books – Page 12 – Karen Creamer Author, Coach, Speaker

Cardinal rule

January 19, 2012January 20, 2012 by Karen, posted in books, no fear, writing

I have a cardinal rule with books that stretches all the way back to my college years and here it is: I never write in a book. It feels like defacement to me to write in or on a book. I went through four years of college and two years of nursing school (not to … Continue reading Cardinal rule

Another book to read

January 11, 2012January 11, 2012 by Karen, posted in books, Date night, Marriage, relationships, writing

The Secret Lives of Wives: Women Share What It Really Takes to Stay Married by Iris Krasnow My rating: 4 of 5 stars I thought this book rocked. I was especially happy to find it when I did: at the end of my writing "How to Stay Married in Midlife" and launched the "Sharpen Your … Continue reading Another book to read

A very interesting book

January 9, 2012 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, baking, books, family, friends

Breaking Bread: Recipes and Stories from Immigrant Kitchens by Lynne Christy Anderson My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was mostly interested in the story told by the immigrant from Italy, and I was not disappointed. The woman's words were very compelling to me. She talked about the difference between growing up in Italian culture, … Continue reading A very interesting book

Finishing my (first) book

January 7, 2012 by Karen, posted in books, education, my one word, no fear, writing

My One Word (aka New Year's Resolution) for 2011 was to finish my book. Instead, I wrote a second one. What's that about? Well, what I told myself at the time was that I was following a strategy that Stephen King advocated in On Writing, where you put your "finished" manuscript into a drawer and … Continue reading Finishing my (first) book

Thoughts on writing

November 28, 2011 by Karen, posted in books, family, friends, my one word, no fear, Work from Home, writing

My first book written during NaNoWriMo 2010Okay, I was going to entitle this post "On Writing" but didn't want to piss Stephen King off. This is my second year participating in the NaNoWriMo challenge. For those of you that wonder what that alphabet soup of letters stands for, it's National Novel Writing Month and it … Continue reading Thoughts on writing

Marital strife and strength

November 20, 2011 by Karen, posted in books, Midlife Crisis, relationships

One of the things that my husband always says after an argument is "I don't feel connected". It's true; there is a disconnect that occurs not just during, but also after any, um, heated disagreements, and it can take a while to get back to that feel-good place of harmony in the aftermath. Sometimes it can just … Continue reading Marital strife and strength

Baking healthy

October 11, 2011October 11, 2011 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, baking, books, family, friends, health, quest for the best

No, that's not an oxymoron...or is it? I set out to bake some muffins that wouldn't comprise my total recommended caloric consumption for the entire day. It has not been an easy row to hoe (or is it 'road'? Whatever). First of all, I have a husband who will always tell me exactly what he thinks of … Continue reading Baking healthy

Susan Conley at Kennebooks

September 21, 2011September 21, 2011 by Karen, posted in books, friends, good grief, health, local fun, no fear, relationships, writing

Susan Conley recently came to Kennebooks to read from her book, The Foremost Good Fortune. Susan is a Mainer, raised in Woolwich. In addition to being a great writer, she is also a great reader. Maybe this is because (as we learned in her talk) Susan is a poetry teacher, and when she reads passages … Continue reading Susan Conley at Kennebooks

Angels at the beach

September 7, 2011September 7, 2011 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, books, family, good grief, local fun, Midlife Crisis, relationships

I was walking at the beach with my daughter and my husband the other day. I was thinking about how big she'd gotten, which led to thoughts of her at different ages throughout the years, and how I received that sign from my dad that I was pregnant with her. Of course, thinking about one … Continue reading Angels at the beach

Summer vacation (day 4)

August 29, 2011August 29, 2011 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, books, family, italian, local fun, yoga

Broke with routine and went to a second yoga class at Windsong Yoga. Housework (like taxes, no one gets a vacation from that!). Finished the book I was reading, Oxygen by Carol Wiley Cassella; didn't like the ending much. Spent an hour at the library leafing through magazines. Fun for free! 🙂 Sea Dogs game … Continue reading Summer vacation (day 4)