Family vacation–an exercise in character building
We were supposed to leave yesterday. Finally, about an hour ago, we squeezed ourselves into the car. All five of us. We’re going to travel 5100 miles. Together. In a car. 5100 miles. Now, mind you, we all have special needs. Two have autism, one has Alzheimer’s, one has ADD (my husband) and one is riddled with a genetic propensity toward anxiety. (I come from a long line of nervous people.) My husband has ADD. I don’t know if you’ve ever ridden in a car driven by someone with ADD.Straight lines are an abstraction. I...
read moreThe case of the disappearing fingerprints
There’s nowhere to hide. Unless, maybe, you don’t have fingerprints. Years back I wrote a novel during NaNoWriMo where one of the characters had to scan her hand to access her office. I was rather proud of my cutting-edge technological knowledge back then. In those days, such a premise was nothing more than science fiction. It ain’t no more. As I work toward my degree in Special Education, I have to go through an extensive background check to student teach. Part of this background check (required by my college, not the...
read moreStrong Girl: Malala Yousafzai
Imagine riding the bus home from school and being ambushed by the taliban because you blog about girls getting an education. This is what happened to Malala Yousafzai on a Tuesday, October 9, 2012. The young militants opened fire on the bus, shot Malala in the head and neck, wounded two others, and left them for dead. They thought they’d silenced Malala forever but they were wrong. She survived and has continued to spread her message that a girls’ education benefits everyone. It reduces mortality rates, increases lifetime wage...
read moreDad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan 5/5 stars
There are just so many reasons why this book is epic. First of all, it’s written by a dad. Second, it’s written by a dad who loves his kids Third, it’s written by a dad who adores his wife Fourth, it’s written by a dad who is a conservative who takes his kids to church Fifth, it’s written by a dad who is a comedian in secular clubs and on TV — and he’s clean. In the book, he talks about how he never intended to be “family friendly,” he just is. It’s full of hilarious anecdotes and...
read moreThe Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani — 4.5/5 stars
I don’t know where I’ve been and why I’ve not heard of Adriana Trigiani but here is an author I can’t get enough of. Actually, I think I have read her before, but until I re-read her Big Gap book, I’m not positive. Funny how that happens. This book was kind of surreal for me because it mentioned places I had actually been while traveling from Indiana to New Jersey. And this is the same time I read the book. I spent the night in Youngstown, Ohio on my journey there and back and that’s where the Macaroni...
read moreI’m baaaaaaack
It’s been too long since I got to blog and I miss it! Juggling life and a book deadline are a huge challenge. But with God’s grace, I’ve emerged from the cave with my mind still intact. (Okay, fine, so that’s a subjective opinion. But just because some people think sitting on the roof singing “Yellow Submarine” is crazy doesn’t mean it is.) This deadline was extremely difficult for Mr. Himself. I’m hoping next time I get a contract my deadline won’t be so pressing. But hey, when you get...
read moreBlogging from a bookstore
So this is a first for me. I’m blogging from Barnes and Noble with a delicious lemonade passion tea drink and cheese soup to keep me nourished. I’m experimenting. I originally intended to go to the “big city” library since I came to the “big city” (Fort Wayne) (let’s face it, any population with more than one grocery store is a big city compared to where I live). I had to come today to get my teeth cleaned. And since there is no bookstore or cafe in town where I can be anonymous (I don’t need my...
read moreThe Daring Ladies of Lowell by Kate Alcott — 4 out of 5 stars
I love historical fiction and when it features a strong and feisty heroine who is true to her ideals, I think I like it most. This book fit the bill. Alice is a farm girl with a dictatorial father. She chooses to leave the farm after her mother dies to work at the cotton mills in Lowell, Massachusetts. While working there, she takes on the cause of the working conditions of the mill. She also advocates for justice for her friend who is killed by a local minister. It’s the treatment of the Methodist movement in this book that causes me...
read moreThe All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg — 5 out of 5 stars
I’m a long, long, long-time Fannie Flagg, author fan. One of my all-time favorite movies is Fried Green Tomatoes. Fannie Flagg wrote that. I love books that explore the lives of women. That’s one of the reasons I wrote my novel, The Pastor’s Wife Wears Biker Boots. I yearn for good girlfriend relationships, but I think they’re really difficult. I think women’s lives are complex as they wrestle with their identity and who they are besides mom and wife. This book is just as funny and fresh as I expected it to be....
read moreWhy I don’t trust mascara
There are a few things in life I don’t trust. Take mascara for example. How do I know which one to buy? There’s mascara that makes your lashes long, others that make them thick. Then there’s 24-hour mascara, waterproof mascara and smudge-proof mascara. But how do I know they really do all those things? I mean, what if every brand of mascara is really just the same thing mixed in the same pot and put in different tubes with different shaped brushes? Fact is, there’s no way of knowing, really. As a conspiracy theorist, I...
read moreWelcome!
Karla Akins is the best-selling author of several historical biographies, novels and more. When she's not writing, you may find her zooming down the road on her motorcycle or looking for treasure.
Connect with Me
What I'm Reading Now