Beautifully Poor

White as Silence, Red as Song by Alessandro D'Avenia is what I would call, the love story of a teenage boy named Leo. It is written in first person, almost as if it is a diary - which is fine by me. I used to read diary type books a lot as a young adult. It is, however, different to read from a young man's point of view. Some of it is just hum-drum regular kid stuff like soccer and hanging with his best friends, Niko and Silvia. A lot of it is his obsession with Beatrice.

The very first section explains the title of the book. Leo compares different things to colors. Silence is white - which to him is nothing because there is nothing within white, no color, no feeling. Silence to Leo throughout the book is almost an enemy, something that distresses his very soul. He then compares his love interest Beatrice to the color red, saying that love is red - it is a tempest, a hurricane "that sweeps you away"*, and an earthquake "that crumbles your body to pieces".*…

Let me say, this book is inspiring. Reading Sanya's story was beyond amazing, and as a runner I found it extremely inspirational, though I am definitely not even close to Olympic material. 
Sanya Richards-Ross began running at the age of 7. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, she naturally wanted to be a runner. Running is huge in Jamaica just like Football or Baseball are big in America. She even says that this was her gift from God - to run. I love how each chapter begins with a Bible scripture. 
Sanya tells us her story - the journey of becoming a U.S. Olympic Champion. With the support of her family, Sanya goes on to become a record breaker - a U.S. and World record breaker. Through it all she gives the glory to God, which is amazing for someone who has done so many great things. 
I found this book a great, easy read. It is geared toward a younger crowd, I would say pre-teen - teen. As I said, extremely easy to read, has great sets of facts throughout the chapters. For example, on pag…

I love wine. I didn't develop a taste for it until I worked at what was called the Terrace Bay Inn in my hometown as a college student. We had nightly wine specials so naturally the owners wanted us to know what the wines we were selling tasted like. After that, there was no turning back.

Now this. Winc. Ahhh, Winc! Where have you been all these years! This is a really fun and exciting way to try new wines. It is extremely easy and convenient, and getting wine delivered to my house is just fabulous.


Here is how it works: You go to https://www.winc.com/usfamilyguide (using this will get you $22 off your first month!!) Click Get Started and it will ask a series of simple questions about your palate. How do you like your coffee, how do you feel about salt, do you like citrus flavors, what's your take on earthy flavors, do you like berries, are you an adventurous eater - easy right?

Then you get to build your box. You can choose 2 white 2 red, 1 red 3 white, 3 red 1 white, all wh…