They say, the beauty is in the journey, and I do believe that. While I thrill when I reach the destination and bask in its beauty as well, I enjoy every moment of each journey I take. If there is a misstep or a mishap, I try to learn from it, but regardless, I love all those things in-between and the steps to get to what is beyond.

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Exploring the Beauty of the In-Between

“There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.”
~Leonard Cohen

What do you do with the in-between spaces, the liminal spaces you encounter? In life, in your home, in conversations? We have physical and metaphorical in-betweens. Like hallways and porches and staircases and mezzanine floors and bridges. Like intermezzos in music and theatre. And of course, places like airports and stations, which are the in-between spaces as we travel.

Then there are the non-physical ones; like the state between sleeping and wakefulness, or that point where we transition between emotions. In those moments of indecision in our lives when we stand at crossroads while figuring out what to do.

They are also in many aspects of life – in those periods of waiting and uncertainty (like during the elections here), around significant life events like breakups or a death or other losses and other everyday moments like waiting for a response to an email or a phone call.

Fall or the autumn season is by itself liminal in nature, this season in between summer and winter.

And of course there are spaces in-between everything around and within us. Between our breaths, our chaotic thoughts, the furniture in our home, well, you get the idea.

The Beauty and Power of Liminality

While life is often defined by extremes – joy and sorrow, success and failure, beginnings and endings – I feel there is so much beauty in the in-between spaces as well. In these liminal spaces (the word comes from the Latin ‘limen’ meaning threshold), beauty quietly waits, unassuming but profound.

As I mentioned before, we have all kinds of in-between spaces – physical and not. I love hallways and porches and thresholds. There is a beauty in them all their own, which we cannot find in other living spaces of our homes (or other buildings). I love the freedom to decorate them as I wish – the passage area in my home finds itself straddled with those photos my kids wouldn’t allow me to put ion the main areas of the home 🙂 But I can walk past sweet memories each day.

They allow us to pause before entering a home – a place to let us get comfortable in new spaces or relish that feeling of ‘back-home’. And of course, also love them for allowing extended goodbyes! Those stairs before we enter places of sanctuary, of power give us time and space to transition

In the metaphorical ones, don’t you simply love the beauty of those pauses before laughter, the calm before/after a storm, that excited anticipation of waiting on something, and of course, of dusk and dawn each day! These in-between moments can be subtle, often missed, yet they hold a charm all their own, offering us a chance to reflect, savor, and simply be.

They offer us strength, resilience, and peace to help us grow, to transition into what is next, to reflect on what was, and to even reinvent ourselves as needed, like a butterfly emerging from the cocoon. That period within the cocoon is also a liminal space, right?

“Praise the bridge that carried you over.” ~ George Colman the Younger

References and for more reading: GlendaMyles/Mindberg/GailBrenner

From Intermezzo and Back Again With More In-Between

It is time for another six degrees of separation – the bookish sort. This month’s started book is Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo (yet another one I have not read).

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney -> Between the Acts by Virginia Woolf —> The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker —> We Still Belong by Christina Day —> Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga  —> Inside Out and Back Again by Thanha Lai —> The Crossover by Kwame Alexander —> Intermezzo

The Pairs

Intermezzo -> Between the Acts

The link: In between acts. The word intermezzo means or refers to a light dramatic, musical, or other performance inserted between the acts of a play.

As always, I have not read this month’s six degrees starter book – Intermezzo. But it is yet another I am adding to my TBR. The Goodreads description for this one begins with – An exquisitely moving story about grief, love, and family—but especially love—from the global phenomenon Sally Rooney.

But everything about it says – read it soon. So I probably will.

This led me to another book I had not read (but now have) – Virginia Woolf’s Between the Acts. This was her final novel, published shortly after her death in 1941, and my first Virgina Woolf novel. It definitely deserves more recognition.

Book Description: In “Between the Acts,” Virginia Woolf masterfully weaves a tapestry of English society on the brink of World War II, seen through the lens of a local play in a quiet village. Set in the home of the Oliver family, the narrative intertwines the lives of the actors, the audience, and the larger world around them, blurring the lines between fiction and reality, past and present. Woolf’s profound introspection into her characters unveils the complexities of human nature, as they grapple with love, loss, identity, and the looming shadow of a world about to change foreve

Between the Acts —> The Mezzanine

The link: Set in a single day and also somewhere in-between!

Woolf’s short novel was set in the course of a single day and I wanted to use that as my link. So when I found Nicholas Baker’s The Mezzanine, I knew I had found it. For not only is Baker’s novel also set in the events of a single day, but it also has references to something ‘in – between’. (mezzanine – a low-ceilinged story between two main stories of a building – source)!!

Have I read it? Not yet, but it sounds so very unique and cool that I have already borrowed it from the library and it is sitting on my digital shelf now!! So the moment I finish my current reads, which includes the next linked book, I will get to The Mezzanine.

Book Description: In this startling, witty, and inexhaustibly inventive novel, New York Times–bestselling author Nicholson Baker uses a one-story escalator ride as the occasion for a dazzling reappraisal of everyday objects and rituals. From the humble milk carton to the act of tying one’s shoes, The Mezzanine at once defamiliarizes the familiar world and endows it with loopy and euphoric poetry.

The Mezzanine —> We Still Belong

The link: Set in a single day

Once again using the theme of events of a single day, I picked We Still Belong (also because I had it on my TBR for a while and it is Native American Heritage Month, so seemed the right time to get to this one). This is one of my current reads, and I am so happy I picked it.

Book Description: A thoughtful and heartfelt middle grade novel by American Indian Youth Literature Honor–winning author Christine Day (Upper Skagit), about a girl whose hopeful plans for Indigenous Peoples’ Day (and plans to ask her crush to the school dance) go all wrong—until she finds herself surrounded by the love of her Indigenous family and community at an intertribal powwow.

We Still Belong —> Other Words for Home

The link: Of belonging plus middle-grade reads

If you know me, you know I love middle grade reads, and I love verse novels as well, so of course, it follows that I totally loved Warga’s Other Words for Home!! And if you have not read her A Rover’s Story, please do add that as well to your reading list.

Book Description: A gorgeously written, hopeful middle grade novel in verse about a young girl who must leave Syria to move to the United States, perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Aisha Saeed.

Other Words for Home  —> Inside Out and Back Again

The link:  Verse novels, and again, of refugees, of fitting in and belonging

Inside Out and Back Again is one of those reads that I keep mentioning and admitting I have not reviewed it properly (many times over) yet! I also loved the sequel to this gorgeous read – When Clouds Touch Us

Book Description (Inside Out): Inspired by the author’s childhood experience as a refugee—fleeing Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon and immigrating to Alabama—this coming-of-age debut novel told in verse has been celebrated for its touching child’s-eye view of family and immigration.

Inside Out and Back Again —> The Crossover

The link: Verse novels and family

Another verse novel, and another link is family this time. I love Jason Reynolds The Crossover (not really reviewed this one too, and again, you will find many a mention of this on my blog)

Book Description: In this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood from Kwame Alexander, Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story’s heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family.

The Crossover —> Intermezzo

The link: Brothers

More In-Betweens to Read

note: some titles have excerpted book descriptions from Amazon while others are my quick thoughts on the book.

Goes towards Top Ten Tuesday where the theme is ‘Books with [Item] on the Cover‘. My Item – of course is the words – In Between

• Big and Small and In-Between by Carter Higgins with art by Daniel Miyares (3 – 5 years, and up). Charming, delightful picture book! A compilation of many wonderful things – the big, small, and the in-between ones – and that we often miss.
• Home Is in Between by Mitali Perkins and illustrated by Lavanya Naidu (3 – 6 years, and up). A picture book that gently helps deal with the frustrations of trying to belong in a
• The In-Between Book by Christopher Willard and Olivia Weisser with illustrations by Alison Oliver (4 – 8 years, and up). A thoughtful book about mindfulness for young readers that is sure to appeal to many. Loved the sweet artwork throughout and the straightforward narrative.
• The Spaces In Between by Jaspreet Kaur (Author) and Manjit Thapp (Illustrator). Charming picture book for 4 – 7 years, and up. When the hustle and bustle of the city gets too much, this can help find those calm spaces in between.
• Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith (Teen and YA). A bittersweet, heartwarming, young-love read that explores the difficult choices that arise when life and love lead in different directions.
• Katie Van Heidrich’s The In-Between (9 – 13 years, and up). A middle-grade memoir-in-verse that chronicles a young girl and her family who must start over after losing their home.  
• The Kate In Between by Claire Swinarski (8 – 12 years, and up) . In this contemporary middle-grade novel, a twelve-year-old girl must face herself, and the truth, after her participation in a bullying incident goes viral. 
• Stuntboy, In-Between Time by Jason Reynolds and  Raúl the Third (7 – 12 years, and up). The marvelous graphic novel about the superhero you’ve never heard of (second in the series!)
• The Silence In Between by Josie Ferguson (Fiction). Imagine waking up and a wall has divided your city in two. Imagine that on the other side is your new-born baby…
• The Time In Between by Maria Duenas, translated by Daniel Hahn (Historical Fiction). The inspiring international bestseller of a seemingly ordinary woman who uses her talent and courage to transform herself first into a prestigious couturier and then into an undercover agent for the Allies during World War II.

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, have you read any of these books – either in the list above or in the six degrees chain? Which one will you pick to read next? Or to gift yourself or a loved one? As always, do share any similar recommendations