#IMWAYR October 2, 2023

Welcome! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.

My husband's 70th birthday celebration a couple of weeks ago was a smashing success. 

I've just returned from a week away. I spent three days with three of my cousins celebrating all of us turning 70 this year. We had a fabulous time. 
I spent the rest of the time in Vancouver visiting with the grandkids and hanging out with friends. Alzheimers has it's grip on one of them. I stayed to be there for her 78th birthday before coming home. It is a godawful affliction.

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator.
 
Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.

CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

100 Snowmen by Jen Arena, Stephen Gilpin (Illustrator) November 12, 2013

I really enjoyed this book. I wish it had been available when I was teaching my elementary aged students about mathematical patterns and relationships. It took me a reread to actually identify what the pattern is, although it is laid out on the last page. (Apparently, I'm not as sharp as I used to be.) Even if kids aren't quite ready for that level of mathematics, they are sure to be entertained by the illustrations. Not only are these snowmen full of humor and sweetness, there is an almost Where's Waldo component to some pages.
What I didn't like about this book is that they are all snow men.

This continues the story of Little Wolf, an Indigenous girl learning to live in a city. In this book we meet her mother, White Raven, and learn about her experiences at residential school. This is an ideal book to read to students as we acknowledge the importance of Truth and Reconciliation. The book is somewhat text heavy, which makes it appropriate for upper elementary readers on their own. I really like Natassia Davies illustrations.

MIDDLE GRADE NOVELS

4 stars

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks January 14, 2020

I'm late to the Zoe Washington party, but I won't be leaving anytime soon. (The second in this series was published in February of 2023.)
When she gets a letter from Marcus, her incarcerated father, she doesn't tell her mother about it. With her Grandmother's help, Zoe starts up a correspondence with him.
He asserts he is innocent of the murder he was charged with, and tells her of his alibi. Zoe and her next door neighbour end up in trouble with their parents when they set off to find her.
This book is rich with authentic characters dealing with serious issues. It's also got a lot of cooking!
I'm really looking forward to the next in the series!

4.5 stars

The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead, Wendy Mass, Christopher Gebauer (Narrator) & Jennifer Blom (Narrator) August 29, 2023

Even though I figured out a number of plot details before they were revealed, I kind of adored this book. It's told from three perspectives: Evan, a boy who is growing up in the same town as his father grew up in; AL who was a librarian assistant in the library that burned down mysteriously 20 years previously; and Mortimer, an aging cat. When AL sets up a free library, Mortimer stands watch over it. Then Evan finds books checked out by his father and a mysterious character calling himself H.G. Higgens. Evan soon figures out that his father was an intern at the library and was suspected of starting the fire and is determined to find out who really started it. 

ADULT/YA FICTION


This was a book club suggestion. It was a delightful surprise! I devoured it and started the second immediately afterwards.
It's about a group of spies who have been kicked out of the main MI5 building into a ramshackle building (Slough House) where their future is never ending desk duty. Each of them has screwed up in some way. In spite of this, they have their own particular brilliance. It's especially true of Jackson Lamb, the head of their cohort. In the end, it's the Slow Horses who rescue a kidnapped Pakistani teen who has been kidnapped by white right wing radicals. 
This spy novel is populated with authentic characters and riveting plots. It is as convoluted and full of machinations as any of the John Le Carré novels I have read and loved. It is also screamingly hilarious. 


By the end of the second book in this series I figured out that at least one of the characters in each book was going to die. I was correct. It did not stop me from enjoying it at all. When a former spy dies under suspicious circumstances, but the pros at Regent Park (MI5 headquarters) overlook this, Jackson Lamb sets out sleuthing. It turns out to be connected to another project that two members of his team have been seconded to work on. 
I'm waiting for the next one to become available. Don't you love it when you discover a series that has been around for a while and you don't have to wait for what seems like forever for the next book?

This sequel to Jemisin's The City We Became, is a brilliant as the first. I really appreciated getting to know the original characters better and am still fascinated by the avatars of the other cities we are introduced to here.
I will read whatever N.K. Jemisin writes!

ADULT/YA NON FICTION


This book is brilliantly written. Not only does Siddhartha Mukherjee make complicated topics easy to comprehend, he is a remarkable story teller. I was fascinated from start to finish and didn't want the book to end.
Aside from all the details about cellular biology, I also appreciated his references to Indian mythology and how they were integrated into the science.

5 stars

The Good Virus: The Amazing Story and Forgotten Promise of the Phage by Tom Ireland & Ben Deery (Narrator) July 19, 2023

I have ordered this and the previous nonfiction book above, so that I have my own copies of them. 
Have you ever heard of phages? I think I had, but wow, by the time I finished this I felt like I'd entered into a new and parallel world. Tom Ireland begins by introducing readers to the original discovery of the world of phages and how they were first used. He integrates their success and failure in social and political contexts. I really appreciated how he painstakingly takes us across time to finally show us what is going on today in the realm of phage research and medical use. 
I've recommended this to be our bookclub read for next month. I hope they enjoy it as much as I did. I would start it all over again except that I've downloaded The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug, another book about phages.

CURRENTLY

Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation by Andrew Stobo Sniderman, Douglas Sanderson & Greg Rogers (Narrator) August 30, 2022

Four Faces of the Moon by Amanda Strong June 8, 2021

UP NEXT 

The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug by Steffanie Strathdee & Thomas Patterson

I'm also going to tackle a pile of picture books

READING GOALS 

#MustReadFiction 16/24 one in progress

#MustReadNonFiction 14/20

Canadian Authors 35/75 

Indigenous Authors 17/20 

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 148/200 
Posted by 10 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

#IMWAYR September 11, 2023

Welcome! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.


I contemplated skipping this week, but since we are having a huge 70th birthday celebration for my husband next weekend, decided I better do it now. 

I have been sewing again. Sewing is usually my happy place. This is true even when I'm not listening to an audiobook, but this dress for my youngest granddaughter caused me a lot of grief! Between technological problems that started with the printer dying as I was printing the pattern, to me screwing up one of my sewing machines, and my brain not figuring stuff out right, If it could go wrong, it did. In spite of all that, I'm happy with how it turned out. Crossing my fingers it fits her!


Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator.
3sewin
 
Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.

CHILDREN'S CHAPTER BOOKS


It's hard to imagine that this series could get better, but the addition of the Prince in Pink, might just do it. 
The Prince in Pink is a Knight who does the usual knightly things, but when he transforms into the Prince in Pink, he's the person you want to have around when it's time to prepare for a party. 
Add a grumpy and misunderstood Emu into the mix, throw in a lot more pink, glitter, and glamour, and get ready for a foot stomping read. 
I can't wait to read this with my grandkids. 

CHILDREN'S NONFICTION GRAPHIC NOVELS


Raven Mother is the most recent collaboration by two brilliantly gifted people. I've written about this series in depth previously. If you follow that link you will see examples of the artwork and see why I love these so much. 
I've yet to find such profound nonfiction that looks at different species, not only in the context of their physical environment, but also in the context of the culture of the people who share the land with them. The authors integrate these two realities, in both images and text, so that readers can't help but understand the Xsan's intimate relationship with their part of the planet. 


I suspect that this book might be easier to follow if it wasn't an audiobook. This is mostly because it jumps back and forth in time and these transitions might be easier to follow with the regular print demarcations. There are also a lot of supporting characters!
In spite of this, I ended up loving this book and hope for a sequel. This is in large part because I became invested in Kai, an immortal, body switching, demon. We meet him as he comes to awareness in an underwater prison where a mage is attempting to capture his energy to use as his own. It doesn't end well for the mage and his compatriots.
This is a book I'm going to have to read with my eyes. It's so rich and complicated that I am certain I missed a lot more than I aware of.

ADULT/YA NON FICTION


"Artist and activist Nahid Shahalimi compiles the voices of thirteen powerful, insightful, and influential Afghan women who have worked as politicians, journalists, scientists, filmmakers, artists, coders, musicians, and more."
This is a book I want everyone to read. It's not an easy one. In the middle of a dystopian reality, these women are so full of hope. It's the recent Barbie movie after Ken returns to Barbieland, only it is real life, and it's much much worse.

CURRENTLY

The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human by Siddhartha Mukherjee

UP NEXT 

Slow Horses by Mick Herron

The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin

READING GOALS 

#MustReadFiction 16/24 

#MustReadNonFiction 13/20

Canadian Authors 34/75 

Indigenous Authors 16/20 

Big Books Summer 2023 - 16 

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 138/200 
Posted by 13 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

IMWAYR September 4, 2023

Welcome! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.


I am happy to say that our neck of the woods is almost completely smoke free. A couple of fires are burning to the north but they are mostly contained.

Thank goodness for audio books! It's the time of year for canning and preserving. At the same time as I am slogging away, I am living in alternative realities. As a bonus, the shelves in our cool room are filling up with jars full of glorious colours.

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator.
 
Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.

MOST RECENT BLOG POST

FREE VERSE FRIDAY #8 SEPTEMBER - AUTUMN


"The queen of chess, Judit Polgár, dazzled the world as a prodigy, winning tournaments, gold medals, and defeating eleven world champions, including Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen. At her peak, Judit was rated the eighth best chess player in the world."
I confess that I wanted to read this book because I adored the TV series, Queen's Gambit. I just had to learn more about a real woman chess grand master. 
Judit Polgár is at least as fascinating (even if the wardrobe isn't as exciting) as her fictional counterpart a couple of decades earlier. 
Judit Polgár was a chess prodigy who at five years old, played against and defeated players older and more experienced than she was. At age nine she was winning international tournaments. 
If you don't have this book in your library, you should purchase it now! I really wish it had been around when my school library hosted the school chess club. 

MIDDLE GRADE GRAPHIC NOVELS


Two children from completely different parts of the planet are dealing with the consequences of climate change. While reading this I couldn't help but make a connection to Two Degrees by Alan Gatz. In that book he focuses on children in North America. Eoin Colfer shows us the reality for Sami, a boy who lives somewhere in the Indian Ocean and depends on fishing to make a living. His other protagonist, Yuki, lives in northern Canada where the polar ice is melting. She is doing her best to protect the polar bears around her community.
What I really liked about this book is that, just like in Alan Gatz's book, it shows the consequences of the climate crisis at a personal level. In this case, the images make it profoundly real.

4 stars

From the Roots Up by Tasha Spillett, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator) & Donovan Yaciuk (Illustrator) 🍁

I could have sworn I wrote a review for this book just after reading it, but if I did, I have no idea where it went.
This continues the story of Dez, and Miikwan, two indigenous friends. Dez' grandmother has died and she is living in a group home. Her social worker is a bit of a nightmare, but the woman at the home seems to be a supportive person who understands that Dez is grieving.
At school the two friends attend an after school group that focuses on indigenous teachings. Linda, the elder who runs the group, doesn't question the gendered protocols she has grown up with. With the help of Miikwan's boyfriend's mother, she starts to change her thinking and comes to accept Dez being two spirit.
I like that both girls are in positive relationships with others, but their friendship is what really matters.
I adore Natasha Donovan's artwork!

ADULT/YA GRAPHIC NOVELS


This graphic novel is spectacular. I went into it expecting something entirely different: something fictional or myth. I was gobsmacked by what I experienced. This book is a time travel. It's a portal that opens a passage into the history of the Haida Gwai, an island of the coast of British Columbia. 
It begins with Indigenous life before contact with Europeans. In spectacular illustrations it reveals the horrors wrought by white colonialists, including the deliberate spreading of small pox. 
At the same time it's the story of Johan Adrian Jacobsen (JAJ), who came to the Haida village of Masset to collect specimens for a German museum.
The artwork is spectacular, a blend of traditional and modern art. It's not organized like an ordinary graphic novel. There is a brilliantly chaotic quality to how it all comes together. I learned at the end of the book that if all the panels are put together it becomes a huge mural that is on display at the Berlin Humboldt Forum. 
The following video, taken during a showing of the mural in East Vancouver, gives you a sense of the piece.


ADULT/YA FICTION


This book was a time warp for me. I remember when the local arts community in Vancouver was devastated by the loss of one creative member after another. My partner, a film maker, was much more aware of the tragedy than I was. As a teacher I was only aware of a couple of people who lost their lives to Aids. The book reminded me of listening to The Dr. Peter Diaries, on CBC radio and singing with the the choir at the Dr Peter's Center.
I was deeply invested in these characters: especially the young man, Yale. I wanted so much for him to be a survivor of the carnage around him. One by one his friends get the disease and die. 
The latter part of the book focuses on Fiona and her estranged daughter. The book begins with the funeral of her brother. It ends with her acknowledging how deeply the epidemic scarred her. 


Lucky St. James, a Métis, lives in Toronto with her Grandmother. Just as the two of them are about to be evicted from their apartment, Lucky gets invited to go for a job interview in Salem. There she is invited to join a coven of witches. She barely gets to know the other members when she is sent off in search for the final member of the group. 
It takes a while before Lucky realizes that Jay Christos, a truly evil witch hunter is chasing after her. 
On the surface this is a simple paranormal thriller. At the same time it's a deeply feminist book about friendship - about the power of women when we come together to support each other. Lucky's grandmother, Stella, is one of my favourite characters in the book. She is one spunky old woman! 
The book highlights the evils of the patriarchal system. Fortunately, Lucky St. James' mother equipped her with all kinds of indigenous magic for how to deal with it and the men who try to run it. 
I am looking forward to the sequel that I'm sure is coming!

5 stars

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus & Miranda Raison (Narrator) March 31 2022

It took me a bit to get into this book, but when it finally grabbed me, I was totally hooked. Part of the reason for this is that someone had compared it to When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill, and thought this was better. I do get the connection between the two novels, but wouldn't say either was better. Both are set primarily in the 1960's and both feature women in STEM. The anger in Lessons in Chemistry is more of a slow burn, while in When Women Were Dragons, it's a screaming rage. To be honest, this was much easier to read because of that.
It's the story of Elizabeth Zott, a scientist, who never manages to finish her degree because of being sexually assaulted. It's about not being able to pursue your career because you are a woman. It's a bit of a love story between two brilliant and odd individuals. When she is no longer able to work at her chosen profession, Elizabeth ends up working as a TV star on a cooking show where she teaches her watchers about chemistry.
I like the relationships between the women here. I like that even the one that starts out antagonistic becomes supportive. I like that there are some sympathetic men, even if they are not really effectual. I like the weird humour in this. I adored Six-Thirty, who might be one of the best dogs in fiction. 

CURRENTLY

We are Still Here by Nahid Shahalimi (Editor)

The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Witch King by Martha Wells

UP NEXT 

I have no idea.

READING GOALS 

#MustReadFiction 16/24 

#MustReadNonFiction 12/20

Canadian Authors 32/75 

Indigenous Authors 15/20 

Big Books Summer 2023 - 15 - one in progress

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 134/200 
Posted by 4 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

FREE VERSE FRIDAY #9 SEPTEMBER: AUTUMN

I'm joining Beverly A Baird, Linda Schueler and others in a "year long poetry practice – on the first Friday of each Month," when they, and anyone else who joins, will be writing a poem based on the theme of the month and a photo taken relating to that theme.

You can find out more about this here.

I forgot about writing this til September 30th, so I begged my photographers Randy Rotheisler, and Ron Peace, to send me inspiration. They told me it didn't work like that. I scribbled off a draft and sent it to them. 

by Randy Rotheisler

Autumn

if Spring is the midwife,
and Summer, an indulgent mother,
then Autumn,
Autumn is the death doula,
ushering Earth's weary players
to the ends of their season
across cinematic pigments of glory
and into Winter's waiting embrace

by Ron Peace


here's one from me


The first time I participated, I didn't get the photograph first bit. I let the theme percolate throughout the month before posting and the poem more or less wrote itself. When I realized my mistake, I sent a half decent draft of it to my partner, Randy Rotheisler, and a friend, Ron Peace, both gifted photographers, asking for images to accompany it. We have continued this process.

In case you are interested, both these photographs can be purchased from the photographers. Let me know if you want their contact information.


Posted by 4 comments:
Labels: , ,

#IMWAYR August 21, 2023

Welcome! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.

We have the worst air on the planet these days. It's nasty. Forest are burning all around us, but not close enough to us that we are worried for our own safety. Still, friends, family and so many other people are either on evacuation alert, or have been evacuated that our provincial government has stopped all nonessential traffic into our region. 

I think I complained about the smoke last time I posted. We had a fabulous family reunion on the August long weekend in spite of it. Then we had a bit of respite for about a week after the fire to the south of us was brought under control. This was good because two of our granddaughters stayed with us and besides reading books together, going outside to tire them is part of our keeping sane strategy. Then their parents came and collected them just before all hell broke loose. This link will take you to a time lapse video of the fire about 100 kilometres north of us.

We started out their visit with trip to the library where we stocked up on books. I've shared some of them here. 

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator.
 
Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.

MOST RECENT BLOG POST

FREE VERSE FRIDAY #8 AUGUST - VACATION

CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS


Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff January 1, 1958

My three year old granddaughter chose this (as well as a whole lot of other dinosaur books) from the library. There can be unfortunate consequences when a dinosaur practices its manners. We all laughed at this one.


How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You? by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague (Illustrator) January 1, 2009

This is another one the dinosaur mad granddaughter picked from the library. We read it at least three times during the 7 days she and her older sister were with us.


How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague (Illustrator) February 1, 2003

We read this at least once a day during the 7 days my granddaughters were with us. After the youngest had gone to sleep, her six year old sister chose it as one of the books to read with me.
This one is a winner.


Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn & Rosalind Beardshaw (Illustrator) January 1, 2006

This is one of the books my six year old granddaughter picked to bring home from the library. She read it on her own a number of times. It wasn't til they returned to their parents that I found time to read it myself. I can see why she loved it.
Rosalind Beardshaw's art is gorgeous. I love how multicultural the characters are.


Duck, Duck, Porcupine! by Salina Yoon May 17, 2016

My granddaughters and I enjoyed this hilarious graphic novel for beginning readers. The six year old could read it by herself. We will definitely read more of this series!


Dragon's Halloween by Dav Pilkey January 1, 1993

My six year old granddaughter loved this beginning chapter book. I read it to her and her little sister first, then she picked it up and read it on her own.


Perfectly Imperfect Mira by Faith Pray April 12, 2022

My six year old granddaughter picked this out from the library shelves. I'm so glad she did, as I might have overlooked it.
Mira wants to be perfect and frets when she can't do things perfectly the first time. Eventually she realizes that she needs to do something and so she begins to practice different gymnastic moves on her own. Even though she doesn't do them perfectly, she doesn't give up and continues to improve. In the end Mira realizes she is perfect at growing.
This is a brilliant book that shows all of us how perfection is the enemy of the good.
I love Faith Pray's soft illustrations and how rounded and healthy Mira looks.


Carson Crosses Canada by Linda Bailey & Kass Reich (Illustrations) May 30, 2017 🍁

When Annie Magruder learns that her sister, who lives on the other side of Canada, is ill, she decides to go see her. She fills her VW Bug up with her tent, baloney sandwiches, her dog Carson, and his favourite toy, Squeaky Chicken. She promises Carson there will be a surprise for him when they get there. We enjoyed reading about their adventures in the different parts of the country. The best part is when Annie goes to get a souvenir at Niagra Falls, and Carson leaves his own souvenir there.
Eventually they make it to Annie's sister's place and Carson is delighted with his surprise.

CHILDREN'S NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS


A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis June 21, 2022

I wish I had remembered that I had this book on my iPad when my grandchildren were visiting. We could have read the book and then, after reading about the different phases of a this plant, gone outside and admired the sunflowers growing in my garden.
Not only do I love the illustrations here, I love how the simple text can be embraced by beginning readers.
I appreciated the additional information at the back of the book that includes a visual lifecycle.
This is a brilliant nonfiction text for new readers.


Being Frog by April Pulley Sayre February 4, 2020

This was a reread for me, but I had to introduce my grandchildren to the wonders of frogs. I chose this and the following title. You can read my original review of this book here. 


The Frog Mother (Mothers of Xsan, 4) by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson), Natasha Donovan (Illustrations)  🍁

The Mothers of Xsan Series highlights the Gitxsan’s way of knowing the world by showing the integration of culture and nature. I've reviewed this one in full here.
Not only were the grandchildren engaged by this one, the six year old, just after we started reading, remarked that it seemed like an indigenous book.


What Will Hatch? by Jennifer Ward & Susie Ghahremani (Illustrator) February 5, 2013

This is a delightful information board book. Each section is made up of two, two page spreads. The first includes a setting with a clutch of eggs and includes the question? What will hatch? The next page names and shows the hatched creatures. Each set of pages also includes a rhyming couplet. Readers will learn about turtles, tadpoles, penguins and crocodiles. Did you know that crocodiles are doting mothers?

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION



The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt & Fred Berman (Narrator)

Gary Schmidt is one of a handful of authors who I read just because I am guaranteed to fall in love with their male characters. 
There is a lot going on here. Hercules Beal and his brother, Achilles, are left to run their family farm and nursery after their parents are killed in an automobile accident. 
Hercules starts out at a new school with a hard core, ex marine, home room teacher who assigns unique projects for each of his students. Hercules’ assignment is to find parallels between his life and the labours of his mythical namesake. 
The book is full of adventure punctuated by ethereal moments of calm as Hercules, his dog, and pirate cat greet each dawn on a sand dune by the ocean. It’s also loaded with screaming hilarity. 
It shows a community, even the most crotchety members, stepping up to support their own when they need it. It shows us a boy dealing with grief and coming into his own. It’s just bloody lovely. 


Winterkill by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch &. Michael Gallagher  (Narrator) September 6, 2022

I become besotted with Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch's writing all over again after reading one of her novels. She writes about historically horrific and brutal times with such compassion and tenderness for her characters, without whitewashing any of the reality.
This book is very timely since it is set in the Ukraine. It deals with the Holodomor, a genocide by famine deliberately engineered by Stalin.

ADULT/YA NONFICTION
 

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green May 18, 2021

I savoured this book. I mostly listened to one or two essays at a time. If it was at night and I fell asleep, I was happy to go back and start where I began the night before.
At one point I stopped reading and spent the rest of the afternoon listening to The Mountain Goats.
I give The Mountain goats 4 stars.
John Green narrated this himself. His voice added layers of nuance to the pieces. While some pieces might be more personal than other's I really appreciated Green's honesty & ability to make a personal connection to everything in the book.

I give "The Anthropocene Reviewed" five stars.

CURRENTLY

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

Global by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, Giovanni Rigano (Illustrator)

UP NEXT 

I have no idea.

READING GOALS 

#MustReadFiction 16/24 

#MustReadNonFiction 12/20

Canadian Authors 29/75 

Indigenous Authors 12/20 

Big Books Summer 2023 - 12 - one in progress

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 127/200 


 

Posted by 5 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

FREE VERSE FRIDAY #8 AUGUST - VACATION

I'm joining Beverly A Baird, Linda Schueler and others in a "year long poetry practice – on the first Friday of each Month," when they, and anyone else who joins, will be writing a poem based on the theme of the month and a photo taken relating to that theme.

You can find out more about this here.

I'm in the middle of a family reunion, so I forgot to post on Friday. The good thing about being the earliest one up is that I can clean up the house a bit and it stays that way for a little while, and two, I get a bit of time just for myself, and catching up on things I missed, like this. 

For me, retirement is mostly a never ending vacation punctuated by volunteering and the occasional day of paid work. Getting away from home is the closest to a holiday/vacation that exists for me. I scribbled this one just after we returned from the Vancouver Island Music Festival. 

Tom Wilson of Blackie and the Rodeo Kings


hanging out
at a music festival
is liberation
from ordinary life

letting ourselves get
lost in a montage
of marvels

of reverberations 
of sensation

of raconteurs spinning stories
from words and melody

of applause and cheering,
punctuated by
intoxicating silence
as one voice
ushers us across 
time and place
into sacred space

of hot sun
hot rhythms
hot bodies

of dancing our hearts out
amid a throng of similar souls

of grooving to tunes
rendered on an acoustic guitar
by a fifteen year old blues prodigy,
who’s picking those strings
like he’s in a contest with the devil himself

Horizon over main stage at Vancouver Island MusicFest

Here's the website of the young blues prodigy referenced in the poem. 

The first time I participated, I didn't get the photograph first bit. I let the theme percolate throughout the month before posting and the poem more or less wrote itself. When I realized my mistake, I sent a half decent draft of it to my partner, Randy Rotheisler, and a friend, Ron Peace, both gifted photographers, asking for images to accompany it. We have continued this process.

In case you are interested, both these photographs can be purchased from the photographers. Let me know if you want their contact information.
Posted by 4 comments:
Labels: ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)