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Book Reviews: January 2018

January 31, 2018 By Talya Tate Boerner

Book Reviews January 2018

Book Reviews January 2018:

Long, cold January is the perfect month for reading. I did quite a bit of it. As I began to look back on the books I read in January, I realized they all leaned heavily on the theme of relationship. Whether set in crowded Calcutta, the migrant farm fields of south Florida, or a New York insane asylum, interaction with family, neighbors, friends, home, and even complete strangers made for compelling storytelling. Stephen King calls books portable magic. Charles William Eliot referred to books as his quiet, constant companions.

My January books certainly provided quiet, constant companionship as they magically transported me to Iowa, Ohio, a front porch in Mississippi. I even made a few new friends.Continue Reading

these clouds in Texas…

January 19, 2018 By Talya Tate Boerner

These clouds in TexasHey everyone! I’m dropping in to show you these clouds in Texas, AND telling you I haven’t been kidnapped or worse. I’ve been traveling. For the most part, traveling has kept me unplugged. (A good thing sometimes, right?)

I take lots and lots of pictures every day. This morning, when I looked back through some of my recent photos, I thought this one, in particular, was worth sharing.

Last week, these clouds in Texas greeted me as I drove south beyond the Red River.

When I was a kid, I spent lots of time staring at the clouds, naming the shapes, watching them sail over our house light as goose feathers. Now, as an adult, I don’t spend nearly enough time looking up.

I suspect none of us do.

Well, farmers might.

When I first moved to Waco for college, I remember telling Daddy about the clouds. I told him they were different in Waco. He stared at me like I was crazy and said nothing. At the time, I thought the land and the clouds spread wider than at home which seems impossible (and yes, crazy) when home is pancake flat delta farmland. Now, looking back, the trees probably played a part in my perspective. The trees in Waco were shrubbier and squattier than those at home. The trees made the sky above more expansive.

Under those clouds, I felt smaller.Continue Reading

Today will not be perfect.

June 9, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner

Today will not be perfect.

Today will not be perfect. But within this imperfect day, there will be snippets of perfection. That’s what I’ve come to expect. It’s what I believe and notice. I thought about this as I pulled weeds and came upon this pansy smiling at me, expecting nothing at all, barely even asking for soil.

I thought about this earlier, as I made breakfast. I’d already written for an hour or two. I easily lose track of time until the dogs remind me, or I discover I need food.

John and I enjoyed near perfect breakfasts while in Iceland. I can duplicate that at home. Sort of.

Breakfast at home.

Everything looks super perfect on social media. We post our best pictures, clean homes, good hair days. I’m guilty of it, not because I want to reflect perfection. Rather, I imagine folks would prefer to see flowers blooming than the weeds mushrooming along my drive.

Believe me, I have weeds.

And I look at them plenty. I spend time nearly every day pulling them. Continue Reading

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Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (2022)

THE THIRD ACT OF THEO GRUENE (coming 2025)

Recent Ramblings:

  • Sunday Letter: 11.23.25
  • Maggie and Miss Ladybug: My New Children’s Nature Book
  • Sunday Letter: November 9, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: Oct 26, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: Oct 5, 2025

Novels:

Coloring Books:

Fiction-Themed Coloring Books

Backyard Phenology:

Children’s Nature Book:

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