Quote to Live By

I know I’ve been reading too much light fare when it’s been months since I’ve stopped on a sentence, re-read it and written down the quote in my “reading journal.” Finally, Curtis Sittenfeld made me stop and think – and appreciate – while I was reading The Man of My Dreams.

She writes:

“Perhaps this is how you know you are doing the thing you’re intended to: No matter how slow or slight your progress, you never feel that it’s a waste of time.”

Whether you’re talking about motherhood, a career, or relationships, these are certainly words to live by.

Of her three books, American Wife was my favorite, followed by Prep, then Man of My Dreams. I highly recommend Sittenfeld for her honest characters, her wit and humor, and her tight prose.  Can’t wait for the next novel!

Women’s Adventure Magazine – Media Room

I had the opportunity to review three fantastic reads for the summer issue of Women’s Adventure Magazine:

• Female Nomad & Friends: Tales of Breaking Free & Breaking Bread around the World, by Rita Golden Gelman
• Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
• Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving and Not Lose Your Family, Job or Sanity, by Dimitry McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea

Check out the link here.

I’m just starting to explore which books I want to review for the Winter issue, so if you come across any new releases that you think would be a good fit, leave a suggestion here.

Blogging Hiatus

Well, I guess I could’ve posted this to my faithful readers – do you really exist?? – before I took a hiatus, but my mind was otherwise occupied.

Here’s the reason I’ve been taking a bit of a blogging break:

Maggie Akiko Kusumoto was born May 26, 2010 !

At two months old (already! where does the time go??!!), she is a true blessing and gives us new reasons to marvel at her every single day.

When she was still just a couple weeks old, I was a bit discouraged when she wasn’t interested in listening to some of my favorites…  I’ll See You in the Morning, Guess How Much I Love You, and On the Night You Were Born just didn’t seem to capture her attention. Looking back, I can laugh… what did I expect? That she’d come out of the womb a reader? Well, yes! ( :

While reading board books wasn’t an early favorite activity (though it is now!), she DID love her black and white books. She’d sit in her baby pappasan chair or turn her head while we were changing her and just stare at the contrasting images of animals, a flower, a butterfly.

I would definitely recommend these to new moms, since they were such a hit with Maggie: Xavier Deneux’s My Circus and My Animals; Tana Hoban’s Who Are They?, What Is That?, Black and White; and Peter Linenthal’s Look at the Animals.

So, as Miss Mags grows – and grows into more reading – I’ll try to do a bit more blogging on our favorites. But if you don’t hear from me, chances are I just have my hands full with my favorite little nugget.