to articulate the many stories of life with humor as well as throught the use of vivid description. Powerfully, the author speaks about the things of life that touch all of us...love, loss, growth, surrender, pain and joy. The author is truly gifted.

This honest, touching, funny audiobook bears witness to the ordinary and extraordinary in our lives. Having Kate read it herself brings a great quality to it. Whether you are curious about life in Maine and the Warden Service, wondering about the meaning of life, working through your own personal losses, or just wanting a good book, I high recommend this audiobook as one that you will not want to hear come to an end.

I thought this was just a delight. I've recently moved and I've got a much longer commute that I'm getting used to and I grew to look forward to the drive just so I could hear Kate's voice and more of her story. I have to say (Kate, I know you'll laugh if you read this) that sometimes her voice reminds me SO much of Linus' voice on Charlie Brown Christmas when Linus tells the story of Christmas and that's comforting too. I was raised Christian but I'm not normally comfortable with Christianity at all and I still get a little rigid when I hear the J and L words though I'm getting better with the G word (you'll figure it out) so picking this to listen to surprised me too. But the title really caught me and then her warm face in her warm sweater with her warm mug pulled me in. And it turned out she's so straight and real, the stories interesting, heart-breaking, funny and more that I just loved it. She talks about her husband's death and the depth of the grief it brought which would be very helpful to anyone whose had a big loss. It made me feel like I could handle the next big source of grief alot more gracefully...I loved her talking about crying while ordering pizza. It's not a holy roller type of book, she does talk about her religion but it's gentle. How can you not like a reverend who collects jokes "about religious stuff" and proceeds to tell you one?? Kate, thank you for sharing your life.