Between Fact and Fiction

American Breakdown by Jennifer Lunden

Posted on February 19, 2025February 19, 2025 By Donna Miele

Lunden’s account of living with ME/CFS, chasing down therapies through the labyrinthine American health care system, digging into the shocking ways our system has permitted our lives to be pervaded by chemical toxins at every level while denying us the care we need, is a sobering eye-opener.

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Recent Fiction for Pure Enjoyment

Posted on February 17, 2025February 19, 2025 By Donna Miele

Erdrich’s mesmerizing, often wrenching, sometimes humorous style is all there in The Mighty Red, along with themes focusing on women’s lives, Native American culture meeting mainstream culture, environmental crisis, and the prime importance of soul to soul relationship.

Book reviews

The Liberated Rack: Tits Up by Sarah Thornton

Posted on January 7, 2025February 15, 2025 By Donna Miele

Breasts are complex signifiers, which makes it complicated to have them. In pursuit of the liberated rack.

Book reviews

Fiction on Well-being

Posted on October 25, 2024February 15, 2025 By Donna Miele

Updated November 12, 2024. They appear everywhere in fiction: complex worlds created around health and well-being. A few recent exemplary novels are reviewed below. I’ve just updated this to add State of Paradise by Laura van den Berg, published in summer 2024. Small Rain by Garth Greenwell is even hotter…

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Books on Chronic Health Issues

Posted on September 25, 2024January 25, 2025 By Donna Miele

This post is to introduce my process for writing a memoir on pain and the onset of lupus in a catastrophic first flare. I don’t think I could commit to a long form work about my experiences without a lot of books to help along the way.

Repotting Young Cattleyas for Summer Time Away

Posted on June 10, 2024January 25, 2025 By Donna Miele

I plan to spend as much time as I can outside this summer, and figured I should set up my orchids for spending a lot more time on their own. My young cattleyas, in particular, need a little more support. Let the repotting commence!

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