Category: Campbell Columns

The Gift of Christmas “Presence” Reba Campbell Posted December 20, 2022By Reba CampbellWe’ve just returned from a glorious two-week adventure in Germany, Austria and Hungary - most of it spent travelling with friends we’ve known since our young adult days in DC. During the trip, I posted photos of the...

An election gratitude reflection Reba Campbell Posted November 2, 2022By Reba CampbellFor anyone who has worked in campaigns, the week leading up to the election is like no other experience. It’s a blinding minute-by-minute chaos of decisions on the fly, anticipating every possibility that could stand in the way of...

Blink Book Review #12: In the Shadow of the White House by Jo Haldeman Reba Campbell Posted August 24, 2022By Reba CampbellThe 50th anniversary of Watergate this summer struck a real chord with me bringing back snippets of news stories from the summer I was eleven and heading into the...

Blink Book Review #11: A Double Dose - “Enough Already” by Valerie Bertinelli and “Back to the Prairie” by Melissa Gilbert Reba Campbell Posted August 17, 2022By Reba CampbellMy recent beach reading consisted of memoirs by two actresses from my childhood – Valerie Bertinelli (Barbara on “One Day at a...

Blink Book Review #10: “The Splendid Beauty … A Dog and His People” by Rick Bragg Reba Campbell Posted August 11, 2022By Reba CampbellA young friend recently asked me to choose my favorite dog book. I had to think really hard on that one. I’ve read a whole lot of...

Blink Book Review #9: “These Precious Days” by Ann Patchett Reba Campbell Posted August 3, 2022By Reba CampbellThis summer’s reading list has included books beyond the best-seller fiction I usually favor. Ann Patchett’s “These Precious Days” is one of those. This collection of 24 essays hits on topics ranging from...

Blink Book Review #8 “Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR” by Lisa Napoli Reba Campbell Posted July 27, 2022By Reba CampbellThis book is the story of four women from vastly different backgrounds who converged on a fledgling radio network in DC in...

Blink Book Review #7: “Swimming with the Blowfish: Hootie, Healing and One Hell of a Ride” by Jim Sonefield Reba Campbell Posted July 20, 2022By Reba CampbellMemoirs can often fall into two categories – hugely self-aggrandizing or humbly honest. Jim Sonefeld’s recently released book, “Swimming with the Blowfish: Hootie, Healing...

Blink Book Review #6 - “Confessions of a Southern Beauty Queen” by Julie Hines Mabus Reba Campbell Posted July 13, 2022By Reba Campbell“Confessions of a Southern Beauty Queen” opens in 1968 with Patsy Channing awaiting suspension from the Mississippi College for Women, known as “The W,” following an alleged violation...

Blink Book Review #5: “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott Reba Campbell Posted July 6, 2022By Reba CampbellI recently reread Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird” for the umpteenth time in anticipation of a class I’ll be teaching. And while “Bird by Bird” might be the ultimate guide to writing, it’s...

Blink Book Review #4: Going There by Katie Couric Reba Campbell Posted June 29, 2022By Reba CampbellKatie Couric’s memoir, “Going There,” gives readers a delightful and amazingly honest narrative about not only her personal life but also many of the national and international news stories from the 1990s on.And while...

Blink Book Review #3: Educated by Tara Westover Reba Campbell Posted June 21, 2022By Reba CampbellWhen “Educated” first came out in 2018, I remember seeing the book in the “new non-fiction” section of Litchfield Books. My first reaction was that it was shelved in the wrong area. The jacket description...

Blink Book Review #2: South of Heaven by Patti Frye Meredith Reba Campbell This is the second in a series of summer “Blink Book Reviews” by Reba Hull CampbellPosted June 15, 2022By Reba CampbellFor anyone who is southern by birth or has moved to the south, passed through the south,...

Blink Book Review #1: Only Wanna Be With You by Tim Sommer Reba Campbell This is the first in a series of summer “Blink Book Reviews” by Reba Hull CampbellPosted June 7, 2022By Reba CampbellWhen I first started “Only Wanna Be With You,” I anticipated a bit of a tell-all...