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A Book That Fuels My Soul We Need No Wings is transcendent. Is it Possible to Have a Soul Book? I've heard of soul mates, soul pets, and even soul food. Is it possible to have a soul book as well? For me, the answer is yes, and I found it in WE NEED NO WINGs by Ann Dávila Cardinal. Perhaps I simply relate to the character of Tere Sánchez in so many different ways. She just turned 60, lost her husband a year earlier, and struggles with the political reality of working in acade

A masterfully reimagined historical murder tale. I seem to be on a binge of reading historical fiction lately, and I have no regrets. Kate Foster has that enviable and magical (to me) ability to take an obscure historical event and bring it to life in a way that transports the reader into another time, another place, and characters who you root for even if they have somewhat questionable morals. The Maiden , inspired by true events, questions the truth surrounding the execu

A Romp into the Regency Era Today I will be focusing on Lady Avely's Guide to Guile and Peril , the third book in the Matronly Misadventures Series by Rosalie Oaks. I read the first two books over a year ago, and only picked up the third recently. Each book in the series is a delight, but I hit a really horrific reading slump that I am only now coming out of. I believe that Lady Avely's Guide to Guile and Peril must be read with a British accent (in your mind at least) whil

A gorgeous story. An important read. Kin by Tayari Jones An Immersive Experience Great historical fiction offers an immersive experience. It helps us understand historical realities and connect them with our modern lives. Excellent writing allows us to connect emotionally with the story and its characters. Sometimes, it even stops us in our tracks with its beauty or emotional impact. Kin by Tayari Jones is a remarkable piece of historical fiction. I recently read it in prepa

A fan from Japan is the perfect backdrop for this gorgeous book. I have decided to start reviewing books again, but this time I will do both video and written reviews. Here's my first review, with a story about why this book: The feeling of joy in sadness. I love books about books, especially the ones that match characters with the books they need. I also love the ability of many Japanese authors (and translators) to balance joy with sadness. The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Book

I used my premium Canva account that gives me access to images, not AI to create this. It may not be perfect, but it comes from me. I love books. I love writing them and reading them. I love learning about culture and different lies while relishing the language and the word play created by human beings. I also love supporting other creative acts. If you have written a book, or created theatrical art, or made a podcast, or written a song and I know you--or am interested--I do

P.O.W,ER Cover *Note: A version of this post can also be found at my book website: https://lisaakramer.com/blog/news-news-news . Follow me there if you are mostly interested in book updates. I'm back!!! I know, I know, few people probably even noticed I was gone. The truth is that these past few years have been challenging for many reasons—personal, professional, and political. I'm not here to talk about all that, though. I'm here to celebrate that I have found my spark again

I have a confession. I am addicted to doomscrolling. Sure, I also try to look for uplifting videos: videos that make me laugh, contain cute animals, or inspire me. But it's so very easy to stumble into drama or go down rabbit holes about the most recent toxic parent, so-called "nice guy," entitled influencers, and every other aspect of our broken society that titillates and shocks. That's part of what is dooming us all. But every time I go on this journey, my mind whirls with

One of my hobbies is cross-stitch. Several years ago (around 2015, to be exact), a friend gave me a book of feminist cross-stitch patterns. I opened it with delight and started creating work for myself, my daughter, and my friends. This one hangs in the bathroom, behind my mirror, so that I can see it every day. It reads "Angry, Liberal, Feminist, Woman." Let's break down these words and how they have shifted over recent years. Angry Liberal Feminist Killjoy Expressing Anger

Returning to Blogging Many years ago, I started a blog. It went by various names, such as Lisa Wields Words, Woman Wielding Words, etc. I know, it's a long title for a website, but I didn't start it with business in mind. In those days, I wrote for several reasons: to process my life to share stories to connect with others to play with words, because I love writing. Years ago, I wrote my first book. I followed other blogs. I joined every writing challenge. I uplifted and supp