Author Kim Berkhof Bolt

Author – Speaker – Mom of 3 (+1 dog)

Author: Kim

  • What I read in August (2025)

    1. We Were Liars

    Author: E. Lockhart

    Length: 320 pages

    Publication: May 2018

    Genre: fiction

    Audience: middle grade/young adult

    SUMMARY

    A beautiful and distinguished family.

    A private island.

    A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.

    A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.

    A revolution. An accident. A secret.

    Lies upon lies.

    True love.

    The truth.

    Goodreads review
    MY REVIEW

    I’m not even sure why I put this book on hold at the library. I think somewhere I read an article on “must reads for the summer.” Considering it was middle grade/young adult, I had high hopes for this novel. In addition, in the first few days I carried it around, multiple people mentioned they had heard good things about the book, and did I know it was turned into a miniseries as well? (I did not).

    The plot does make for a fascinating read. Four friends continue to meet each summer on a tiny island just off the east coast. But something happens to one of the four in which she loses her memory and no one is willing to tell her why.

    Ultimately, the depth wasn’t what I wanted it to be. I read one review that used the word “cringy,” which I thought was a perfect description for a novel geared toward the very generations that would use that word. It felt a bit to “soap opera” with deep dark secrets and family feuding; when I finished reading it I was not surprised at all that this had been turned into a show. It has all the drama elements necessary for good watching.

    If you are someone who needs lots of drama to keep you turning the pages of a book, then I would recommend this to you.

    2. How to Age Disgracefully

    Author: Clare Pooley

    Length: 352 pages

    Publication: June 2024

    Genre: fiction

    Audience: adult (suitable for young adult readers as well)

    SUMMARY

    When Lydia takes a job running the Senior Citizens’ Social Club three afternoons a week, she assumes she’ll be spending her time drinking tea and playing gentle games of cards.

    The members of the Social Club, however, are not at all what Lydia was expecting. From Art, a failed actor turned kleptomaniac to Daphne, who has been hiding from her dark past for decades to Ruby, a Banksy-style knitter who gets revenge in yarn, these seniors look deceptively benign—but when age makes you invisible, secrets are so much easier to hide.

    When the city council threatens to sell the doomed community center building, the members of the Social Club join forces with their tiny friends in the daycare next door—as well as the teenaged father of one of the toddlers and a geriatric dog—to save the building. Together, this group’s unorthodox methods may actually work, as long as the police don’t catch up with them first.

    Penguin House Random review
    MY REVIEW

    My husband recommended this book to me, as he knows my penchant for older, curmudgeony narrators (I’ll give you a rundown of my favorites sometime in a 2026 newsletter). The first chapter is fantastic. In literary terms we use the phrase “in media res” meaning to start a story in the beginning. But actually, the first chapter happens chronologically at the end of the novel. The author throws the reader into the middle of chaos, ends the chapter, and requires the reader to slowly work their way through the plot in order to watch the issues build.

    Pooley creates a lively and loveable cast of senior citizens for her story. While the plot does have its twists and turns, the overall arc is fairly predictable and the reader has confidence in how the novel is going to end before the author actually gets us there.

    This is a pleasant, light-hearted, straight-forward read. If you enjoy (or even appreciate) older, curmudgeonly readers as I do, than I recommend this book as worth your time.

    3. SUMMER ON LILAC ISLAND

    Author: Lindsay MacMilllan

    Length: 400 pages

    Publication: July 2025

    Genre: fiction

    Audience: adult (suitable for young adult readers as well)

    SUMMARY

    Broke and newly unemployed, Gigi Jenkins is heading home to the horse-and-buggy Mackinac Island that she once couldn’t wait to leave behind. She’s going to be spending the summer with her mother, and she’s not sure what that close proximity will do to their already fraught relationship. Almost immediately, they find themselves in a battle of wills, and they agree to play matchmaker for each other. Both women are certain that the other couldn’t possibly understand them, so surely these potential connections will fizzle out before they even begin.

    Misunderstandings, interference, and near-misses are skillfully wielded. Gigi and James circle each other through the curse of small-town encounters–cornhole tournaments, church fundraisers, and lakeside run-ins–and a fresh nemesis-to-lovers plot plays out. Meanwhile, Eloise feels sparks for the resident-for-the-summer Scottish author that she never thought she’d feel again.

    But the greatest love story of the summer is the one between Gigi and her mother, Eloise. As they navigate the world as two single women, staying up late to wait for each other to get home from dates and helping each other pick out outfits and draft texts to their respective suitors, their strained relationship starts to heal as they transition from mother-daughter to confidantes and friends.

    Goodreads review
    MY REVIEW

    I believe I first became interested in this novel through an online “summer reads” recommendation by Schulers Book employees. I do love a good seasonal fiction story; I’ve been known to fall prey to more than one Christmas novel in December (hoping it will soften my otherwise Scroogish spirit). And summer reads should be read…well…in the summer. Add in that the novel takes place on Mackinac Island, a charming place I have visited a handful of times, and I was all in for this novel. I placed my holds early and was pleasantly surprised that my name came up in the queue well before the end of summer.

    Overall, it is a lovely novel with enjoyable characters and a plot that keeps the pages turning. But if I had to flavor the novel as if it were an ice cream cone (perhaps sold at Sadie’s on the island), it would be vanilla. The characters were quite predictable, and the plot was fairly straight forward with a few minor twists and turns thrown in. And while I love Mackinac Island, there was just too much of it. Too much description, too much history; the main character continues to explain how she feels claustrophobic on the island, and after reading the novel, I did a bit as well.

    I’m so glad I got the chance to read this summer novel in the summer. And I hope it enlightens more people to visit this island set back in time, with all of its charm and grandeur.

    For those of you looking for a sweet, simple summer romance novel, I highly recommend this for you.

    4. The Patron Saint of Liars

    Author: Catherine Newman

    Length: 221 pages

    Publication: June 2024

    Genre: fiction

    Audience: adult (language and topics)

    SUMMARY

    St. Elizabeth’s, a home for unwed mothers in Habit, Kentucky, usually harbors its residents for only a little while. Not so Rose Clinton, a beautiful, mysterious woman who comes to the home pregnant but not unwed, and stays. She plans to give up her child, thinking she cannot be the mother it needs. But when Cecilia is born, Rose makes a place for herself and her daughter amid St. Elizabeth’s extended family of nuns and an ever-changing collection of pregnant teenage girls. Rose’s past won’t be kept away, though, even by St. Elizabeth’s; she cannot remain untouched by what she has left behind, even as she cannot change who she has become in the leaving.

    Goodreads Review
    MY REVIEW

    I’m not even sure why I reserved this particular book at this particular time from the library. I have wanted to read Ann Patchett for some time (ssshhh–don’t tell others I hadn’t read any Ann Patchett up until this point). I will join her throng of followers in confirming she is a talented writer. Her characters are deep and complex and well-thought out. I loved how the novel changed in point-of-view to three different characters.

    The novel left me thinking about the definition of villain. Rose is not meant to be liked, although there are aspects of her we can empathize with. While she’s not a good person, she’s not evil. And given the time stamp of the story (1960s) and the location (rural Kentucky), I wonder how much agency Rose had in her own story. Did she truly have the ability to choose what she wanted to do in life, or was she limited by her gender, level of education and socioeconomic status?

    This novel is a slow read for sure. Patchett puts this fiction stew in a Dutch oven and sets it on simmer for quite some time. The reader will need to commit to continuing to read even when the plot offers nothing new or exciting on the horizon. But it is worth the read at the end. And I’m excited to read another Ann Patchett–perhaps The Dutch House will be my next one down the road.

  • What YOU’RE Writing (August 2025)

    Writing Prompt:

    Write yourself a letter

    Letter writing is such an important genre, and yet it is becoming a lost art. Rarely do any of us send out hand-written letters in the mail; most often we all give into the ease and efficiency of an email or a text. But there’s something about writing our thoughts down in letter form. It requires time and space; it forces us to keep the recipient of the letter in full focus the entire time.

    The end of summer is meant for reflection; for many of us, September ushers in a new rhythm of life and perhaps even an entirely different schedule.

    So go ahead and make some time on this Friday to write yourself a letter. Here are some choices to get your started, or if you want, go in a direction that is completely your own.

    1. Write a letter to your June self from this year. Tell yourself about an upcoming moment or day that you must simply slow down and treasure more.
    2. Write a letter to your June self from this year about a regret you had over the summer. Tell yourself how you should have said yes, made the plan, stayed longer, enjoyed the moment more.
    3. Write a letter to your current August-summer self about the upcoming fall. How do you want to approach the change of pace, of schedule, of weather? What does your summer self want to say to your fall self?
    4. Write a letter to your June self from next year. Offer your future self a goal or a challenge. Provide yourself with wisdom and encouragement so that summer 2026 can be your best ever.

    Story Starter:

    Living in Michigan, I realize that I am privileged to have some of the best beaches in the world. There’s endless stories that could be written at the beach. but today’s beach story starter involves a mysterious element to it.

    Walking along the beach, my toes sinking into the soft sand, the wind gently blowing my hair, I almost stepped onto the mysterious object. I had never seen anything like it before, let alone at the edge of the water. What was this object, and who put it there?

  • Common Ground and the Common App

    (August 2025)

    Lately, I’ve been working with my second-oldest on his college Common App essay. (And if you’re a parent of a high school junior or senior, let me offer this advice: if your school or community offers a one-week Common App writing course—and time and finances allow—take it. They’re fantastic.)

    I feel somewhat qualified to help, given that I’m a professor of English. And yet I also feel wildly unqualified, given that I’m his mom. In my experience, the fewer outside roles we try to play in our kids’ lives, the better.

    If you’re wondering what the Common App is—or if you’re old enough to remember when college applications meant paper, envelopes, and stamps—it was created in 1975 by a group of 15 private colleges but didn’t really take off until it went digital in 2007. Since then, its essay component has gone through many phases, from 25-word responses to submissions in comic strip form. Today, it’s a 600-word essay based on one of seven open-ended prompts.

    My son and I recently spent an evening brainstorming topics. Fortunately for him—and I say that sincerely—he hasn’t experienced the kind of trauma that tends to anchor many college essays: the loss of a parent, a major illness, a devastating failure, or an against-all-odds success story. (Not to diminish any of those topics—they’re valid and powerful—but when you don’t have one, finding a meaningful story can be a tougher task.)

    It ended up being a great conversation about who or what has shaped him. He landed on a topic that felt “good enough” to get started—and honestly, with enough revision and feedback, I think it’s going to be more than good enough. I’m excited to see where it goes.

    But while he was typing away, I got stuck on the idea of the essay itself.

    There’s something a little ironic about asking 17-year-olds to write reflectively about their lives. I love reflection—I assign it weekly in my college classes. But it’s a big ask for someone who hasn’t yet lived two full decades, someone who can’t vote, rent a car, or legally sign most contracts. To distill your life into a single story or insight at 17 feels… both profound and slightly absurd.

    I think we should all be required to re-read our Common App essays every ten years—at 30, 40, 50—just to remember what it felt like to stand on the edge of everything. To smile at what once seemed monumental, now a footnote. A faded photo. A blip.

    Of course, that got me thinking: what would my 600-word essay be today? What event or person would I choose? What moment, in the blur of days and decades, has shaped me most?

    My son and I continue our weekly Common App dates—he writes and worries and wonders; I toggle between English professor, cheerleader, and mom. At some point, we’ll call it done and hit submit. And then his future will begin to play out before my very eyes.

  • EN101 Curriculum (July 2025)

    So much curriculum writing this summer, right? Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave me much time for my actual fun, fiction writing. Fortunately, I am one of those strange people who loves writing curriculum. Good thing I’m in the education profession, right? After my first son was born, writing middle school language arts curriculum was my part-time, work-from-home job.

    I had taken three full semesters off from the community college where I teach to deal with some health issues. (Public Service Announcement: Lyme disease is real and unpleasant. Always check for ticks after you spend time in a wooded area.) This upcoming semester I will be teaching EN101, online, as a seven-week course.

    Teaching at a community college is equal parts difficult and rewarding. It’s rewarding to offer classes to the general community, those that aren’t necessarily college-bound, those that didn’t graduate with a high (or even decent) GPA.Those that can count the number of positive memories or academic success stories from high school on one hand. But that’s also the reason it can be difficult; often my students are juggling many other things outside my classroom. Jobs (some of them full-time). Families. Low income lives that have them in affordable housing many miles outside of town with cars that barely run and sometimes don’t start at all. In the seated classroom, regular attendance is difficult. Even with an online class, consistently meeting the demands of weekly deadlines can just be too much. It is typical in my EN101 classes to begin the semester with 25 students…and end up with 17 at the end of the semester.

    Now I’ve been challenged to take my typical 15 week class and smush it down into a mere 7 weeks. And it’s not as easy as simply doubling up the workload. Writing is a process, takes time, has necessary steps. In my previous EN101 classes, the research essay took 4-5 weeks. And I needed every one of those steps, those individual deadlines to walk them through the process: choosing a topic, evaluating sources, creating a thesis, performing research, crafting a rough draft, working through revision, submitting a final draft. Currently I’m scratching my head at how that entire process can be condensed to 2-3 weeks.

    In my 25 years of teaching, I have come to understand writing as a process so much more than simply a product. But grades and report cards and state standards and limited time force writing as a product to take precedence. I have fought it as much as I can in my own collegiate classroom, but in only seven weeks, I’m not sure how much space there is for any process at all. I fear my semester will be one of writing a draft, offering a quick revision and submitting a final draft.

    That brings me back to the current moment: attempting to plan a 7-week EN101 course which is meaningful and engaging and doesn’t overwhelm my community college students to the point where most of them find they have no choice but to drop out.

    Wish me luck.

  • EN101 Curriculum (August 2025)

    So much curriculum writing this summer, right? Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave me much time for my actual fun, fiction writing. Fortunately, I am one of those strange people who loves writing curriculum. Good thing I’m in the education profession, right? After my first son was born, writing middle school language arts curriculum was my part-time, work-from-home job.

    I had taken three full semesters off from the community college where I teach to deal with some health issues. (Public Service Announcement: Lyme disease is real and unpleasant. Always check for ticks after you spend time in a wooded area.) This upcoming semester I will be teaching EN101, online, as a seven-week course.

    Teaching at a community college is equal parts difficult and rewarding. It’s rewarding to offer classes to the general community, those that aren’t necessarily college-bound, those that didn’t graduate with a high (or even decent) GPA.Those that can count the number of positive memories or academic success stories from high school on one hand. But that’s also the reason it can be difficult; often my students are juggling many other things outside my classroom. Jobs (some of them full-time). Families. Low income lives that have them in affordable housing many miles outside of town with cars that barely run and sometimes don’t start at all. In the seated classroom, regular attendance is difficult. Even with an online class, consistently meeting the demands of weekly deadlines can just be too much. It is typical in my EN101 classes to begin the semester with 25 students…and end up with 17 at the end of the semester.

    Now I’ve been challenged to take my typical 15 week class and smush it down into a mere 7 weeks. And it’s not as easy as simply doubling up the workload. Writing is a process, takes time, has necessary steps. In my previous EN101 classes, the research essay took 4-5 weeks. And I needed every one of those steps, those individual deadlines to walk them through the process: choosing a topic, evaluating sources, creating a thesis, performing research, crafting a rough draft, working through revision, submitting a final draft. Currently I’m scratching my head at how that entire process can be condensed to 2-3 weeks.

    In my 25 years of teaching, I have come to understand writing as a process so much more than simply a product. But grades and report cards and state standards and limited time force writing as a product to take precedence. I have fought it as much as I can in my own collegiate classroom, but in only seven weeks, I’m not sure how much space there is for any process at all. I fear my semester will be one of writing a draft, offering a quick revision and submitting a final draft.

    That brings me back to the current moment: attempting to plan a 7-week EN101 course which is meaningful and engaging and doesn’t overwhelm my community college students to the point where most of them find they have no choice but to drop out.

    Wish me luck.