November Recommendations

I’ve just finished the most rejuvenating weekend at the Tap In Writers Retreat at the Glacier Valley Farm in Squamish, BC. I met my goal of writing 4500 words, stretched my body and mind with different creative activities—painting, drawing and singing—and even did yoga with baby goats. I made friends with writers at all different places in their writing journey. I highly recommend attending a future retreat if you are looking to make space and time for a project and find a wonderful community of creative people.
​

Adult Book Recommendation

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

In 16th century China, a young woman from an elite family is trained to be a doctor by her grandmother. When she moves into her new husband’s family compound she is forbidden to practice medicine, but still finds a way to treat those around her. This book is based on a real woman. The intricate family dynamics and medical detail had me fully immersed in Lady Tan’s world.

Children’s Book Recommendation

Maybe a Whale by Kirsten Pendreigh, Illustrated by Crystal Smith

After a grandfather’s death, mom and daughter go on a kayak trip on the Pacific coast and find the space to grieve as they look and listen for humpback whales. Beautifully illustrated and lyrically told, this would be a good read aloud for any child who has recently lost a loved one.

Behind the Scenes

Book publishing as strength training

This month we completed our third reprint of Mountain Machines. Because we chose to do offset printing instead of print on demand, that meant a delivery of 2300 books to my garage last week. I store the books in a small crawlspace we have on the third floor of our house. 23 boxes X 17 stairs = very tired legs!

Halfway there!