Kara P.

  • Down with the Sickness

    I just got hit by a winter cold and it hit me hard…usually I only need a day to recover, but not this time. Went back to work on day three and was miserable. Took another day off hoping to get through it – I spent most of my time away moving from the bed… Continue reading

  • To Every Friendship There is a Season

    One of the things I constantly try to remind myself and others is that expectations are a relationship killer. And while I was thinking of that in romantic terms, I should have also been looking at that in friendships too. Friendships have been on my mind a lot lately —friendships lost, tested, stretched, made, molded… Continue reading

  • Thanks Obama

    It’s that time of year again! Former President Barack Obama has released his list of favorite reads in 2018 and it’s gooooooooood. Becoming by Michelle Obama – Obviously his favorite! And a Peak Pick! An American Marriage by Tayari Jones American Prison by Shane Bauer Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Arthur Ashe: A Life by… Continue reading

  • Party Like It’s 1918!

    I’ve never been one to enjoy the large crowds underneath the Space Needle on New Year’s Eve night; rather, I like to ring in the New Year with friends at smaller events in the city. One year was spent wandering around Tacoma during First Night and when I lived in West Seattle I would ring… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for December

    Commuting to Seattle by bus five days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in December: Sal by Mick Kitson. A beautiful book despite its tough subject matter. The sisters, Sal and Peppa, are adorable and charming. Sal, the oldest, has been taking care of her younger… Continue reading

  • Holiday Reads for the Rest of Us

    To get into the holiday spirit this year I’ve been cranking up the Christmas tunes, decorating the Christmas tree, and drinking hot cocoa while watching Home Alone, but when it comes to books I need something a little less sparkly and bright. I like to read realistic fiction – nothing against a good cozy mystery… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for November

    Commuting to Seattle by bus five days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in November: There There by Tommy Orange. It was one of those books I loved, but wanted more. I want more book, I want a sequel, I want more of the story, more, more,… Continue reading

  • Practice Gratitude

    We live in a pretty fast paced world, one that can cloud our gratefulness for what we have, what we’ve been given, and those we share our lives with. I challenge you to take the time (and not just in November) to practice gratitude. Focus on areas of your life you can be more grateful… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for October

    Commuting to Seattle by bus five days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in October: Our Homesick Songs by Emma Hooper. A small fishing island in Newfoundland is home to few. As the fish began to vanish, so too did the island’s inhabitants, leaving one by… Continue reading

  • Books for Two

    There’s no need to go to the trouble of getting a large group together for a book group each month (unless you want to). I have a book group for two, and it’s going just fine. Here were our book selections for July through September: Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for September

    Commuting to Seattle by bus five days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in September: The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu: Five girls, Nita, Isabel, Andee, Siobhan, and Dina are selected by their camp leader, Jan, to go on a kayaking trip. These… Continue reading

  • Libraryoke!

    Karaoke is one of those things that I will either be super stoked about and will want to sing Colors of the Wind to the rooftops or I’ll just want to sit back and take it all in.   Regardless, karaoke has a way of bringing everyone together and here are a few books that illustrate… Continue reading

  • Adventures in Pet Sitting!

    The last months of summer are usually a whirlwind of getting out of town. For some of us that means finding a pet sitter. Maybe it’s a friendly neighbor or a local boarder or maybe it’s you! This August I hung out for two weeks with two adorable cat brothers who act more like dogs… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for August

    Bus Reads for August

    Commuting to Seattle by bus five days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in August: Heart Berries by Terese Mailhot: After checking herself into a psych ward Mailhot begins journaling to her ex-lover. She grapples with her past, her present, and her future as well as… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for July

    Commuting to Seattle by bus five days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in July: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: One of the main themes I loved about this book was the character’s experience of being two different people in two different worlds and having… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for June

    Commuting to Seattle by bus 5 days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus this past June: How To Be Safe by Tom McAllister This book takes place in the aftermath of a school shooting and hits so close to home. Tom has his fingers on the vein… Continue reading

  • Books for Two

    There’s no need to go to the trouble of getting a large group together for a book group each month (unless you want to). I have a book group for two, and it’s going just fine. Here were our book selections for April through June: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore… Continue reading

  • The Power of Stones

    There is a little shop near my neighborhood in Tacoma that is such a magical place. As soon as you walk in you are transported to another world. I took a close friend of mine who suggested burning some sage after moving into a new home since smudging as a ritual has been said to be a… Continue reading