TTT: Books that Made Me Cry

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Made Me Cry

I am a cryer so it isn't uncommon for me to cry when I'm reading. These books got a mention of tears in my reviews. The quotes about crying below each title are from those reviews.

This is the second time I've made a TTT post about books I cried over with included quotes, proving it. The last time was in June 2024. Check it out here.

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Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
"Oh man. I am so dehydrated. I cried for the last two hours of this book and I am still clutching my chest for the beauty of its message."

Wreck by Catherine Newman
"I confess to crying during a good deal of this book. I was very touched by it, clearly."

All My Knotted-Up Life: a Memoir by Beth Moore
"I cried as she shared hard stories for her to tell..."

Heart the Lover by Lily King
"This one just about broke my heart and I cried a bucket full of tears throughout the book."

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Spoiler alert: "I cried at the end because at the heart of the story is a dead child, deep grief, and crippling guilt."

What Does It Feel Like by Sophie Kinsella
"Though I cried my way through it, I also felt the relief of hope."

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
" And the story was completely heartbreaking. I am pretty sure I cried through the last half of it nonstop."

There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib
"With only seconds left in the book I start sobbing. Don, who is driving, isn't sure why and looks over at me with a question in his eyes. It was this: all the sudden I knew everything the author was saying about life, memories, and dreaming was true. I think the reason I got so choked up at this point related to Don and I both celebrating this summer with our high school classmates the 50 years since our graduations. We took big, long walks down memory lanes.  I think I was crying as much for Don's memories as I was for mine. I love thinking about that little boy biking around town in an endless, happy summer. It's a rare book that makes you reflect so deeply on your own childhood and feel so connected to a story so different than your own."

Sandwich by Catherine Newman
"Ann Patchett, a favorite author, describes Sandwich as 'joy in book form. I laughed continuously, except for the parts that made me cry.' I am pretty sure that was my experience with the book, too. I laughed and cried in equal measure."

Grief is For People by Sloane Crosley
Spoiler alert: "I admit I spent the whole last half of the book crying -- not for the death of Russell, I didn't know him. But for the death of D, who I did, and for all those people, like Sloane Crosley, who are forced to traverse alone in an unknown world known as 'Grief World.'"

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This is harder to do than one would think. I am not consistent in adding notes about crying in my reviews. Some books which I thought surely I would mention my tears, I did not, like Memorial Days, about the death of the author's husband, or Between Two Kingdoms, about serious, life-threatening cancer. Did I cry? Probably. Did I mention tears? No. 

I also noticed that reviews I wrote right after finishing books were the ones where I mentioned my tears. If I delayed my reviews, I was less likely to note them.

What books have brought tears to your eyes recently?

-Anne

Sunday Salon -- Updates on Hawaii and Readathon

Our last night on Hawaii, just minutes before we headed to the airport, we dropped by a beach to experience the only pretty sunset we had the whole week. It was the beautiful ending to a wonderful week.

Weather: Beautiful. It snowed this week so I was not expecting so much beauty this weekend.

Hawaii: My whole immediate family vacationed together for a week on the big island of Hawaii and returned last Sunday morning after a red-eye flight across the Pacific in the middle of the night. That day I thought I would have time to put together an update of highlights of our week but instead I went to bed and slept for five hours. Here are those highlights now:

Our time on the island of Hawaii (The Big Island)  was divided in two. We started on the wet side, landing in Hilo and visiting the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Then we moved to the dry side and stayed in Kona and explored beaches and historic sites every day.

That is Kilauea smoldering in the background. She erupted in March and was giving off signs of another blast to come. 

This is what she looked like at night. She erupted again two days after we left the area. We were glad to have missed all the tephra (volcanic glass) which spews out and falls everywhere like hail.

While in the National Park we visited the Holei Sea Arch, walked through a lava tube tunnel, went on a botanical hike through a tropical rainforest, and the boys hung out on wind-shaped palm trees.

Before we left Hilo we caught a free hula exhibition, part of the Merrie Monarch, a week-long hula competition. Later in the week we watched snippets of the competition on TV at night.

This is a view from our condo in Kona. The weather looks ominous and, in fact, it was raining torrentially on the other islands (Kauai got 15 inches one day we were in Hawaii) but it generally missed the big island where we were. There was no sand on the beach off our condo, just lava and then ocean but we watched surfers who came by every day.

Carly and I especially like to do bird-watching when we travel to new places. This trip we identified 11 birds to us: Saffron Finch (pictured above); Zebra Dove; Kalij Pheasant; Yellow-billed Cardinal; Northern Cardinal (a transplant); Gray Francolin; Common Myna (everywhere and very noisy); Red Junglefowl (aka - chicken); Pacific Golden-Plover; and the Ruddy Turnstone.

Our days were filled in with lots of adventures: swimming in the sea pool (or the regular swimming pool), visiting National Historic sites, horsing around at the beaches, trying to stay 20 feet away from tired turtles, playing old and new games, enjoying our time together. Don and I felt so blessed to be with ohana, our family.

Don and I on our only "date night". What a lovely setting at Huggo's Restaurant. Yes, I had shrimp.

Readathon: This is my first time participating in the Dewey 24-hour readathon. I have never officially participated in one before. Below, in black, is what I set out to accomplish. In red, is what I actually did. And no, I know I won't make it all 24-hours. I'm dashing off this post on Saturday, mid-event, but I still know I will go to bed so will at best read for 16 hours, likely less.

I'm wearing this shirt today in honor of the readathon

• Finish Theo of Golden, an audiobook.Yes, I finished this, the last 2 1/2 hours of it and I think I cried the whole time. I loved this one!!!!
• Finish Little Alleluias: Poetry and Prose by Mary Oliver. I started this book in Hawaii and managed to finish it today. The last section or two were mainly prose and essays, even literary criticism. It took me longer to read than I expected but I still loved it. Oliver can write prose like she writes poetry, no matter what she says.
• Why Fathers Cry at Night by Kwame Alexander. I actually finished this memoir full of poems, recipes, letters, and remembrances on Thursday. 
• Start the audiobook Things in Nature Merely Grow. No. I didn't start this audiobook. I picked another one instead. See below.
• Other possible books from the library currently sitting in a pile:
• Goldenrod: Poems by Smith. Yes. Completed.
• Women Without Shame by Cisneros. Started. Shocking, sort of. Currently at 35%.
• Pilgrim Bell by Akbar. No. I put this on the bottom of my pile.
• This is Not About Us by Goodman. I haven't started this book yet, but will at least start it before the end of my reading readathon. 
• Read at least 30 pages of Moby Dick -- My One Big Book Challenge of 2026. Yes, I am proud to say I got a good start of over 100 pages. It isn't anything like I imagined so far.
• Also read/started these books, not on my initial list:
• For Such Times As This: An Emergency Devotional by Hanna Reichel. I thought I'd just skim it and I ended up reading the whole thing minus the study questions. Very helpful for times such as these.
• God's Very Good Idea: A True Story of God's Delightfully Different Family by Trillia Newbell. A children's book just purchased for our church library. What a gem. Such a powerful message to love everyone, no matter if they look different than you.
• Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale by Frederick Buechner. A friend asked me to read this because he is a fan of this author who writes for Christian audiences. The book published in 1977 is and feels dated. I think my friend will disagree but that's okay.
• Heartwood by Amity Grange. An audiobook and a book that supplies two different categories for the Goodreads challenges this spring. 39% complete.
• Totalling up everything I've read so far: 6 books complete; 4 additional books in progress; one book finished before the readathon. Feeling good about my progress.

-Anne

Review: WHY FATHERS CRY AT NIGHT (+Friday56 LinkUp)

Title: Why Fathers Cry at Night by Kwame Alexander

Book Beginning/First Line Friday Quote:

I was two. It was my birthday. She gave me wooden blocks in all shapes.

Friday56 quote:

"Portrait of a New Lover: Genesis"

five minutes after

she reads his note

her smile explodes.

She wonders if he is the one

Summary: Kwame Alexander is a poet and children's author. This book is his memoir. In telling his story Alexander uses love poems, letters, recipes, and remembrances. 

Review: I guess you could call me a Kwame Alexander fan. I've read ten of his books, starting with his Newbery Medal prize winning book, The Crossover. Of that book I wrote: "Best YA book I've read all year and, added benefit, it only took a little over an hour to read. The concrete poems were my favorites." The book, a novel in verse, introduced me to this fine poet and I've been firmly in his camp ever since.

Why Fathers Cry at Night is not a typical memoir. For one thing it is stuffed full of love poems written for girl friends who became his wives. (He's divorced.) Reading these poems felt a little voyeuristic for some reason. If I was reading the same information in prose, would I feel the same way? Hmm, not sure. In the book Alexander grapples with how to relate to his daughters now that he is estranged from their mothers and is still dealing with his grief over the death of his mother, six year after she passed.

Initially I wasn't very impressed by the format perhaps because he was sharing poems he'd written early on in his career and they weren't as good as his later stuff, or maybe it  just took me a while to accept the amount of information he was willing to share and settle for that. Later I was fully invested in the author's story and the format of the memoir. I am even tempted to try his mother's fried chicken recipe. I enjoyed reading how food and music were all tangled up in his memories. Aren't they tangled up in all of our lives?

My rating: 4.5 stars.

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Sign up for The Friday56 on the Inlinkz below. 

RULES:

*Grab a book, any book

*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your e-reader (If you want to improvise, go ahead!)

*Find a snippet, but no spoilers!

*Post it to your blog and add your url to the Linky below. If you do not add the specific url for your post, we may miss it! 

*Visit other blogs and leave comments about their snippets. Expand the community. Please leave a comment for me, too!  

Also visit Book Beginnings on Friday hosted by Rose City Reader and First Line Friday hosted by Reading is My Super Power to share the beginning quote from your book.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

-Anne

My First Dewey 24-hour Readathon is Coming up

I've done my own personal readathons, variations on a 24-hour readathon but this weekend I am resolved to finally join in on the fun with the real deal,  my first Dewey 24-Hour Readathon.

The readathon is April 18th to the 19th, 8 am to 8 am. 

My goal is to spend the day catching up on reading the pile of library books and finishing those three or four books I have halfway completed:

• Finish Theo of Golden, an audiobook. I have about five hours of listening time left to go.
• Finish Little Alleluias: Poetry and Prose by Mary Oliver. I started this book in Hawaii on a recent vacation. I'm on page 167 of 229. 
• Why Fathers Cry at Night by Kwame Alexander. I just recently started this memoir of love poems, letters, and recipes.  I'm on page 49 of 229.
• Start the audiobook Things in Nature Merely Grow. It is only 5 hours long, so I might be able to complete it during the readathon.
• Other possible books from the library currently sitting in a pile:
• Goldenrod by Smith
• Women Without Shame by Cisneros
• Pilgrim Bell by Akbar
• This is Not About Us by Goodman
• Read at least 30 pages of Moby Dick -- My One Big Book Challenge of 2026.

See why I need to participate?

Join in by joining the Goodreads group here.

-Anne

TTT: Book Titles That Describe Me/My Life

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Titles That Describe Me/My Life

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson
I was born into a Christian family and raised as a Jesus-follower and church-goer. This is central to my life.

Just Kids by Patti Smith
My mother is still living. She is 97-years-old. I have three siblings. All four of us are in our 60s or 70s. Mom still refers to us as her kids. 

The Family Tree by Carole Cadwalladr
Family is very important to me, not only my immediate family but my found families, too.

Teaching with Fire by Sam M. Intrator
I was a secondary teacher for twenty-five years. I always worked on the craft of teaching and tried to be the best teacher I could be.

Library Girl by Karen Henry Clark
After being in the classroom for so many years I became a high school librarian, opening a new school and serving as a book and tech lady for twelve years before retiring.

The Collectors: Stories edited by A.S. King
As a kid I collected stamps and dolls. I still display my most precious dolls in a case in the living room. Later, as an adult, I collected Muffy Vanderbear® costumes. I still dress up my little stuffed bear in her finery on certain holidays. Oddly, I am not a book collector.

The Friendly Austen by Natalie Tyler
I love everything about and by Jane Austen: her novels, movies made from her novels, retellings of her novels, and information about Jane and life during the 19th Century.

The Beatles in America by Spencer Leigh
I have loved the Beatles practically my whole life. I still listen to them whenever I get a chance and never seem to get tired of the Fab Four.

44 Poems On Being With Each Other: A Poetry Unbound Collection by Pádraig Ó Tuama
I am a poetry reader. I especially like to read poetry which is annotated by someone who understands it better than myself. This is one such collection.

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
Shocking no one: I am a reader. And I'm always on the hunt for the next best book.

-Anne

Nonfiction review: TONI AT RANDOM

Title: Toni at Random: The Iconic Writer's Legendary Editorship by Dana A. Williams

Book Beginnings/First Line Friday quote:

Friday56 quote (actually from page 6, last page of preview):

Summary:

A multifaceted genius, Toni Morrison transcended her role as an author, helping to shape an important period in American publishing and literature as an editor at one of the nation’s most prestigious publishing houses. While Toni Morrison's literary achievements are widely celebrated, her editorial work is little known. Drawing on extensive research and firsthand accounts, this comprehensive study discusses Morrison's remarkable journey from her early days at Random House to her emergence as one of its most important editors. During her tenure in editorial, Morrison refashioned the literary landscape, working with important authors, including Toni Cade Bambara, Leon Forrest, and Lucille Clifton, and empowering cultural icons such as Angela Davis and Muhammad Ali to tell their stories on their own terms. (Publisher)

Review: My husband started listening with me to the audiobook, Toni at Random, but he abandoned the book as soon as we arrived at our destination telling me to go on listening without him. At that point we were about at midpoint in the book and it isn't like him to stop listening once he is invested in a book. But this time he claimed the book just was too detailed and boring to keep his interest though he does greatly admire Toni Morrison.

Just looking at the first paragraph (above) you get the idea. That is the whole paragraph and Toni Morrison isn't even mentioned in it. I agree, this paragraph is boring. At times, it is almost as if this book is written for other editors or even publishers. Like the book is saying "this is how you do it!", just be like Toni Morrison. Since I listened to the book and never touched a printed version of it, I had to snag my Friday56 quote off of the preview pages provided by the publisher. Unfortunately this time only 6 pages of text were offered for preview. Actually, however, the quote I found on that last page was a very good one to follow up on first page because she is speaking at the conference and publishers, book sellers, and Black writers are hanging on her every word. She essentially is saying "we're all we go," and that the impetus for change in the publishing industry had to come from Black people. This is exactly what she set about to do as an editor for random House Publishing -- she found and nurtured Black writers toward successful writing careers. And she was tremendously successful at it.

I had no idea until I read Toni at Random how much work editors do for writers and the agencies they work for. Ms. Morrison not only gave writing suggestions but she did a tremendous amount of handholding and urging. One time she invited an author to come to New York and to stay in her house so they could work closely on the final manuscript. The process took two weeks with Toni editing pages downstairs and the writer running upstairs to make the needed changes and corrections. When Random House contracted with Muhammed Ali to write a memoir it was right after he got out of prison for not serving in the Army during the Vietnam War. He had been suspended from the boxing world and for all he knew, he was finished in his chosen sport. But before the book could be written, he was back in boxing and the deadlines for the book kept getting pushed off. Toni had to work with the ghost writer for far longer than anyone thought, sometimes even chasing him around the country,  just to get the book finished. When it was finally published the book, The Greatest: My Own Story, was tremendously popular, selling very well.

Don gave up on the audiobook before the chapters on Ms. Morrison's work with Muhammed Ali and Angela Davis. Both of those individuals were often in the news during my childhood and I found myself interested in learning more about both of them than I knew before, not just about the books they wrote but about their lives. 

All together I'd say that Toni at Random is probably not a book for the average reader unless that person is tremendously interested in the publishing industry or a huge fan of Toni Morrison. As the summary says, this book is about Ms. Morrison's editorship career, not her writing career, so readers don't find out anything about where she got her ideas for her own books. But it rounds out her story and it gave me one more reason to admire this famed author.

My rating: 4 stars.

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-Anne

TTT: Books Set in Countries on my Bucket List

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Set in Countries on my Bucket List which I'd Like to Read

There are so many places in the world I'd like to visit someday. In the meantime I will have to satisfy my curiosity by reading about them. (If you've read any good books from these parts of the world, please share them below in the comments!)

Africa

• The Caliph's House by Tahir Shah: A modern, humorous account of a family moving into a haunted house in Casablanca, Morocco.
• The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land In Between by Hisham Matar: Matar’s account of searching for the father he lost to a 1990 kidnapping in Cairo functions equally as absorbing detective story, personal elegy and acute portrait of doomed geopolitics — all merged, somehow, with the discipline and cinematic verve of a novel. Egypt.
• Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton:  the most famous and important novel in South Africa’s history, was an immediate worldwide bestseller in 1948. Alan Paton’s impassioned novel about a black man’s country under white man’s law is a work of searing beauty.
• Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide by Peter Allison: A hilarious, highly original collection of essays based on the Botswana truism: “only food runs!”

India

• Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie: A landmark novel tracing India's independence.
• The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy: A Booker Prize winner set in Kerala, India. (Reread for me.)
• The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai: A story set between the Himalayas and New York.
• The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai: The sweeping tale of two young people navigating the many forces that shape their country, class, race, history, and the complicated bonds that link one generation to the next. Set in both the USA and India.
• A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry: With a compassionate realism and narrative sweep that recall the work of Charles Dickens, this magnificent novel captures all the cruelty and corruption, dignity and heroism, of India.

Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand

• Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai: Discrimination faced by Amerasians, products of the Vietnam conflict. Vietnam.
• Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad: A modern, acclaimed novel that interweaves multiple stories spanning different eras in Bangkok, from the past to the future. Thailand.
• Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri : A poignant story of a ghost residing in Tokyo's Ueno Park, highlighting homelessness and social neglect. Japan.

Australia

• Cloudstreet by Tim Winton: A masterful family saga is both a paean to working-class Australians and an unflinching examination of the human heart's capacity for sorrow, joy, and endless gradations in between.
• The Secret River by Kate Grenville: In 1806 William Thornhill steals a load of wood and, as a part of his lenient sentence, is deported to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia.

Remember: please leave me suggested titles for these corners of the world in my comments. Thank you.

-Anne

Sunday Salon --- Ready, Set, Go!

We've had a rainy spring so far but the street trees are ever faithful in their announcement of the season.

Hawaii-bound!  By the time most folks on the West Coast wake up, our whole immediate family will be aboard a Hawaiian Airlines jet winging our way toward Hawaii. It is spring break for our daughter, a middle grade teacher, and for her children so we planned this special trip around their time off. Our first stop will be the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on the big island. There was a big volcanic eruption just a few weeks ago so we certainly hope we can see some hot lava with our own eyes. We'll explore that part of the island for two days, then head to Kona and the beach for the remainder of trip. We bought our grandsons snorkels and masks for Christmas and everyone is hoping they get a chance to use them to see fish underwater. My next post will undoubtedly be full of photos. Aloha!

Kīlauea volcano, March 10, 2026. (Photo credit: USGS)

Weather on the Volcanoes (According to the the National Park Service): 

The weather at the summit of Kīlauea volcano (~4000' elevation) varies daily and may be rainy and chilly any time of the year. Temperature varies by elevation. At the summit of the volcano, temperatures may be 12 to 15 degrees cooler than at sea level. (Monday is supposed to get to 60°F, no rain.)

The weather at the summit of Mauna Loa volcano (~13,680' elevation), winter temperatures and snow are a possibility during any season. There can be extreme hot conditions during the day, and below freezing temperatures at night. (We only plan to view this from afar!)

The "doomsday" letter: Even though we are all excited for our trip, it brought up a thought which I couldn't shake -- What if the plane goes down with all of us aboard? Who will know where to pick up the dog? Will anyone be able to figure out our accounts? With this thought I forced my husband to write a letter to send to my sister and his brother giving them a few details about where to find everything (including the dog) and where to start. It is such a gruesome thought. But now it is done and we can go on our flights knowing all will be well.

 

April is National Poetry Month. Here is what I've been reading (and plan to read while I'm in Hawai'i):

--Little Alleluias by Mary Oliver. 

     This new collection will travel with me to the 50th State. The book contains more essays than I realized so I may or may not make much progress during the trip.

--Startlement by Ada Limón. Read my review here.

--Poems and Prayers by Matthew McConaughey. 

     I'm always a little hesitant to read books by actors, thinking they are just trying to cash in on their success. Poems and Prayers by Matthew McConaughey seems to be an exception to that rule and comes from a very sincere space. McConaughey is clearly a man of faith and works on his relationship with God. His poems show an evolution in his faith walk and his prayers all seem so real -- nothing pious or stilted. Throughout the book McConaughey makes notes about what was going on in his life when he wrote the various poems or prayers. Included throughout, and most of these were delightful, he adds little aphorisms or proverbs, short little statements that contain a general truth. I just opened the book to this one: "IT'S GOOD WHEN YOUR SUCCESS GOES TO YOUR HEAD. / AS LONG AS IT GOES TO YOUR HEART AS WELL." 

     Admittedly, I am not as impressed with the actor's poems compared to his prayers. Like everything in life, sometimes things suffer by comparison. I had just finished reading poetry collections by two masters of the craft -- Ada Limón and Victoria Chang -- before I started reading this book. I'm afraid their skills showed off McConaughey's deficits. But not enough to keep me from generally enjoying the book. Also, I gained some valuable insights.

     Here is a sample portion of one of his poems which is also a prayer:

GOOD REBEL

Goodness rebels bless us to be

more than obedient to Your law.

Even when consequences have no account

give us ear to hear your call...

Amen

--The Trees Witness Everything by Victoria Chang. 

     This delightful collection is made up of poems composed in Japanese syllabic forms called wakas. Each poem is shaped by form and syllable count. The titles of the poems are repurposed from great poets, especially W.S. Merwin. These poems form the frames for the text. Chang described her process: "I selected a Merwin title as a prompt, then one syllabic form at random, and then wrote a poem. I would often read the Merwin poem first, but not always." I have to admit that this randomness made some of the poems seem like they came out of thin air, whereas others seemed to be fully planned.  

     Here are a few samples, with the form in parenthesis:  

 

THE SHIPWRECK  

I sit at my desk. 

Desire is an anchor --- 

I lift it and words come up.

(Form: Katauta, 5-7-7)

                                                                                                                                                            

THAT MUSIC

Once I fell in love

with the music, not the man.

When the music played,

my heart moved like paper boats.

When it stopped, I was eighty.

(Form: Tanka, 5-7-5-7-7)

    If you are looking for a lighter poetry collection and don't know where to start, I recommend you look for something by Victoria Chang. This oddly shaped book is so inviting and easy to read.

Books I'm packing. Will there even be time to read?

• Theo the Golden by Allen Levi. This is a book club selection. The audiobook is 13 1/2 hours long. If I listen on the plane the whole way there and back I will get close to finishing it. 
• I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. I hadn't really planned to read this one, I wanted to listen to it but the e-book came in from the library, so I'll give it a go.
• The Tomb Guardians by Paul Griffin. Sunday is Easter. I understand this book is a meditation on the crucifiction. It is short and illustrated.
• Little Alleluias by Mary Oliver. My homage to Poetry Month.
• And a big book to take to the pool/beach: either Seven Sisters or Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay. Both are over 400 pages. Gulp. What am I thinking that I'll go to Hawai'i and spend the whole time reading? But what if I do? I can't be caught without something to read. P.S.-I changed my mind. I will NOT take a big book with me. Four books seems like plenty, probably over-the-top!

A Little Easter Humor:

Holy Bunny?!
I've been laughing about this all week.
Happy Easter!

Aloha!

-Anne