by 4 comments

The Triad of Love

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes, 6 seconds
Packing Day

Honor Roll of Donors

All donors, regardless of the amount of their contribution, are appreciated for their support, encouragement, and love.

Among the comments that inspired me to climb were:

“Your climb is recognizing a great cause. Your commitment and dedication to causes close to your heart are commendable. Keep up the good work.” – Roger and Sandra Held.

Richard, everyone should use your words to continue through life. Climb, Conquer, Cure Cancer. Good luck and success on your climb to the top.” – United Way of Hudson County.

Richard, your love and devotion are heartwarming.” – Anonymous.

The Donors to My 2025 Big Climb!

  1. Alan Diamond
  2. Alison Recca-Ryan
  3. Andrea L. Zukowitz
  4. Anonymous
  5. Anonymous
  6. Anonymous
  7. Arnold Cohen
  8. Art Jetthree
  9. Barbara Gavin
  10. Betty Thomas
  11. Bruce Davidson
  12. Bruce and Lois Tangowski
  13. Carolyn  Lewis-Spruill
  14. Catherine Felegi
  15. Cindy  Hannen
  16. Danny Altilio
  17. David Brown
  18. David Buckman
  19. Deborah and Ron Thomas
  20. Diahann W. Lassus
  21. Diane Riley
  22. Edythe Ben-Israel
  23. Ellen  McHenry
  24. Ellen Lieberman
  25. Jane Park
  26. Jo Ann Boyle
  27. Joe Masciandaro
  28. Joyce Campbell
  29. Judy Waller
  30. June Brown
  31. Kathleen Murray
  1. Kathryn Lynch
  2. Katie Brennan
  3. Kevin Garron
  4. Laverne  Williams
  5. Louis Pantoliano
  6. Marc and Pam Bain
  7. Mark Annett
  8. Merrill Altberg
  9. Michael Daigle
  10. Nancy McGraw
  11. Nancy McMenamin Fallin
  12. Paul Nilsen
  13. Rev. Howard A Bryant, Sr.
  14. Rhoda and Bruce Miller
  15. Richard & Meridith Uniacke
  16. Riverview Landscapes
  17. Robert Hutchins
  18. Roberta Krumholz
  19. Roger and Sandra Held
  20. Ron and Laura Weening
  21. Sangeeta Prasad Benbow
  22. Skip Winter
  23. Staci Berger
  24. Steve Clayton
  25. Sue Marcus
  26. Susan Milan
  27. The Mane Event Salon
  28. The Mazza Company
  29. United Way of Hudson County
  30. Vasilios Zavolas

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6

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How to Read a Book: A Novel

Read: May 2024

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How to Read a Book: A Novel

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I started reading Monica Wood‘s “How to Read a Book: A Novel” today. It’s a heartfelt and uplifting story about a chance encounter at a bookstore—the novel delves into themes of redemption, unlikely friendships, and the life-changing power of sharing stories. With Monica Wood’s characteristic heart, wit, grace, and understanding, the novel illuminates the decisions that shape a life and the kindnesses that make life meaningful.

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Their lives unexpectedly intersect one morning in a bookstore in Portland, Maine. Violet buys the novel she read in the prison book club before her release, Harriet selects the following title for the remaining women, and Frank fulfills his duties as the store handyman. Their encounters set off a chain of events that will profoundly change them.

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Read: August 2024

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The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

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Today, I started reading Junot Diaz‘s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, one of The New York Times’ 100 Best Books of the Century. The book also won a Pulitzer Prize. Oscar is a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd who—from the New Jersey home he shares with his old-world mother and rebellious sister—dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, finding love.

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Read: April 2025

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The Tokyo Suite

by Giovana Madalosso

I recently dove into The Tokyo Suite by Giovana Madalosso, expertly translated by Bruna Dantas Lobato. This captivating book represents the English-language debut of one of Brazil’s most thrilling contemporary voices. It intricately unravels the complexities of modern family dynamics, diving deep into the hidden tensions that simmer just beneath the surface of everyday life. Each page draws you in, inviting you to explore the rich tapestry of emotions and experiences that define our relationships.

It’s a seemingly ordinary morning when Maju, a nanny, boards a bus with Cora, the young girl she’s been caring for and disappears. The abduction, an act as impulsive as it is extreme, sets off a series of events that will force each character to confront their deepest fears and desires.

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Giovana Madalosso is a Brazilian writer and screenwriter born in Curitiba in 1975. She has been a finalist for the Biblioteca Nacional Award and the São Paulo Prize of Literature. The Tokyo Suite is her English-language debut.

Bruna Dantas Lobato is a fiction writer and translator. Her translation of Stênio Gardel‘s The Words That Remain won the 2023 National Book Award for Translated Literature. Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker,  Guernica, A Public Space, and The Common. Raised in Natal, Brazil, she is an incoming Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Grinnell College.

When you purchase a book through one of my links, I earn a small commission that helps support my passion for reading. This contribution allows me to buy even more books to share with you, creating an incredible cycle of discovering great reads together! Your support truly makes a difference!

Enjoy a limited-time offer of 20% off your next book purchase at Bookshop.org!

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Read: June 2023

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A Line in the Sand: A Novel

by Kevin Powers

Today I started reading A Line in the Sand: A Novel by Kevin Powers. Listed as one of the books to read this week by The New York Times, which described it as “a stunning novel. Kevin Powers provides what any discerning reader desires the most — complex and flawed characters, precise use of language, succinct description, and believable dialogue.”

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The Jan Lilien Education Fund sponsors ongoing sustainability and environmental awareness programs. Gifts made this month; I will match dollar-for-dollar. All donations are tax-deductible.

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Read: February 2025

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Stone Yard Devotional: A Novel

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Today, I dove into Charlotte Wood‘s captivating novel, “Stone Yard Devotional.” I couldn’t resist picking it up after discovering a glowing review by Joumana Khatib. She expressed her fondness for the book in the New York Times Book Review Newsletter, saying, “I’m still so enamored of Charlotte Wood’s novel.” It’s impressive that this work was a finalist for the Booker Prize last year! I’m eager to read the book to determine if it is a “love story,” as Ms. Khatib believes.

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When you purchase a book through one of my links, I earn a small commission that helps support my passion for reading. This contribution allows me to buy even more books to share with you, creating an incredible cycle of discovering great reads together! Your support truly makes a difference!

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Read: October 2019

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Stony the Road

by Henry Louis Gates Jr

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I read this book when Jan began her chemotherapy. Although the book’s subject – the retreat from reconstruction – was one I studied in college, at times, I found it hard to focus on the material and my wife’s health at the same time. I stayed on the stony road as it is a subject we need to understand if we are going to correct the past failures.

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