Talking Story
Book Review: Opium Dreams
by Kiana Davenport
If you scratched Kiana Davenport, beneath her sophisticated, erudite veneer I think you’d find the heartbeat of a no-nonsense Waimanalo titah, a contradiction that makes her work a delight to read. I just finished Opium Dreams, volume three in her Pacific...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: sashimi
sashimi (sah-SHEE-mee) (n) Japanese for thinly sliced raw fish. Often confused with sushi on the mainland. Example ‘When Kalei’s head broke the surface of the large saltwater pool at Piko Point, all he was thinking about was thinly sliced sashimi fanned on a bed of...
Character Haiku: Jay
A bikini smiles sunlight on golden tan, the whispered promise sure. ~Jay
Rag Rug Blues
I’m buying a new rug for the downstairs bath. I dashed in there this morning, nose running, scrambling for a wad of toilet paper for what I insist are allergies, but fear is really a cold. Maybe strep. I don’t have time for a doctor. It’s spring hay fever, I’m sure....
Book Review: Ho’opono
by Pali Jae Lee
Pono is a complex Hawaiian word with connotations of righteousness, balance, and propriety. It’s one of the themes I try to develop in the Niuhi Shark Saga as characters make choices that place them in or out of being pono. Ho‘o means to do or make; so ho‘o...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: haumāna
haumāna (how-MAH-nah) Hawaiian word for student. Example “Okay, haumāna, sit down. We begin with the first lua ‘ai I ever learned.” ~Uncle Kahana Note: ‘Ōlelo is a Hawaiian word meaning language, speech, word, etc. To see the current list of Hawaiian and Pidgin...
Social Media Slytherin Style
For the price of a comic book, anyone can buy thousands of new fan page likes or followers on social media services like Facebook or Twitter. Most of these likes and followers are not real people; they exist only as ones and zeros in computer code. But to the casual...
Book Review: Almost Paradise
by Laurie Hanan
As a mail carrier in Kaneohe, Hawaii, Louise Golden brings a little aloha to the people along her route. When elderly Conchita Santos doesn’t meet her at the mailbox for the first time in two years, Louise goes looking. The house is unlocked, Pipsqueak the dog is...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: nīele
nīele (NEE-el-leh) (nvs) Nosey, to keep asking questions, busybody, curious in a rude way. Example After a summer spent avoiding our nīele questions about his lack of girlfriends and shepherding multi-bus stop excursions to the Honolulu Zoo, he’s counting the hours...
Character Haiku: Zader
His lines bold neon, mine delicate lace. Who will be our teacher's pet? ~Zader
Cruise Ship Day #2
With busy people it’s all about the when. When you’ll finally read that book gathering dust on the nightstand, when you’ll finally make time to have that conversation, exercise, clean the closet. I think we all feel the pressure of time’s cold, clammy hand pressed...
Book Review: For Every Action There are Consequences
by Gail M. Baugniet
It’s not surprising that the latest census figures show that there are far more Hawaiians living outside of Hawai‘i than in it. Pepper Bibeau, the central figure in For Every Action There are Consequences by Gail M. Baugniet, fits into the pattern of islanders leaving...
Interview with Jenniffer Wardell
Author of Fairy Godmother’s, Inc.
Today's post is an interview with Jenniffer Wardell, author of Fairy Godmother's, Inc., published by Jolly Fish Press just last week. I caught up with Jenniffer as she shared her thoughts on her wonderful world of fairy tales with a twist. To an outsider, having a...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: confunit
confunit (con-FUN-it) Exclamation of frustration. Literally confound it. Example “Double-confunit with kūkae on the side,” he said. ~Uncle Kahana Note: ‘Ōlelo is a Hawaiian word meaning language, speech, word, etc. To see the current list of Hawaiian and Pidgin...
Character Haiku: Char Siu
Eye lid tape, lip gloss, high heel wobble, being a girl is not for tillies. ~Char Siu
Thar She Blows!
When books are no longer consumed like popcorn or potato chips, when time to read becomes like water in the desert, discrimination seeps in. If I’m gonna spend a couple of hours reading poolside on a family reunion vacation cruise to Mexico, I want to make sure what...
Book Review: Fairy Godmothers, Inc.
by Jenniffer Wardell
What do you do when you’re a matchmaker with an iron-clad wish-fulfillment contract to make Rellie’s happily ever after happen with the heir to the throne of Somewhere, but not only is the prince unwilling, he’s gone missing and the new-found love of your life has to...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: lū‘au
lū‘au (LOO-ow) (n) a Hawaiian celebration feast. Example “He’s getting more and more pupule every day. Talking to himself. Puttering around the reef and docks with that dog. Now he thinks he’s cooking a Christmas lū‘au for one hundred people. Like he even knows one...
Character Haiku: ‘Ilima
Dainty footsteps pause, dance away from ocean spray, lick the salty air. ~'Ilima For more character haiku click here.
Washing Dishes and Memories by Hand
My dishwasher of fourteen years washed its last dish. Finally worn out beyond what my husband can reasonably repair, I was left with at least three dishwasher loads stacked on the counter after it finally gave up the ghost. Glancing over the white crusts of milk in...