Book 26 of 100 – “Letter to My Daughter” by Maya Angelou

I wish I didn’t need to read 74 more books so I could spend a few weeks combing through this book. I want to soak in every word and appreciate every bit of wisdom Maya Angelou felt necessary to impart upon me.

I wish Angelou would have kept writing this book forever. In the several short chapters I read, I got mini glimpses into Angelou’s life. As much as I loved this, I am still a bigger fan of her poetry than anything else she has written.

I chose to read “Letter to My Daughter” because in my opinion, if I can grow to have a life even a fraction as interesting and well fulfilled as Maya Angelou, then I will have lived my life well.

Everyone should read this piece. It may not take you long, you may notice some pointed opinions, but you will also notice a wise, well-lived life laid out on paper which you have no choice but to appreciate.

Book 25 of 100 – “Paddle your own Canoe” by Nick Offerman

Nick Offerman is a brilliant man and a wonderful actor. He is one of my favorite characters on Parks and Rec and I have always been impressed with how well he and Amy Pohler work together. Naturally, I expected this book to be flipping amazing.

It was good, but not as mind shattering as I expected.

Offerman gets somewhat repetitive in his musings, he seems full of himself, but he really makes an attempt to pull away from that. This book had a few funny moments, and a few moments that I knew where intended to be funny but threw way too for outside of the line.

I found myself wondering if Offerman is just really politically confused. I am not sure, but it feels like it at times in the book. I enjoy Nick Offerman as an actor and a wood worker, but not as much as a writer.

Book 24 of 100 – “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou

If you yet to experience any form of Maya Angelou, you are seriously missing out on one of the finer things in life. Maya Angelou is one of my greatest inspirations and her writing always seems to provide me with exactly what I need when I need it.

It was interesting to pick up a piece of her prose. I have always found myself fonder of her poetry than anything else, but I decided it might be fun to pick this up since it magically appeared in front of me at a local bookstore.

“I Know Why the Caged Bird sings” is an absolutely beautiful piece of work. The beginning is slow and sometimes strange, but by the end you will understand it all and want to soak in every work a million more times. Angelou writes about her childhood in her poetic manner, but also with the mind of a child. The perspective that she creates in the book rivals almost any other childhood memoir I have encountered. Pick up this book and everything else by Maya Angelou today. While you are at it, hop on over to YouTube, find a video in which she reads some of her poetry, close your eyes, listen carefully, and tell me you feel no changes deep in your thoughts as you consider her beauty, vulnerability, and magic.