I never found out how many hits this list article actually got, but holy cow, it went mini-viral amongst Latvian-Americans on Facebook. I’ve never felt so popular. I think it got a little mini-surge again this summer after the festival. Last year I checked off a whopping 19 items (golf is for lame-os), but this … More 20 Things To Do at 4-2 Weekend
My second of two articles about the Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Hamilton, Canada was largely based on interviews I conducted with everyone and anyone that I could find on the final evening, and I hit the jackpot when I sat down for an extended conversation with the very patient and enthusiastic music educator … More Latvian Song and Dance Festival Draws Enthusiastic Crowds to Hamilton
This was the first article I wrote for the website Latvians Online. They had received my name from a friend and fellow dancer who had recommended me to be their press rep at the Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Hamilton, Canada. The big bonus (besides the joy of writing, of course) was a press … More North American Song and Dance Festival Feels Influence of Troupes from Latvia
I was honored last November when fellow Latvian blogger Liene of Femme au foyer invited me to be one of roughly 24 contributors to her holiday extravaganza collection, “24 Days of Baltic Christmas.” We were each asked to share a special memory or trait of what a Latvian (or Lithuanian, or Estonian) Christmas means to … More A Baltic Christmas Day 2 – The Not-So-Jolly Fat Man of Latvian Christmas
Five Star review, originally posted here in April 2014. I should note that I did the audiobook version of this book, which I believe makes a huge difference in how it is experienced. The author does his own reading, and so you get a sense of exactly how he wants you to hear his own … More Goodreads Review: Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
Four Star review, originally posted here on June 4, 2014. This book needed to be written, and I am glad that it was taken on by the capable hands of Applebaum. At the very beginning I was disappointed to see that she chose to only focus on three countries, and that Soviet satellites were excluded … More Goodreads Review: Iron Curtain : The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1945-1956 by Anne Applebaum
Four Star review, originally posted here on June 18, 2014. The writing in this book is severely lacking, and for the first half or so I would have rated it at three stars. But the truth of the matter is, this book, no matter how well or poorly written, is SUPER INTERESTING. The subject matter … More Goodreads Review: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
Four Star review, originally posted here on July 8, 2014. I was really looking forward to this book and fully expected to give it five stars, but it just wasn’t quite where it needed to be. First the good: Krakauer has done his research, and he is a good writer. The subject matter is fascinating. … More Goodreads Review: Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
Three Star review, originally posted here on July 16, 2014. (My first Goodreads review!) I’m torn on this book. Was it hilarious? Yes, absolutely. But it was also the same basic jokes over and over and over again. The first three quarters of the book are just character development, and then suddenly in the last … More Goodreads Review: Wigfield: The Can-Do Town That Just May Not by Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello
Three Star review, originally posted here on July 24, 2014. (Note this review was about comic book version of the 9/11 Report, not on the actual full written report.) I’m torn on this book. On the one hand, I really liked the idea behind it- take an important yet dense government report that everyone should … More Goodreads Review: The 9/11 Report by Sid Jacobson, Ernie Colón, and the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
Helga without the H 