Michele Torrey's Blog, page 6

Alas, I have hit a bump in the road. The last time I gave an update regarding climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, things were looking good. I was exercising regularly, getting stronger, and even planning to run the Tacoma City half marathon on May 3. But I caught a cold two weeks ago which has since morphed into acute bronchitis. I’m coughing, wheezing, and rattling like a Model T on three wheels. I can hardly climb a staircase, much less run thirteen miles. I went to the doctor a couple of days ago and a

I remember once telling someone that I had spent several months preparing for a trip to Africa in 2007. This elicited raised eyebrows, followed by an unspoken vibe: “Geez Louise. Talk about overkill. Should be a snap. All you have to do is throw clothes and toothbrush in a suitcase.” I found myself explaining, but could see that I’d utterly lost them. Obviously, I was mismanaging everything.

Well, preparing for a five-week trip to Africa to climb a mountain is much more than throwing clothes in a

Progress Update: Okay, last week I was a total superwoman. I worked out everyday at the gym, lifted weights, did the stairmaster, ran for miles on the hamster wheel, until my knees finally reminded me that I’m no spring chicken. “Hey,” my knees protested, “Just who do you think you are? A spring chicken?” So, in the interests of keeping my knees happy, I’ve toned it back a little this week. That’s a good excuse, isn’t it? (What about eating handfuls of greasy potato chips? Is there an excuse for

Bones Rock!: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Paleontologist by Peter Larson




My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Most books for kids on the subject of paleontology serve up pretty much the same predictable soup full of dinosaur bones, fossils, and geological (yawn) history. Even the proposed activities can all start to sound the same, and, except for some cool illustrations every now and then, offer little in terms of anything new and exciting.

Not so for BONES ROCK! by Peter Larson and Kristin

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee




My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
In TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Harper Lee captures the essence of childhood amidst the tensions of a small southern town torn by prejudice and intolerance.

I don’t know how old I was when I first read TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD — eleven maybe, or twelve. As a child, I was immediately drawn into young Scout’s world. Like her, I worshiped her father, Atticus. And like her brother, Jem, I wept the tears of a child in the face of blatant, h

Like most writers, I dread the blank page. Some particularly nasty blank pages have stared at me for hours while my brain slowly disintegrated. Yet, like diarrhea after a double dose of Ex-Lax, a blank page is, alas, unavoidable. After all, every printed page in existence was, at one time, nastily blank.

Enter jumping jacks for writers. Guaranteed to deliver creative oxygen to those mushy cerebral cells.

Here’s how it works:

Write just one sentence. Doesn’t matter what it is, just write a sentence.

This Saturday, March 28, I’ll be participating in “Earth Hour” from 8:30-9:30 at night. Whatever time zone you live in, wherever you are, it’s an hour that belongs to Earth. We owe her that much, at least.

So tomorrow at my designated time, I’ll switch off all my lights, TV, computer, etc., light a candle or two, and simply enjoy an unplugged evening with my husband and kitty. Maybe we’ll tell ghost stories. Or maybe he’ll play the guitar and we’ll sing.  Maybe we’ll take a stroll outside and see

The Promise by Chaim Potok




My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
“The Promise” is a poignant story about a young Jewish man living in New York City during the aftermath of WWII. Studying to be a rabbi, Reuven Malter finds himself caught between conservative and liberal Judaism, a tension that has especial relevance today both inside and outside the Jewish religion. The vivid cast of characters and the compelling storyline render Judaism, in all its theological shades and complexities, both understa

The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks




My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really, really wanted to enjoy this book. And on one level, I did. I enjoyed the setting, the Civil War so realistically and unapologetically rendered, the poetic descriptions, and uncommon dialogue. But on another level, I found myself not able to connect with the main characters. At times I found the characters to be so darkly introspective as to cross the line into the unbelievable. I do admire the story itself though

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry




My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
In A FINE BALANCE, the finely-drawn characters eke out a living amidst the crushing poverty of India. These invisible, untouchable people have names, yearnings, and an innate sense of justice that is pitted against a cold, abusive, caste-bound India. The sheer horror of it all rivals Slumdog Millionaire, yet there is enough comic relief so that the story is not only bearable but stunningly evocative, equally heart-warming and h