We celebrate Jesus’ resurrection this weekend, and I’ve been sitting in the hope of it as a friend walks through the valley of the shadow of death. We were made for life, and death feels wrong. I’m so grateful for the hope of the resurrection.

Around the Web

The Many Assassinations of Samir the Seller of Dreams

Carolyn Leiloglou reviews Daniel Nayeri’s new book.

• The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams is a story about storytelling. And who better to write such a book but master storyteller Daniel Nayeri, author of the award-winning Everything Sad is Untrue?
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Here Be Dragons

Junius Johnson introduces his summer literature courses.

• Dragons have always fascinated the human imagination. Beings of awesome power and often fierce intelligence, they are the greatest opponents in literature. Yet these majestic creatures also stand for high fantasy, for a world in which anything is possible, a world in which we have not yet forgotten a powerful sense of wonder. They are therefore both the enemy par excellence and the sure sign of a world that is deep enough to be worth living in, combining terror and an almost religious dread with longing and an awe that verges on worship.
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What if Your Past is a Present?

Rachel Anne Ridge takes a second look at what’s behind.

• “Leave the past behind” is a common piece of advice, or as Pumba said in The Lion King, “Put your behind in the past.” That’s easier said than done.
  Often, we find ourselves stuck in old patterns, memories, and hurts that keep us from moving forward in our lives. Rather than trying to forget your past, honoring it grants you the freedom to visit.
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3 Picture Books about Friendship and Positivity

Janie at Redeemed Reader reviews three picture books.

• Silver Linings and The Bright Side showcase a positive attitude, while Friends beyond Measure puts a clever, mathematical spin on childhood best friends.
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Around the Warren

When Read-Alouds Fall Silent

Kathryn Butler invites us to consider the end of read-aloud eras as a delight.

• For years, read-aloud time was the beating heart of our homeschool. From the time my kids were toddlers, they’d tolerate academics because they knew that once they finished practicing homophones and math facts, we’d get to the good stuff — our “Cozy Up Reading Time,” during which they’d each grab a snack, I’d grab a stack of books, and we’d snuggle up on the couch to dive into adventure, mystery, and the travails of anthropomorphic animals.
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Tenacious Women in History

A.C.S. Bird provides a list of picture books about historical women.

• List-making is practically a hobby with me, and books are a passion, with children’s literature a high-ranking subcategory. Creating lists of the latter is thus a delight accompanied by the danger of disappearing into long, winding passageways papered over by picture books.
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The People Who Cultivated My Imagination

Lara D’Entremont explores the memories of those who formed her imagination.

• Sometimes I forget that my imagination didn’t form itself.
  I didn’t come from a family of writers, so at times it’s easy to look at authors who do and think about what an upper hand they had on me. But now I’m beginning to wonder if it’s less about what kind of people we were born to and rather how those people taught us. 
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Ice Cream Sky

Havalah Peirce shares a poem.

• Sometimes when the clouds go on vacation and the sun glows for squinting, the sky becomes a big, bulging dome of ice cream.
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Something to Do with Your Kids

If you’re looking for some new ways to do things together as a family this weekend, here are a few family Easter activities.

Something to Watch

A group of friends gathered together to read the poetry of our friend Leslie as she fought cancer. This video is the result. Here’s more of the story, and here’s Leslie’s poetry book.

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Carolyn Clare Givens

Carolyn Clare Givens is displaced Northerner exploring the foreign ways of the South. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her two literary cats, Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. She's the author of The King's Messenger and Rosefire and in her free time helps run Bandersnatch Books.

You can find her at carolyncgivens.com or on Facebook or Instagram at @carolyncgivens.

Latest posts by Carolyn Clare Givens (see all)

• The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 41 - December 9, 2023
• The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 40 - December 2, 2023
• The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 39 - November 25, 2023