The Essence of Less, by Nancy Clark

The Essence of Less front cover

The Essence of Less invites you, from the time you discover you have too much stuff—or too much media-, information-, social-, work- and device-driven overload – to enter its pages and allow focus to be your guide through Clark’s exploration and celebration of “lessness” — including the times to

“Let it go—bow your head, drop your eyes with a sigh;/ Give the pearl to the sea, the balloon to the sky.”

The Way the Rain Works, by Ralph Earle

The Way the Rain Works front cover

This is a deeply felt book about a family in crisis that lives inside you and lends itself to multiple readings. Sad, but not without its small, yet sustaining, redemptions: “In the evening, overflowing with secret love,/ I dangle my feet above the receding/ spillway and listen: ripples. The moon’s/ reflection rides them like a blessing.