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2020 Book ReviewsBook ClubBook ReviewBookswriting

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2020 Book ReviewsBook ClubBook Review

Recent Reads & Recommendations!

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Women’s History Month – Alice C. Smith! (19)

women

Women’s History Month – Elsie Talmage Brandley! (18)

women

Women’s History Month – Amy Brown Lyman! (17)

women

Women’s History Month – Jane Manning! (16)

women

Women’s History Month – Susan B. Anthony! (15)

women

Women’s History Month – Emmaline B. Wells! (14)

women

Women’s History Month: Martha Cragun Cox! (13)

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Amy Makechnie

I live in the country with four delicious children. Their father brought me here. And is also delicious. I'm a writer, and especially like to tell stories with pictures...which often include the next door neighbors (show donkeys and cows). Welcome to our yard!

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amymakechnie

Amy Makechnie
In case you wondered if Brynne was having the wors In case you wondered if Brynne was having the worst time on Mountain Classroom with no phone, no social media, and just people 😊 (and a sleeping bag under the stars). @proctoracademy
Another recent read that I really liked. Matty M h Another recent read that I really liked. Matty M has deep thoughts - and while you read you can hear his voice in your head the entire time (not entirely bad 😉) Alright, alright, alright... The memoirs I read are usually written by women. This felt strikingly different - strikingly confident. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . #memoir #books #bookish #bookstagram #matthewmcconaughey #booklover #bookshelf #bookish #read #reading #goodbooks #readingtime #bookstagrammer #booknerd #authorsofinstagram
Book Recommendation: The Fire Next Time, James Ba Book Recommendation: The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin Read broadly and deeply, and when you do, you get a glimpse of a person’s heart and soul. James Baldwin is a masterful writer. Here it is, his heart and soul. “Everything now, we must assume, is in our hands...if we - and I mean the relatively conscious whites and the relatively conscience blacks, who must, like lovers, insist on, or create, the consciousness of the others - do not falter in our duty now, we may be able, handful that we are, to end the racial nightmare, and achieve our country, and change the history of the world. If we do not dare everything, the fulfillment of that prophecy, re-created from the Bible in song by a slave, is upon us: God gave Noah the rainbow sign, No more water, the fire next time!” 🔥 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #books #jamesbaldwin #bookstagram #goodbooks #bookshelf #read #reading #readersofinstagram #booklover #bookrecommendations #booknerd @oprahsbookclub #readmorebooks #read
Artie making plans to go back to college with Cope Artie making plans to go back to college with Cope this week.
It makes me SO HAPPY to see you reading Guinevere It makes me SO HAPPY to see you reading Guinevere St. Clair! “I love that there’s always action and a mystery happening. You never know what’s going to happen next.” -Audrey I saw Audrey in a parking lot the other day and she yelled, “I loved the book - when is the next one coming?!” And I yelled back, “July!” and the whole gang fist-pumped the sky and pretty much made my life 😍 Thank you, Audrey 🙏 (and @mollypetersenleith 📸 ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #guineverestclair #reading #mg #mglit #childrensauthorloop #childrensbooks #read #authorsofinstagram #author #writersofinstagram #bookstagram #books #middlegrade #bookalicious
This is America ❤️ “The new dawn blooms as This is America ❤️ “The new dawn blooms as we free it, for there was always light if only we're brave enough to see it, if only we're brave enough to be it.” @amandascgorman
Today feels like a good day to ask. David Brooks Today feels like a good day to ask. David Brooks writes, “As T. S. Eliot observed, the chief illusion of modern political activity is the belief that you can build a system so perfect that the people in it do not have to be good. The reality is that democracy and the economy rest upon a foundation, which is society… Society and culture are prior to and more important than politics or the market. The health of society depends on voluntary unselfishness.” As members of this society, it is our inauguration, too. Today and every day. Thx for this thought today in your newsletter @theworkout.today #inauguration #inauguration2021 #democracy #2021 #tseliot #biden #kamalaharris #mlk #mlkquotes
Today’s thought in the watercolor journal 💫 Today’s thought in the watercolor journal 💫 A piece of a poem I’ve long loved. Rise 💫 To higher things, America. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #art #poem #watercolor #warercolorlettering #tennyson #artwork #artoftheday #poetry #rise #higher #journal #watercolorjournal
There has been a Brynne (and Sasha & Tahg!) spotti There has been a Brynne (and Sasha & Tahg!) spotting! They are on Mountain Classroom for the next two months. The first night of sleep was under the skies of Red Rock, Nevada. No tech, no tent, all stars. From there they will go to the deserts of Utah. One backpack. One sleeping bag. Lots of grit. So cool. We desperately await a handwritten letter and a phone call in February 🥳 wouldn’t it be great for us all to turn off the news and the phones and take a giant time out? 🙏 desert paparazzi 📸 @proctoracademy
Walking and running and being outside keeps me san Walking and running and being outside keeps me sane during the frigid month of January in New Hampshire. There’s this saying I have adopted the last few years: don’t be a whiner :) And also, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes.” I have used this heavily to my advantage 😍 But truly, if you are warm, winter is magical and invigorating and something to embrace. There is a Nordic concept (thx @cloughkarin ) called “friluftsliv” (free-loofts-liv) which translates to “open air living” - to see and be among the greenery and water and forests strengthens mental and physical abilities. So while I detest being cold, I force myself outside multiple times a day. The worries don’t completely disappear, but they are more easily left behind. I highly recommend the good earth 🌍 as therapy. Live like a Nordic babe. It’s a natural high (dopamine!)
THREE KEYS 🔑 by @kellyyanghk is the sequel to h THREE KEYS 🔑 by @kellyyanghk is the sequel to her wonderful middle grade debut, FRONT DESK, featuring irresistible protagonist Mia Tang. I love stories that are taken from real life. Yang’s family immigrated to the US when Kelly was young and they really did live in a motel that her parents ran. Kelly is a terrific writer. Her passion for immigration reform and equality is palpable. I loved many lines: “A wise person once told me that there are two roller coasters in America - one for the the poor and one for the rich. I’ve only been on one of those roller coasters, and I thought I was never going to get off.” “He (Dad) still pulls a square from the toilet paper roll to wipe his nose instead of using a Kleenex. It’s like he doesn’t believe any of this is real - that if he doesn’t save every penny, it’ll all disappear.” “I’ll tell you something, if those illegals keep coming, there’ll be nothin’ left for the rest of us...I glared at them from the side of my eyes. The term illegals was so mean...” “I looked the officer right in the eyes and said, ‘We’re not asking for trouble. We’re asking for kindness.’” In the author’s note, Kelly talks about being 10 years old when Prop 187 passed, which prohibited undocumented immigrants from using non-emergency health care and education. Immigration is so complex, but the fallout was real people stopped getting medical care and 3-400,000 undocumented children were not going to school. Kelly writes, “By not giving hardworking immigrants with no criminal convictions a realistic path to citizenship, undocumented immigrants are left fending for themselves in the dark, vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, misinformation, and hopelessness. My biggest hope in writing this book is that it will give people a better understanding of the circumstances facing undocumented immigrants so that we can enact better policy.” Highly recommended middle-grade read for all to read. In 2018, I sat by Kelly on a panel in Baltimore, MD. She is lovely ☺️(and a fighter :) #books #bookstagram #mg #reading #bookreview #bookworm #booklover #bookstagrammer
Knowing that Lord Tennyson, the elder schnauzer in Knowing that Lord Tennyson, the elder schnauzer in the home is named after a great poet, Artie gave it a try: Oh stick Beloved stick So sticklike And Yum The End #soproud #poet #AforEffort #sticksareyummy
As @onegirlvienna travels the west, it makes me so As @onegirlvienna travels the west, it makes me so happy to see she’s taken Guinevere St. Clair with her. Thank you! 😍🙏🥳 footnote: daughter says, “why can’t we be as cool as they are?” #ethneyviennagoals @thedigitalwitch #vienna 💕 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #mglit #authorsofinstagram #guineverestclair #books #reading #travel #whatimreading @simonandschuster
This is the winter of our lives...but here comes t This is the winter of our lives...but here comes the sun ☀️
This painting, In Her Image by @thecoloramber hang This painting, In Her Image by @thecoloramber hangs in front of me on my desk and is taped into the first page of my 2021 planner. I am obsessed with both the beauty and the accompanying words. Nothing is recorded in scripture about a Heavenly Mother but if we have a Father, surely we have a mother, too 💕 “You began with Her. You are a reflection of Her - handmade and carefully, precisely composed. Your hair, your eyes, your skin, your soul: it all began with Her. You are created out of all the good that She is and She placed in you the same goodness, to remind you of Home. To remind you of Her. She breathed Her empathy, patience, gentleness into your heart. She crafted Her intellect, creativity, and wondering into your mind. She shaped curves, bones, softness, and strength, and gently put them in place. Every inch of you is a painting of Her. She lives in your heart, your mind, your curves, and strength and softness. She proudly watches as you learn and lift and serve. She quietly listens to your questions, searching and longing. She holds you and rocks you the through your struggles and mourning and prayers. You began with Her. And she continues with you.” In Her Image @thecoloramber 🔥❤️🔥
New year, new calendar! Yes, I have a Google calen New year, new calendar! Yes, I have a Google calendar but I also have a @leuchtturm1917 #bulletjournal that I adore. I love the actual drawing of the calendar and filling it in, using different pens and colors. It’s very therapeutic. The “Future Log” is essential - everything gets recorded; I’m constantly referring to it. I need the Spending and Workout log (I also use apps) to keep me accountable to me 😊 After this goes my “Daily” pages where I have a daily schedule and to-do lists. I don’t do a lot of the traditional bullet journal markings, but that the beauty of it - you do what works for you. If I lost this...ugh. This also doubles as my journal and inspiration recording. Everything is in one place. It also has an Index at the beginning, so you can always find what you’re looking for. At the moment I’m drooling over @lidl.doodle ‘s pages and artwork! It’s so fun and feeds the artist soul. How are you keeping track of life? ps my journal is the color of a cranberry. another happiness boost. pps I’d like to try the @fullfocusplanner someday...
There they go! For the next two months Brynne and There they go! For the next two months Brynne and peeps will be on Mountain Classroom in the deserts of Utah. I’m already anticipating that first water colored postcard. Have the best time! Paige is adjusting to almost-only-child status by promptly moving into Brynne’s room while puppy Artie aka Beast Baby is ripping apart a precious roll of toilet paper. We cope the best we can. #mountainclassroom #proctoracademy @b.makechnie @sasha.mackenzie @a.mack70 📸 cred :)
Just reminding myself that marrying a man who bake Just reminding myself that marrying a man who bakes me bagels and copycat Levain chocolate chip cookies was a real power move. Sometimes we still daydream about opening a little cafe or bed and breakfast, but mostly he cooks and I eat. If you visit, we will feed you too. Love you, G! ❤️🎉❤️ @makechniegregor
I posted this one year ago today. We could feel I posted this one year ago today. We could feel a big year ahead of us - and it was - but not at all like I was expecting! He is calling up His queens. Still love that line. We were called and YES we did good work. Life as we knew it kindof burned down. And now there IS more understanding of who we are and what we’re capable of. That’s probably true after every year and every trial. As @akage_girl says, “people basically suck and miracles happen” (she helps me and @tamarcerafici keep things in a slightly sarcastic perspective:) I’m posting this again partly for reflection and because I’m proud of what we did - even if it was merely surviving. Survival means we kept on living and I’m really glad you’re here. Queens, may we continue to rise. Happy 2021 ⭐️ . . . . . . . . #queens #2021 #reflection #riseup #called #chosen #rise #stillirise #newyear #newyear2021 @emilybellefreeman
See ya, 2020! We...survived 🥳 . #2020 #wesurv See ya, 2020! We...survived 🥳 . #2020 #wesurvived2020 #OhYesWeDid #onagoodnote #happynewyear
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Recent Posts

  • Meet the New Baby…
  • Subscribe to My Author Newsletter!
  • Recent Reads & Recommendations!
  • Women’s History Month – Alice C. Smith! (19)
  • Women’s History Month – Elsie Talmage Brandley! (18)
  • Women’s History Month – Amy Brown Lyman! (17)
  • Women’s History Month – Jane Manning! (16)
  • Women’s History Month – Susan B. Anthony! (15)
  • Women’s History Month – Emmaline B. Wells! (14)
  • Women’s History Month: Martha Cragun Cox! (13)

Some Favorites:

Rebecca
The Good Earth
Ella Enchanted
James and the Giant Peach
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Glitter and Glue
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Me Before You
The Husband's Secret
Orphan Train
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Still Alice
Rising Strong
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
What Alice Forgot
The Hypnotist's Love Story
On Living


Amy Makechnie's favorite books »

Words I Like

“It is not always on the great or the important that the balance of the universe depends.”

-Madeline L’Engle, A Wind in the Door

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© 2021 maisymak.

  • Amy’s Books
  • Author Website
  • Food
  • Favorite Posts
  • Book Reviews
    • 2019 Book Reviews
    • 2018 Book Review
    • 2017 Book Review
    • 2016 Book Review
    • 2015 Book Review
    • 2014 Book Review
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