Teacher. Lifter. Lyricist.
Hello friends! Books Oh, so many books! The novel Theo of Golden by Allen Levi and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, William Kamkwamba’s memoir coauthored with Bryan Mealer, are my top two picks. In both books, the protagonists move the story forward with their desire to contribute goodness, to create healing, and to right past wrongs. As Theo … More Get Lit – Best of May 2026
Greetings and good wishes! Books I’m revisiting several classics as they are included in my 1732 page short story anthology. Lu Xun’s Diary of a Madman is a narrative about paranoia. In Diary of a Madman, the protagonist believes his neighbors and family member are cannibals and that they are planning to eat him (symbolically, it represents the … More Get Lit – Best of April 2026
Hi friends! Books I am on page 800 of a 2000 page short story anthology. There are multiple works in the tome that prompt me to consider the different paths one can take in life, but Zora Neale Hurston’s Sweat stands out. The story follows Delia, a washer woman whose beauty is ravaged by her abusive and … More Get Lit – Best of March 2026
Hi, friends! Quick Call to Action – I recently launched an Instagram for my homeschool business, @akiva.education (more here). I would be grateful if you could give me a follow and pass the profile along to friends who want access to fun activities for vocabulary and reading comprehension. Books Now that I’m an entrepreneur, I am even … More Get Lit – Best of February 2026
Let’s start the new year off right! Books I have a 2000 page anthology of short stories that I intend to read this year. I enjoyed The Company of Wolves by Angela Carter (and hope to watch the adapted movie—trailer here). This was a haunting re-envisioning of Little Red Riding Hood. It forced me to consider the very … More Get Lit – Best of January 2026
Hello friends!I hope you are making the most of the final days of 2025 and that you reached your goals for health, professional growth, and personal fulfillment. Sometimes I forget that life is not a series of tasks to complete, but a process that creates meaning. I often find myself working from a sense of … More Get Lit – Best of December 2025
Greetings, friends! Books This month I finished the book The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara. This episode in history was new to me, and the book captured the time period and its complexities in a thrilling narrative. As Italy was in the throes of turmoil, slowly breaking from papal rule and coming under greater European influence (read: enlightenment), … More Get Lit – Best of November 2025
Greetings, friends! Books I read the original Hebrew version of Achinoam (King Saul’s Wife) by Tami Ezer. I happen to love Biblical fiction. There is so much missing from the Old Testament, it’s easy to reinterpret the events according to other characters—in this case Achinoam. The story was compelling and familiar, and I am glad I read … More Get Lit – Best of October 2025
Hey everybody! Books I’ve noticed that my little students have the uncanny ability to live in the moment. They are inconsolable one minute when they think they’ve lost their lunch box, and skipping down the walkway when they realize it’s attached to their backpack. These little munchkins don’t hold grudges either. Whatever happened yesterday, stays … More Get Lit – Best of September 2025
Greetings, all! Books: I am reading an amazing book by Betty Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. What makes this text so special is the blending of philosophy and practice. Ms. Edwards instructs the reader through various drawing exercises, teaching the reader how to “see” and then translate the sights to paper. The … More Get Lit – Best of August 2025
Find the balance. 