Tall Tales from Kansas

My name is Carol. I live in Kansas. I write about stuff that happens to me as I walk through the world. Most of it is true.

recent posts

Category: Books

  • to know better is to do better

    James by Percival Everett is my latest finish on the libby app. It’s been on my list for a bit. I read Tom Sawyer, and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn many, many, years ago. This story has me considering a re-read of the Huckleberry Finn tale. I do not recall in any detail exactly what…

  • you might want a pencil on the nightstand

    I just finished this little treasure of a book, Foster by Claire Keegan. A short story if you will, about a young girl who is sent to live with relatives when her mother is about to have yet another baby. The reader senses that things are hard at home, not enough food to go around,…

  • how our stories can define us

    The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (nd his mother) is the tale of a 63 year old Lebanese man living with his mom in Beirut. It starts in 2023 but moves back and forth in time to provide context for all the things happening in the present. As an adult, Raja is a…

  • … giving the reader the feeling that he knows what he is writing about

    I recently finished listening to The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb. It’s been on my list for a bit and when it came up on my Libby app I settled in. Insert big, deep sigh here – let me just tell you the first part of it is hard. The writer is setting things…

  • are we inevitable

    I recently finished listening to Vigil by George Saunders. It is read by a cast of narrators, which was initially a bit off-putting to me, but I got used to it fairly quickly. I wasn’t sure I was going to read it, after the rather less than favorable (to put in kindly) review in the…

  • it’s a real gem

    If you have not been properly introduced to “black squares” from Bath England… please allow me to facilitate your getting acquainted. These are some amazing, unusual, extremely delightful, crackers that are the perfect pairing with a triple cream brie and a pour of your favorite crisp white wine. The olives, nuts, and dried cherries are…

  • parables and soliloquies

    There has been a lot of buzz out there in the world of reading about Levi of Golden by Allen Levi. I decided to read it after a friend of mine read it in her book group and thought I might like it. In the end, I really wanted to like it more than I…

  • on the wings of dragonflies

    Yesterday, to my great delight, there was a Huff + 1 lunch club meeting at 3rd Street Social on Main in Kansas City. I am not being one bit flip when I say that these women are an integral part of my mental health strengthening program. We are each “lifing” (life as verb?) it in…

  • following the lines

    It was with that wonderful feeling of sadness, delight, and deep comfort all rolled into one, that I finished The Correspondent by Virginia Evans last night. Despite all the hype about this book, I really dug in with no specific expectations, except that it was written in the form of communication (letters, emails) through the…

  • grateful he left these words for us

    After my last “book focused” post, where I mentioned that I may have pushed one of the main characters who was lost at sea overboard, I recognized a need to return to some pure comfort in the reading arena. Those who have been following along for awhile know about the two series I reach for…