Something about vacations makes me want to read poetry, especially if there is a good bookstore nearby. Those conditions combined this week: a vacation and a bookstore that had a decent poetry section. I selected a slim volume by Galway Kinnell though I was not that familiar with his poetry, I remembered liking one that I read several years ago on, wait for it, another vacation.
So from The Village Books I purchased Strong is Your Hand: poems and read a poem or two here and there as we moved about our lazy days of ease. Once again several spoke to me, not in a sexy way as did "Last Gods" on that other vacation, but this time because Kinnell seems to understand the human condition of living long with one person.
Don said the poems I was reading aloud all seemed to be on one theme: aging and death. We both cried when we read this one, "Promissory Note", which I am sure my younger readers won't appreciate but my older readers will.
If I die before you
which is all but certain
then in the moment
before you will see me
become someone dead
in a transformation
as quick as a shooting star's
I will cross over into you
and ask you to carry
not only your own memories
but mine too until you
too lie down and erase us
both together into oblivion.
As I searched the Internet for a bit of information about this poet, I learned that Galway Kinnell died in October 2014 at the age of 87. He was remembered as a poet that the average person could read and understand. I'll toast to that! Thank you Mr. Kinnell for writing poems that inspire and ones I can even recite. May you rest in peace knowing that at least a few of your memories are memorialized in your poems that we shall be reading for years to come.
"Promissory Note" by Galway Kinnell, from Strong Is Your Hold. Houghton Mifflin, 2006.
A quick little getaway for a few days of my Spring Break, Don and I are vacationing at a condo on Birch Bay which is part of the Puget Sound. To say we were at the beach would be a misnomer. Around here if one says they are going to the coast they mean the Pacific Ocean. Often we will use the term coast and beach interchangeably. Though technically speaking there is a beach here on Birch Bay with mostly mid-sized smooth rocks and very little sand. There are tides, high and low, but only small waves. The Puget Sound is not just a part of the Pacific Ocean, it is a body of water unto itself with it's own characteristics. For example, it is salt water but not as salty as the ocean. Technically speaking it is the second largest estuary in the United States after Chesapeake Bay. Though we know what it means, we don't use the term "shore" unless we are referring to a particular type of bird like a seagull, which would be a shore bird or as a geographical note such as the shoreline. But when we visit our friends in New Jersey and they ask us if we'd like to go to that shore we know they mean the Atlantic Ocean. Unlike at the ocean, the Puget Sound is relatively protected by land so picnics and camping aren't one big sand fight due to the winds we experience at the coast.
Today Don and I took a walk along the shoreline. The tide was coming in, but gently. Don had his big camera and took some interesting shots of the rocks, the sea life, and detritus. I searched for interesting rocks to take home to add to a pile of rocks there.
Check out the little red dot on this seagulls beak. It is supposed to be there.
My rock collecting bag.
"Danger. Keep Off".... Then why is there a bench on this dangerous pier?
The ugliest potted plant in recorded history (and we were seated next to it.)
Location: Birch Bay, Washington (on the US/Canadian border)
Weather: Raining
Home: Don got home from Kentucky on Thursday, one day earlier than expected. Yay!
Birch Bay: our condo is right across the street from the beach (rocks) and Birch Bay, way up North near Blaine, Washington. Across the bay we can see the lights of homes in White Rock, British Columbia. This morning the color of the water (grey) and the color of the sky (grey) are the same.
Karaoke dancing: last night we went to dinner at a very divey restaurant/bar and the service was really slow. We were seated next to a large potted plant (see photo above) that was clearly the ugliest plant we had ever seen. We asked the waiter why they didn't get a nicer looking plant and he said, "Why, so drunk people can wreck it, too?" Later the karaoke started up and all the locals not only got up to sing but they also got up to dance when someone else was singing. By the end of the evening we were in high spirits from all the laughing. And, by the way, our salmon sandwiches were delicious.
Spring break: Spring break started at 2:30 PM on Friday afternoon. I had a very busy day on Friday in the library with students needing help on their assignments due that day, book-talks to Freshman, iPad check-outs to teachers, and the end of Jane Austen week. I was ready for a break.
Speaking of Jane Austen week: I showed the movie Becoming Jane and the attendees really got engrossed in the story. I don't know how true the movie is compared to her real life but it makes a plausible explanation for how she able to write such remarkable books about life in the Regency period in Britain. I have shared my love for my favorite author and I am pretty sure have created some new fans along the way.
Palm Sunday: we are missing services at our home church today but plan to drive down to Bellingham to attend services at the closest Presbyterian church in the area. Today is the day we celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus to Jerusalem just one week before he is crucified. Next week is Easter, when we celebrate the resurrection. *Update, we really enjoyed attending church Birchwood Presbyterian Church in Bellingham. The congregants were very friendly and we felt at home with the liturgy.
Books read this week:
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Nevin---a very moving story about two teens who save each other, for a time. Very timely and touching. look for my review later today or tomorrow.
Shipping News (audio) by E. Annie Proulx---a re-read. This time I listened to the audiobook which is an abridged version. It made me want to re-read the print edition now. Egads. I love this quirky book set in Newfoundland.
Currently reading:
The Martian by Andy Weir---Don and I are listening to the audiobook together.
Emily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan---an upcoming book club selection. I am reading this on my iPad...my first e-book.
40-bags-in-40-days update: only 3 bags done this week---
Two bags of books---1 bag I took to work to give away or to add to my collection, the second bag I set aside for Goodwill. I even threw a few books away.
Under the sink in master bathroom---as I was getting ready for work on Monday I accidentally dropped a diamond/gold earring down the drain. The water wasn't running at the time so I knew I could recover it but didn't have time to mess with the drain trap at that moment. After school my daughter was willing to climb under the sink IF I committed to cleaning it afterwards. I store all my hair and skin products under the sink and the place was jammed full of them. I threw away a bag of out-dated products.
One week left in the challenge and I think I am going to make it but I will have to get to work when I get home from Birch Bay. I still hope to tackle by T-shirt drawer, the linen closet, and the coat closet. That should do it. It has been a worthy task.
For your viewing enjoyment: Odin Eating Peanut Butter dressed as man. Make sure you have your sound on. It is impossible to not laugh when you watch/listen to this:
Goals: Day 5: Organize. Stay organized and stay up-to-date on my reviews, my challenges, and keeping my pages current. Day 6: Read at least four books this Spring Break.
Organize- sometimes I shock myself how unorganized I am about the blog and blogging. For example I am one month behind on my Books Read in 2015 page just because I forget about it. Or I ignore my challenges because I figure no one care than me. (So why do them?)
Destress: I purposely avoided getting on any lists to receive ARCs because I didn't want to be forced to read books that ultimately wouldn't help me in my position as a high school librarian making book recommendations to teens. I do feel stress when I compare my blog statistics to some hypothetical numbers. honestly I shouldn't even look at my stats.
Tomorrow's focus for bloggiesta is reading, since I will be en route to our Spring Break locale here is my reading list for the week (subject to change):
The Martian by Andy Weir---i'm seeing this book everywhere so I am anxious to start listening to this audiobook.
The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley---as part of my Printz Challenge
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven---I'm almost done with this one.
A Matter of Heart by Amy Fellner Dominy---an ARC, after saying I wasn't reading any of them.
Emily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan --- on my new Kindle App on my new iPad. It will be my first e-book.
In the graphic novel In Real Life by Cory Doctorow, Anda is a typical teen girl. She loves to play video games,
especially Coarsegold Online, a very popular role playing game. Her mother is
hesitant to allow Anda to spend so much time playing these types of games for
fear of on-line predators. But Anda assures her that it is a girls-only site and she knows not to give out any personal information.
Anda’s avatar is a kick-ass girl who is also a fighter and a
hero. In real-life she is an unsure, awkward teen. In the game she attracts the attention of other players, one of whom recruits her to
assist in wiping out gold farmers.Gold
farmers are Chinese kids who collect valuable objects in the game and then sell
them back to the “rich American kids.” Anda can even make a little money for
destroying these gold-farmers and so Anda decides to go for it. “But things
become a lot more complicated when Anda befriends a gold farmer--a poor Chinese
kid whose avatar in the game illegally collects valuable. This behavior is
strictly against the rules in Coarsegold, but Anda soon comes to realize that
questions of right and wrong are a lot less straightforward when a real
person's real livelihood is at stake.”—from the book jacket
I really enjoyed Cory Doctorow's writing in Little Brother, a modern retelling of 1984 where Big Brother is always watching. So when I learned that In Real Life won the Cybils Award for best Graphic novel of the year I was eager to read it. I am not a graphic novel aficionado so was hesitant to weigh in with my opinion of a book in this genre. But I should say I really did enjoy the book after the twist when Anda has an eye-opening experience that helps her to make a shift in her maturity and attitude toward others. This graphic novel is a spin-off of Doctorow's short story "Anda's Game" which led to the novel For the Win. When it was decided that the story would be made into a graphic novel Jen Wang was selected as the illustrator. Doctorow, in an interview with Oliver Sata for LA Times HeroComplex, said,
Jen did most of the writing and I want to make sure she gets most of the credit...For the most part, comics are about watching someone else do stuff, not being inside someone’s head as stuff happens.But Jen did all the hard work. She wrote a treatment, and then a script. I went through the script, I edited it, I vetoed a few things. I asked for a few things to be added. All the really good stuff in there is stuff Jen introduced. All the new stuff that isn’t in the story is stuff Jen introduced, and the cool thing about that is that because Jen did the script, and she did an amazing job, I can look at this thing that’s been adapted from my work, and without being conceited in the slightest, I can say how cool it is because it’s not me I’m praising, it’s Jen’s work. It really is terrific.
There you have it right from the author's mouth, this book is terrific. I agree.
Book Beginningson Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted atFreda's Voice. Check out the links for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Participants don't
select their favorite, coolest or most intellectual books, they just use the one they are currently reading. This is the book I'm reading right now:
Book Title: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Book Beginnings:
Is today a good day to die? This is something I ask myself in the morning when i wake up. In third period when I'm trying to keep my eyes open while Mr. Schroeder drones on and on. At the supper table as I'm passing the green beans. At night when I'm lying awake because my brain won't shut off...
Friday 56:
On March 23, 1950, Italian poet Cesare Pavese wrote: Love is truly the great manifesto; the urge to be, to count for something, and, if death must come, to die valiantly, with acclamation---in short, to remain a memory. Five months later, he walked into a newspaper office and chose his obituary photograph from a photo archive. He checked himself into a hotel, and days later an employee found him stretched out on the bed, dead.
My comments: This is the first YA book I have read in a long time that has really caught my attention. I actually want to carve out time to read it and can stay awake long enough once I get in bed at night that I can read several chapters, not just a page or two, before lights out. The topic: teen suicide. The quote from both pages are quite disturbing and show the frame of the mind of the teenager who is obsessed with suicide.
I partially participated in the Twitter chat today because I was actually home from work when it was scheduled. However, there wasn't a lot of consensus about what makes a good review so I will just give a few of my opinions about good reviews...and mind you, I don't always follow them!
Creative blog titles are best but they are hard to think up and some readers just want title and author.
The summary or synopsis of the book should be brief, one or two paragraphs only and should be written by the reviewer, but just grabbed from Goodreads or elsewhere.
Review can include spoilers if there is plenty of notice that it is coming. Then readers have a choice to read on or not. I rarely include spoilers but sometimes feel like it is necessary to make my point.
I use links because I want to make sure to give credit where I got my information and to avoid the appearance of plagiarism. There were a variety of opinions about this topic but one blogger admitted that she often didn't include links due to laziness. Hey, that's what I fight at school with high school writers.
My favorite reviews include a statement about who the target audience is, including concerns about age-appropriateness.
On a personal level I counted today and of the 23 books I've read this year I've only written ten reviews, and two of those reviews were incomplete. I knew I wasn't up to date on my blog, but had no idea I was that behind. I analyzed the books and selected five more I hope to review in the next two weeks. And, of course, stay current moving forward. I've already started. Today I got off a review for Three Men in a Boat and another review is half written and will likely be published tomorrow.
I am adding a rating system back for my reviews.
We'll see if I can keep this up!
Here is the link for today's Twitter chat. It has some links to other sites about writing great reviews which I will look at tomorrow when I am not so tired.
The book Three Men and
a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) was written by a humorist Jerome K.
Jerome in 1889. The book was also serialized in a publication, Home Chimes, so the reading public got
their story in drips and drabs over a period of time. Apparently they loved the
silly stories of the three men who took their dog, Montmorency, and went on a
boating holiday down the Thames from Kingston to Oxford. The 1st edition sold over 200,000
copies which doesn’t sound that large in today’s market but was huge back then.
Jerome hadn’t intended to write a humorous book. When he
started he wanted to write a travelogue to remark on the scenery and intricacy
of taking such a pleasurable trip, but the book had a different plan and took
on a life of its own. Lucky for us that it did, too, because I doubt a serious
book about boating on the Thames in the 1800s would still be in print today. Three Men in a Boat has never been out
of print and its popularity has remained high. In 2003 The
Guardian newspaper created a list of the 100 greatest novels. Three Men in a Boat was #33 on that list
with a note, “One of the funniest English novels ever written.” For comparison sake,
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was
#31 on that same list.
Bloggiesta topic of the day: blog layout and presentation
My goal: to make my blog as user-friendly as possible.
I revamped my blog a year ago or so and thought I was doing pretty well but now know I need to continue to clean things up. Here are some of the highlights from today's Twitter chat on the topic.
Honestly, I am not good at having an E-presence. I like blogging and do fine with Facebook with my friends, but I totally don't "get" Twitter. When I read the posts from people on Twitter I always think to myself, "who cares?" because it always seems like there are just random statements made with no context. Obviously I am doing something wrong. I don't really spend enough time on it to really understand all the tips to successfully use it.
So when I read through the Twitter chat from today and saw everyone extolling the virtues of Twitter and of Instagram I just froze up. Obviously if I want to improve my blog presence I need to work with the social media that people are using. But keep in mind, we are talking about a lady here whose whole job revolves around books and I didn't get a Kindle-reader until today.
So...I have a long way to go, I know. Baby steps. Baby steps.
Just today I was perusing a book titled 501 Must-Read Books. It is divided into categories: Children's, Classic, Mysteries, etc. As I looked through the Children's section I reminded myself just how much I'd like to reread some of the books on the list especially since I probably read the abridged version first time around. However, I had the privilege to reread several of these books when my children were young. Some of my favorite memories of those growing-up years were the times I spent reading out loud wonderful stories before bedtime with my girls.
1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott---I'm pretty sure I read the abridged version first time around.
My goal is to make my blog more friendly and make it easier for people to comment.
I read through the recap of today's Twitter Chat on comments and blog friends and a few suggestions I will try. One idea was to use DISCUS for comments so that the person making a comment gets a notification when I reply to their comment. Brilliant plan only thing, I am a chicken when it comes to adding outside functionality to my blog involving me adding something to the html. Has anyone had any experience with adding discus to blogger? Any suggestion you have for me would be gratefully accepted.
The other thing I got out of the recap is that comments should be viewed as a type of conversation. If I am friendly and visit other sites and make thoughtful comments that blogger is likely to do the same. I am in the process of adding a blog roll to my blog of my favorite blog sites to visit which will encourage me to visit those sites more often. I also want to figure out how to make a HEADFULLOFBOOKS button that others can add to their blog, if they so choose making it easier to find their way back to me. No promises that will happen any time soon. I suspect I need my son-in-law's help on that one.
What's happening in the library this week? Jane Austen Week. We will be watching Northanger Abbey, Austen's least known work. there will be prizes, food, and trivia. Join us every lunch period in the library for the week. ***UPDATE: I changed my mind at the last minute and I'm showing BECOMING JANE starring Anne Hathaway. I think the students will really appreciate Jane Austen much more after seeing it.
New Fiction:
Red Glass by Laura Resau---when a tragic accident forces Sophie to take a dangerous journey, she recognizes that love is worth the risk of losing.
Weather: overcast at this moment but threatening to rain. Yesterday after it poured and hailed there was a terrific rainbow.
One-of-a-kind art: the photo above shows the original art that my husband commissioned for my birthday. It is a thumbprint picture of my top 60 favorite books. It was created by Cheryl Sorg (check out her webpage) after we sent her the titles of the books and several of my very smeary thumbprints on card stock. Isn't it wonderful? Now I have to figure out how to frame it and where to hang it.
I am playing around with the idea of showing just an excerpt. Please click on the READ MORE message below to see the whole post. Let me know what you think. Do you prefer full text showing on the post or just an excerpt showing?
Book Beginningson Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted atFreda's Voice. Check out the links for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Participants don't select their favorite, coolest or most intellectual books, they just use the one they are currently reading. This is the book I'm reading right now: Book Title: Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome Book Beginnings:
There we four of us---George, and William Samuel Harris, and myself, and Montmorency. We were sitting in my room, smoking, and talking about how bad we were--- bad from a medical point of view I mean of course.
Friday 56:
Will it be the same in the future? Will the prized treasures of today always be the cheap trifles from the day before? Will rows of our willow-patterned dinner plates be ranged above the chimney-pieces of the great in the year 2000 and odd?
My comments: Jerome K. Jerome published this book in 1889. It was a "runaway success and has never been out of print." Touted as a humorous book it seemed like a fun one to pick up to see what all the fuss is about. Well, humor must be one of those things that is tied to a location or a time period because though there are some humorous passages the book generally isn't that funny to me. Now I want to finish it just so I can say I did (finish it.) Isn't the Friday 56 quote true? They are talking about antiques and the twenty-first century. Ha!
Reviewers on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com seem to be just about as conflicted about Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle as I am. Leah and Drew on Goodreads will prove my point.
Leah says:
1 star. "Upon finishing Wolf in White Van,
I spent a good hour reading reviews - what were they seeing that I
couldn't? That was back in August. Now, weeks later, I've gone back and
looked at those reviews again, the glowing praise, the life-changing
commentary. Still I'm not getting it and that more than anything is what frustrates me."
While Drew says:
5+ stars. "I
sat for 20 minutes after finishing the novel, staring out at the East
River, and thinking. The complexity at work here made me want to start
it up again - but I didn't want to ruin the moment, as it were. It's the
sort of book that both demands a second go and insists that you leave
it alone."
Both Leah and Drew admit that the book is complex. That is an understatement. Leah can't stand it and Drew loves it. I go back and forth between the two and I don't live in the middle land at all. Let me explain but I warn you there are SPOILERS ahead.
Forever looking into lists of books, I wondered to myself this morning what are the top ten "classic" books everyone agrees one must read before dying. It should come as no surprise that there is no agreement on that list of top ten must-reads. During my search, however, I found myself enjoying the variety of lists.
(To stay on this page, right mouse over the link and open the links in a new tab.)
40 Classic books and why you should read them---this list has some books I've never even heard of before.My favorite part of this list is the little blurb explaining why we should read these books. The blurbs all start with "Because..." The list contains both fiction and nonfiction titles. (Abe's Books)
25 Books to read before you die---many of the usual suspects but also a few I've never seen on a list before. Most aren't considered "classics." This list includes poetry, a children's book, and a graphic novel. There is a nifty one-page PDF copy of the list you can print out. (Powells.)
Yesterday: was the most special Pi Day ever...at a special moment in time the date and the time combined to be the first seven digits of PI: 3.1415926. (See photo above of a selfie my daughter snapped at just the right time.)
In honor of Pi Day: we played the Pi(e) and Prejudice Game. The Game entailed watching the long version of Pride and Prejudice (with Colin Firth, dreamy man) and eating pie or drinking sparkling wine every time a character acted in a certain way. For example, if Lady Catherine De Burgh acted snotty, Mr. Darcy had trouble expressing his emotions or gave off a stink face, if someone gave a confusing speech, or if Mary pontificated we would have to take a bit of pie or sip our wine, sometimes even doing both. We did this for the length of the very long production...five plus hours. Ha!
Banoffee Pie: In honor of Pi Day and so we'd have enough pie to eat during the game, Carly and I made a very strange toffee and banana pie (Banoffee) made from boiled sweetened condensed milk. It involves boiling the can of milk for 2 1/2 hours, allowing for cooling time, then after compiling the pie, allowing time for it to set up in the fridge. Lucky we were watching a LONG movie. Here is the recipe for Banoffee Pie.
Polka dot world: Our street trees, flowering plums, are shedding their petals. Everything in our neighborhood is covered with them. It is a polka dot world. (The blue thing in the two photos is my foot in a blue shoe.)
40-bags-in-40-days update: four more bags this week.
Pantry-I made another stab at the pantry, this time cleaning out a bag of food to give to the food drive which is taking place at school this week.
Shoes-I cleared out a bag of old shoes and organized the ones I am keeping. I even found my old slippers which I'd been missing for several years.
Sheer drapes- several months ago I bought new sheer curtains for our bedroom. The bag has been sitting around since that time. Yesterday I removed the old, dusty sheers and put up the new ones. I threw away the old ones. (Technically this was a bag for a bag but I am counting it.)
Small junk drawer- the desk in the kitchen has several drawers. Apparently I have been using one of them for small things for years and the thing was full of paper clips, brads, pens/pencils, etc. I threw away another small bag from unusable or other old items. While I did this Carly cleaned up the cup where we store our pens and pencils on top of the desk. She sorted out over 50 of them to throw away or for me to take to school. Do you recognize a theme here? We hoard pens!
Book read this week:
Fairest by Marissa Meyer---book 3.5 in the Lunar Chronicles, this one telling the story of Levana, the Lunar Queen.
Currently reading:
Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle--- an Alex Award book told in reverse, which is very odd.
Abandoned books this week:
Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment by Tal Ben-Shahar--- not that I don't want to be happy, I just don't feel like working on happiness lessons right now.
Some Luck by Jane Smiley---I've heard this book is good but the audiobook is tremendously boring. I listened to one half of a disc and decided I can't do it.
Quote of the week:
Why am I a reader? Well, I was lucky enough to grow up with only three TV channels in black and white. I was lucky enough to grow up without video games or Facebook to isolate me. I was lucky enough to grow up when testing hadn’t taken over schooling, and the most wonderful thing a teacher might say was, “Go to the library and pick out a book.” And I was lucky enough to grow up without the Internet that seems to have turned many of our children into skimmers and scanners rather than real readers. Don’t get me wrong—I appreciate the amazing technological world we live in, but I am so thankful for dirty Pepsi bottles, Ben Franklins with comic book racks, and reading simply for the sheer joy of it. -Bill McBride, author
Book Beginningson Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted atFreda's Voice. Check out the links for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Participants don't select their favorite, coolest or most intellectual books, they just use the one they are currently reading. This is the book I'm reading right now: Book Title: Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle Books Beginnings:
My father used to carry me down the hall to my room after I came home from the hospital. By then I could walk if I had to, but the risk of falling was too great, so he carried me like a child.
Friday 56:
Because the story wasn't the point, wasn't what was troubling me. It was the little details, the stage on which it was set, the margins. The trappings of the greater story--- the props, the scenery, the special effects--- those were what held me, spoke to me.
My Comments: the book flap says this is a story told in reverse. I basically know very little. The narrator was in a terrible accident that scarred him, nearly killed him. Now he lives the life of a hermit, communicating with others only through the role play game he created. I am currently just a few pages ahead of my last quote. Crazy cool cover, huh?
Terry Pratchett, the imaginative and prolific author of the Discworld series, died today from complications of Alzheimer's Disease. The last book I read by Pratchett, Dodger, was not only a Printz Honor book but it is also one of my favorites. I loved the quirky characters and the seamless way the reader was introduced to British history without hitting them in the head with it.
The world is definitely going to miss this guy.
Rest in Peace, Terry Pratchett. You will live on in our hearts through your books!
Please visit the BBC for more details about his career and his death.