tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230558202024-03-08T03:12:22.785-05:00WeavingLibrarianWeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-31541279991190973102010-02-01T14:24:00.006-05:002010-02-01T14:48:15.944-05:00From one book to another book to...I am sure that most peoples' choice of reading material is linked from one book to another. For example, I know that when I like a series, I will attempt to read the next book or two in succession. But I am not really thinking in terms of series. I am trying to figure out how to follow the influences in my reading.<br /><br />I want to track the books that help me choose the book I really think I need to read next. For example, recently I read selections in<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Watch for the Light</span>, all of Kidd's <span style="font-weight: bold;">Firstlight</span> and then picked up <span style="font-weight: bold;">Running to the Mountain</span> by Jon Katz. If you had read all of these books you would not be surprised that Thomas Merton's <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Seven Storey Mountain</span> is now in my reading stack.<br /><br />The first three books, especially Katz and Kidd owe their existence to Merton. The famous monk is a major influence in the lives of these other authors. This doesn't mean that Merton is about to make a difference in my life. It just means that I would like to see why he is so inspiring.<br /><br />Sometimes three books suggest one author to me. The opposite is true of Mary Collins' <span style="font-weight: bold;">Women at Prayer</span>. This is a short book that I am reading because of the subject matter - prayer. However, by the time Collins is finished, I have three books that I would like to read, fortunately I own two of them. The third, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Awful rowing toward God</span> by Anne Sexton will take an ILL to get it.<br /><br />Well I have written all this down. Now the question is: Will I find this information if I need it?WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-68718819564308091642010-01-04T22:31:00.000-05:002010-01-04T22:57:28.283-05:00I can't quite believe I am going to try this again. However, I would like to find a way to post pictures of my weaving. So here goes another try at blogging.<br />WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-43602504573301629812009-06-25T19:53:00.002-04:002009-06-25T20:11:01.569-04:00I am back...I haven't written anything on this blog since April. I really do want to use it for my weaving projects. I just have to get the pictures I took of my shawls on off the camera and on the blog.<br /><br />In the meantime, I have read all these books since February:<br /><br /> <table str="" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 293pt;" width="390" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><col style="width: 293pt;" width="390"> <tbody><tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt; width: 293pt;" width="390" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">Becoming Fully Human</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">Edge of Impropriety</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">When the heart waits</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=""> </span>Monster of Templeton</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">Cracking India</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">Seeing Gray</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">Guernsey</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">Threshold</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">Nefertiti</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">too many cooks</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <span style="font-size:85%;">Finding Your Own North Star</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;"> Learning from the Heart: Lessons on Living, Loving, and Listening</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">Into the forest</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters--and How to Talk About It</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">Moonheart</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Elegant Gathering of White Snows<br />Puppet For a Corpse</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">Show Me Your Way: The Complete Guide to Exploring Interfaith Spiritual Direction</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">To Taste Temptation (The Legend of the Four Soldiers)</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">Between Heaven and Earth: Prayers and Reflections That Celebrate an Intimate God</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Lay Contemplative: Testimonies, Perspectives, Resources</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">The prayers of Peter Marshall</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;"> Little Girls In Church</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl65" style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"><span style="font-size:85%;">death on demand</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">A Whole Life's Work: Living Passionately, Growing Spiritually</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Not becoming my mother</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Summer by the sea</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Fifty to one</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Water from the Well</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Nothing to be frightened of</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">To seduce a sinner</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Close her eyes</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Bread and wine: readings for Lent and Easter</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Life with God</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">American Eve</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Uncommond Reader</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Indian Summer</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Instant Attraction</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Frozen Thames</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Lord of Scandal</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl66" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Ghosts in the Garden</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl67" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Dockside</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl67" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Flat-out Sexy</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl67" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Case Histories</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl67" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Uncatalogued</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl67" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Murder at the Vicarage</span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"> <td class="xl67" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><span style="font-size:85%;">Pilgrim at Tinker Creek</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table>WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-48429905672464784502009-04-01T23:02:00.002-04:002009-04-01T23:04:44.398-04:00more pages read12 books read this month for 3324 pages. Hurrah!<br /><br />Total number of pages read so far 8803<br /><br />At this rate I won't make my goal, but summer is coming and I have two weeks at the beach.WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-86384158259102089392009-03-03T22:16:00.002-05:002009-03-03T22:27:52.244-05:00Books I read in February:<br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dress your family in corduroy </span>272 pages<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Bright side of disaster </span>256<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Something borrowed </span></span>336<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stupid and contagious </span></span>317<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">It seemed like a good idea at the time</span></span></span> 334<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">For the love of Pete </span>384<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br />Best American short stories 2002 </span></span>(talking book)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Zookeeper's wife </span>323<br /></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:85%;" >Embarrassment of mangoes </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:85%;" >305<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:85%;" >Love as a way of life </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:85%;" >256</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span>WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-29863595996955187082009-02-28T21:40:00.003-05:002009-02-28T21:47:50.957-05:00It has been almost a month since I posted last. Apparently it is not vital to my very existence to post here. However, I really do want to keep this blog going in case I do come up with a reason to use it.<br /><br />So today I took pictures of the beginnings of a new weaving project. When I get a few more pictures, I will post them here.<br /><br />In the meantime, here is the review I wrote for my favorite book of this month.<br /><br /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/SLtop/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200620" class="bookTitle">An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude</a><br /><span class="by smallText" style="font-family:verdana;">by</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/117010.Ann_Vanderhoof" class="authorName">Ann Vanderhoof</a><br /><br /><span id="freeTextContainerreview45998157" class="reviewText" style="font-family:verdana;">Ann and Steve work hard at their jobs in Canada. They like what they do and fortunately for them they get to work together as well as be married to one another. They have carved out a good life for themselves. However, they have come up with a plan that will change all that - they are going to escape wintery Toronto with a sailboat adventure.<br /><br />This is the story of a dream. And it is a book for anyone who worries about whether they should attempt their dream. Without giving away the tale that Ann tells, I think she would say go for it.<br /><br />I have no desire to do what Steve and Ann do in this book, but it was a fun read. For a couple of days, I got to visit the Caribbean and live the dream of sailing away from "regular" life.</span></span>WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-73081693164636805112009-02-01T21:47:00.003-05:002009-02-01T22:17:09.422-05:00Since today is the first day of February, I am listing the books that I read this month and the pages read. These are books I started and finished in January. This puts me behind a bit in my total page count, but only seems fair.<br /><br />Slice of Heaven 400<br />Last Lecture 206<br />Perks of Being a Wallflower 213<br />Not the End of the World 244<br />Yiddish Policemen's Union 414<br />Solidier's heart 256<br />Piano Lessons 250<br />Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist 184<br />Love is a mix tape 240<br />The Soloist 289<br /><br /> Total 2696 pages!WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-27461672688003615972008-12-28T12:15:00.008-05:002009-02-28T21:54:12.568-05:00Reading challenges<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">CHALLENGES<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"> 2/1/9 - 2696 pages in January<br /> 3/1/9 - 2783 pages in February<br /></span></span><br />I have decided that I will do a pages read challenge this year. I often wonder about challenges with number of books (50, 100, etc.) because, of course, I could just sit down a read a bunch of juvenile or YA novels and my total would skyrocket.<br /><br />So, to keep my blog going, I am going to see if I can read 50,000 pages. It sounds like a lot right now, but at this moment, I have read 38,999 and the year is not quite over.<br /><br />I will be counting the pages that I read on talking books and my Kindle by using the page count for the original edition of the book. Hopefully that works for the moderator of this challenge.<br /><br />I will continue to review my books at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Shelfari</span> and Good Reads, so I will have to figure out something else that I will do with this blog. But for now, this is my challenge for 2009.<br /></span></span>WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-73510553853805304062008-12-27T21:25:00.002-05:002008-12-27T22:34:01.486-05:00<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: lucida grande;">I have been racking my brain for the last book for the Book a month Challenge. The theme is light and could be light reading, festivals of light, the science of light, titles with light in them or even something else. I don't know why it was so hard. I definitely did some light reading this month and I often read something during Advent about light.<br /><br />However the book I have ended up with is <span style="font-weight: bold;">A Widening Light: Poems of the Incarnation</span>. I have been reading this book since some time in November so it should have popped into my brain before this. Luci Shaw has put together a wonderful compilation of religious poetry. I found poems by people I knew like C. S. Lewis and Madeline L'Engle and many poets that I had never encountered before.<br /><br />These are amazing poems; they are well written, thoughtful and thank goodness <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> sappy. My mental definition of religious poetry is always rhyming and not very deep. Not flattering, but that is what is stuck in my head. This is not at all true of this anthology.<br /><br />This is an excellent book to end the year on. I once again want to thank Katie for her idea. It did help focus my reading a bit this year. I am not sure I will do another book challenge this year, but I will probably start one for work during our next fiscal year. We shall see... the best laid plans.<br /></span></span></span>WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-21382582478807631962008-12-03T21:12:00.005-05:002008-12-03T21:46:03.350-05:00<span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">So what is your image of the Pilgrims and their relationship with the Native Americans? I have this mental image of Pilgrims in black and white outfits and Indians in feathers and buckskins. And of course they all sit down to a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">I had hoped that in reading this book, I would find things about the Pilgrims to be thankful for. The BAM challenge was to be about thanks and giving. I did not find what I was looking for, but this was a fascinating book. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">Philbrick dispelled many of my preconceptions. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mayflower</span> gave me a better idea about why the Pilgrims came to North America; what the difference is between Pilgrims and Puritans and what the relationship between the Native Americans and the Pilgrim interlopers was like. My history classes did not do justice to anyone from this time period.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">Several things amazed me. First of all I had no idea how much we actually know about the Native Americans of New England. I am truly unaware of Native American history and culture. I wouldn't even know where to begin reading, if I wanted to know more.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">Secondly, the Europeans were alarmingly convinced that they were the norm. This is an issue for most of us - we can only see the world through our own eyes. However, I am sorry that few of the people who came to this continent could see those who are native as actual people. Humans don't seem to learn quickly.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">I wish that I found Philbrick's style a bit more compelling. However, I am more than happy that I have a better idea about some of our early history. So many books show me how little I know. Philbrick did a good job of teaching me more about my country. And for that I should be thankful.<br /></span></span>WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-68304746864406965152008-11-30T20:54:00.002-05:002008-11-30T21:03:45.255-05:00I am almost done my 11th BAM book and want to again thank Katie for this challenge. I am seriously thinking about using this concept next year with our Readers' Advisory training. I haven't worked out all the bugs, but I need to make some major changes to how we do RA.<br /><br /> My book for the November challenge is <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mayflower: a story of courage community and war</span> by Nathaniel Philbrick. I now know more about the pilgrims than most of my friends would ever want me to know. My habit, when I learn something new, is to tell the world. Just ask some people I know about how I keep boring them with stuff from <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Ominvore's Dilemma</span>.<br /><br /> I am now going to go off and finish the book.WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-8105027196928078322008-11-04T18:04:00.005-05:002008-11-09T19:35:32.566-05:00<div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);">Not that anyone is reading this blog besides myself, but I wrote all this while waiting for the election results and then did not react at all to the election. HURRAH!!! HURRAH!!! HURRAH!!! Now on to the October BAM challenge.<br /><br /></span></span>Last month's challenge for BAM was books that haunt. I really don't like ghost tales; I am definitely not into horror and so, I was trying to come up with a book that haunted me in other ways. I got to the end of the month and had not read anything new that I found haunting. I read a bunch of books in October - 12 according to my list at Good Reads, but they were so memorable that I thought I could use them.</div><div> </div><div> </div><br /><div>So I looked over my list and realized that two books that I read tie to a subject that has haunted me since childhood. I recently read both<strong> The Book Thief</strong> and <strong>We Are on Our Own</strong>. Both of these books are about the Holocaust. A topic that probably haunts lots of people.</div><div> </div><br /><div>I can't remember when I read <strong>A Diary of a Young Girl</strong>, but I think that is the first book that I read that showed me the horrors of World War II. I can still see (in my mind's eye) the movies we saw in high school history class.</div><div> </div><br /><div>I am of German descent, supposedly. None of my immediate relatives were in Germany at the time of the Holocaust. However, this connection has bothered me a lot. Would I have behaved differently than many of the German people living then?</div><div> </div><br /><strong>The Book Thief</strong> is a very different take on this part of history. Death is telling the story and Death sees us very differently than we would like to be seen. This is an amazing story. Zusak is young, I think, but he has an old mind. To conceive of all this and to get it on paper. Just phenomenal.<br /><br />Main characters are Liesel, Max, Rudy, Hans and Rose. They are all well imagined. I am still thinking about Liesel and her books. I have read lots of books about WWII. most centering firmly on the Holocaust. This is less on the actual death camps, but the atrocities are still there. Thanks to the way Zusak writes, I will be haunted by this book for a long, long time.<br /><br />The other haunting book about WW II that I have recently read was <span style="font-weight: bold;">We Are on Our Own</span> by Miriam Katin. This book preoccupies my mind for several reasons. One, it is a story about WWII that is not familiar to me. I had never thought much about those who tried to escape. What Miriam and her mother went through was very difficult.<br /><br />Two, the drawings of this "graohic novel" are very evocative. Most of the GNs I have read have been black and white, and very clear. These drawings are in colored pencil and are less clear. As one reviewer stated - they look like a child's memory. Really true.<br /><br />However, I am mostly disturbed by where Katin's experiences put her with her religion. She has been left haunted herself - without a clear belief system. This is hard for me to imagine.<br /><br />Hopefully all this explains how I was haunted for the October BAM challenge.<br /><br />I am looking forward to November and the topic of giving.WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-80514709247793802392008-10-27T22:35:00.002-04:002008-10-27T22:41:30.530-04:00<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Here it is, the 27th of October and I haven't found a book to review for my BAM challenge this month. The theme for the month is haunting. I figured that I would run across something as I read this month that would fulfill one of the definitions of haunting. The challenge (found here: <a href="http://bamchallenge.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/challenge-10-haunting/#comments">http://bamchallenge.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/challenge-10-haunting/#comments</a>) has lots of possibilities, I just never found anything.</span><br /><br />The only thing I have so far is one short story from<strong> Hardly Knew Her: Stories</strong> by Laura Lippman. I have to say that it is sitting in the back of my brain, driving me crazy. But one story is really not enough. <br /><br />I think I will go find something to read.WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-90207307752667354342008-10-13T21:44:00.003-04:002008-10-13T21:54:53.694-04:00<span style=";font-family:lucida grande;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">Reading Challenges - why do people do so many? I just encountered a blog where the owner is doing more than 30 challenges this year. I am doing two and only on one of them am I posting to the blog. I have enough people telling me what to read. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">I have 12 books to read for my book group; 4 books to read for Readers' Advisory (I actually will probably do more); books to read for The Big Read; and my mom will instruct me to read at least something more over the course of the year.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">I read a lot - my list at Good Reads has 86 titles that I read so far this year. But how would I keep up with more than 30 challenges. Even with the fact you can use a book for more than one challenge -more power to those of you who can keep up with all this reading.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">I think I will go back to my romance of the week - </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">Charming the Prince</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">. It is fun, light and not for any challenge except to keep my stress level down.</span></span>WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-12231970966656509482008-09-24T22:01:00.008-04:002009-03-02T22:27:22.763-05:00<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:lucida grande;" >I have read 8 of my TBR books and one is just not meant to be read - it is something to encounter the quotations over a long period of time. So here is my next list of 12: </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:lucida grande;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Chacour, Elias. <span style="font-weight: bold;">We Belong to the Land</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Chesterton, G. K. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Orthodoxy</span><br /></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Goldberg, Natalie. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Wild Life: Living the Writer's Life</span><br /></span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Helms, Randel. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Who Wrote the Gospels?<br /></span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Keating,</span> Thomas. <span style="font-weight: bold;">. Open Mind, Open Heart<br /></span>Kopper, Philp.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> The Wild Edge: Life and Lore of the Great Atlantic Beaches<br /></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Nouwen, Henri.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> With Open Hands</span></span><br /></span>Russo, Richard.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Straight Man<br /></span></span></span></span>Shaw, Luci.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">A Widening Light: Poems of the Incarnation</span><br /></span></span></span></span>Swanwick, Michael.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Tales of Old Earth<br /></span></span></span></span>Tan, Amy.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> The Opposite of Fate<br /></span></span></span></span>Yehosha, A. B. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Liberated Bride<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:lucida grande;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >As I read them, I will mark them in <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-style: italic;">blue</span> this time. </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-4134449537566816412008-09-24T20:48:00.006-04:002008-09-24T22:35:22.655-04:00<span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" >Change is the topic of the month at the BAM challenge blog. I had lots of ideas about what I was going to read. Change is part of our life at PRL and so I figured I would read something about coping with change or managing change - you know, the books good managers read to help them and their staff cope.<br /><br />However, I finished<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Their Eyes Were Watching God</span> by Zora Neale Hurston just the other day. And all I could think about after finishing the book was talk about change!<br /><br />I had read this book about 25 years ago when I had just moved to Virginia. I found it to be powerful, moving and significant at that time. My library is about to do this book as our Big Read, so I decided to listen to it this time around. I had forgotten how powerful Hurston's writing is. She had an utterly amazing way with words.<br /><br />Janey's life involved so much change. Janey thought she knew who she was, but other people had other ideas. Her grandmother, her husbands, her neighbors all thought they knew who Janey <span style="font-style: italic;">should</span> be. It is not until the end of the book that the reader and Janey learn the truth about how a woman might be.<br /><br />And then there is the change (and lack thereof) since Hurston wrote this book. It has been 71 years since <span style="font-weight: bold;">Their Eyes</span> was published. Hurston was given grief for not uplifting her race. What would happen if this book was published now?<br /><br />African-Americans and women of all colors have made advances in our society. However, we still struggle with our place as it is assigned by this culture. You only have to look at our upcoming election to see that.<br /><br />I had not expected much change by listening rather than reading. I was wrong. This was so much better for me as an audio book. The book is written in dialect which I can read, but I really did not hear until it was read to me. I am blown away. Janey's story is the story of one of the most wonderful women I have ever read about.<br /><br />I read this book because it is our next Big Read adventure at PRL. I have changed my mind about doing TEWWG for The Big Read. This story is one that more people should encounter. I hope we can do that through this reading program.<br /><br />Lastly there is the change in my life since I read this book 25 years ago. I am not a re-reader. There are so many books out there waiting for me. However, I have changed since I read this book for my book group. It was good to encounter Janey and Tea Cake once again. I see their lives in a whole new light since I am older.<br /><br />Everyone should read this book.</span>WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-1527876967686303322008-08-31T21:54:00.003-04:002008-08-31T22:14:38.042-04:00<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: lucida grande;">It is not like I forgot that Gretel Erhlich existed. I knew she had published new books since her book about being struck by lightning (</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: lucida grande;">A Match to the Heart</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: lucida grande;">), I just hadn't read anything by her for a really long time.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: lucida grande;">What a mistake. Now I will have to go back to find the books I haven't read. Ehrlich is a superb writer. She has a way with words that made me want to read </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: lucida grande;">The Future of Ice</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: lucida grande;"> out loud. From the beginning of the book until the end I was so envious. I have no desire to write for publication, but who wouldn't be jealous of Ehrlich's phrasing. Listen to this:</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: lucida grande;"> "All I know is this - and maybe I don't know it at all: The inner world is the one where </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: lucida grande;"> the cold flame of passion is used to set ourselves free from desire."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: lucida grande;">The Future of Ice: A Journey into Cold</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: lucida grande;"> was published in 2004. It was a wake-up call about the possible end of winter and what that would do for our world. Ehrlich was one among many who were talking about global warming long before Gore. I don't object to Al Gore's books, but they are not as beautiful as this one. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-family: lucida grande;">I suggested cold for the BAM challenge because by August I am tired of Virginia summers. I was not sorry to find my self in some of the coldest places on this planet with Ehrlich. However, I did not expect to be so moved by my BAM choice. Thank you Gretel Ehrlich, for writing with such passion about your winter experiences.</span></span>WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-61219602798552967942008-08-30T15:50:00.002-04:002008-08-30T15:55:04.085-04:00<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I am finishing up my BAM challenge - <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Future of Ice: a Journey into Cold </span>by Gretel Ehrlich.</span></span> I had forgotten what an incredible writer she is. Her way with words is phenomenal. It is a bit strange to be reading about ice on this hot day in August, but that was part of the reason, I suggested "cold" books. <br /><br />More later...WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-78066015908027652662008-07-28T12:06:00.003-04:002008-07-28T12:36:19.414-04:00The July <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">BAM</span> topic is Independence. In my usual convoluted way, I found <strong>Blindsided</strong> by Richard M. Cohen. I am not sure why I thought a book by a man who lives with multiple s<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">clerosis</span> and who has survived two bouts of colon cancer was the book to read for the topic of independence. I know that when I started the book I was thinking that anyone with a chronic illness might be interdependent rather than independent, but that is probably because I don't deal with chronic illness. Now, having read the book, I would say that Cohen is very independent - maybe too much so for his own good.<br /><br />I read a couple of reviews before I read <strong>Blindsided</strong>. I had heard some things about Richard M. Cohen since his wife is Meredith Vieira, anchor on the <em>Today Show</em>. He is an amazing human being. How he and his family have managed is beyond me. MS has been part of Cohen's family for three generations - his father and grandmother both had it. Cohen tells his story well and it is evident that he has great skills as a writer.<br /><br />However, this book and I did not meet each other at the right time. I did not have enough patience for the style and may be even the content. As a relatively healthy person, maybe I just can't face the scary parts of chronic illness. So although this is a well written book, I just couldn't get into it.<br /><br />So this is not really a review. I may try to read other things by Cohen. If I need to know more about chronic illness - I may even come back to this particular book. I did not do this book justice, but sometimes that happens. On to next month's challenge.WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-35559950246616380042008-07-22T21:46:00.002-04:002008-07-22T21:53:12.837-04:00Here it is, almost a month since I posted last. Shameful, shameful. I may be the only person actually reading my blog, but I promised myself that I would keep it up in some way or another.<br /><br />All I have to say at this moment, I finished two more books from my TBR pile and I gave the BAM challenge an idea for August. The first book is <span style="font-weight: bold;">Quiet in His Presence</span> which I liked very much. I am not crazy about the "his" part, but I will get into that when I post my review on Shelfari. The second book was <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Bridal Wreath</span> - definitely not my favorite book. More as I said - on Shelfari.<br /><br />For the BAM challenge we will be doing cold books in August. Right now I need to finish the book I am reading for the July challenge which is independence.<br /><br />Life is speeding along - our vacation, even at two weeks, was too short.WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-89593031177501166562008-06-24T16:30:00.003-04:002008-06-24T16:38:17.410-04:00<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I finished another of my "To be read" (TBR) pile. This one was, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Forty Acres and a Goat</span> by Will Campbell. You can see my comments here: </span> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://www.shelfari.com/weavinglibrarian/shelf">http://www.shelfari.com/weavinglibrarian/shelf</a><br /></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />The "review" on this website is not really a review - I just want to write down enough to remember the book. I need to practice writing reviews.<br /><br /><br /></span>WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-54934133960417067332008-06-16T14:38:00.007-04:002008-06-16T15:49:39.718-04:00<span style="color:#333399;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Title: The Rover<br />Author: Mel Odom<br />Genre: Fantasy<br />Reading Level: Adult<br /><br />June's BAM challenge is Knowledge. Katie gave us lots of ideas, but I had had good luck searching our catalog and NoveList Plus before, so I started with our catalog (<a href="http://www.pamcat.org/">http://www.pamcat.org/</a>). Found two books with knowledge in the title that looked good, until they came in delivery.<br /><br />Using NoveList Plus, I just entered "knowledge" as a search term and limited it to adult and fiction. What I got was <strong>The Rover</strong> by Mel Odom (among other things). I remember that when I purchased this for our library, this fantasy intrigued me, but I did not remember that Wick (the main character) is a Third Level Librarian in the Vault of all Known Knowledge. So <strong>The Rover</strong> looked like the perfect choice.</span></span><br /><span style="color:#333399;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />I happen to love books where I get to follow characters around a world that I am unfamiliar with. It can be Tudor England, modern day Kansas, or a spaceship winging its way to a new planet. I am not picky about genre (the only one I don't read is westerns) and the pacing can be fast or slow. I mostly want to fall into a world and live there for a few hours or days.<br /><br />I lived with Edgewick Lamplighter for most of last weekend. I had no plans except to relax and read and so I opened <strong>The Rover</strong> with great anticipation. Odom did not steer me wrong. He has created a wonderful world with pirate, trolls, elves and great battles of good versus evil. Just what I needed for an extended read.<br /><br />Edgewick Lamplighter has been a third level librarian for way too long. He works in the Vault of all Known Knowledge where they are busily cataloging the history of the world. He spends much of his free time reading books from the Hralbomm Wing of the library - these books are full of frivolity, which apparently has "no place in the proper history of the world."<br /><br />Fortunately for us all, Edgewick, Wick to his friends, has to deliver a message for the Grandmagister. And although I could see that this was going to give Wick the opportunity for quest, I could not have ever guessed how the author was going to get Wick the adventures of a lifetime.<br /><br />The story is a magical quest, like The Hobbit and even a bit like Harry Potter, but Odom took familiar stories and made them new. I give <strong>The Rover </strong>3 stars (***). Next time I have a long weekend, the next volume, <strong>The Destruction of the Books</strong> is probably going along.</span></span><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#333399;"></span>WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-42900089683598299362008-05-27T21:32:00.008-04:002008-09-24T22:01:16.059-04:00<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I just encountered this blog: http://tbrchallenge.blogspot.com/. The idea is that you pick 12 books - one for each month of 2008 - that you've been wanting to read </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">for 6 months or longer, but haven't gotten around to.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I have a lot more than 12 books on my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">TBR</span> list, so this seems like a good way to keep my blog going and work on all those <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">TBRs</span>. Here is my list with those I have already read in<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:lucida grande;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">red</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Asch</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">, </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Scholem</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">The Nazarene: A Novel Based on the Life of Christ</span><br /></span><span>Bell, Thomas. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Out of This Furnace</span><br /></span>Campbell, Will D. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Forty Acres and a Goat</span><br /></span>Chesterton, G. K.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Orthodoxy</span></span><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Gray, Zane</span>. </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Betty Zane</span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Grumbach</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">, Doris. </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Life in a Day</span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Keating</span> Thomas. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Open Mind, Open Heart<br /></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Kisly</span>, Lorraine. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Ordinary Graces (<span style="font-style: italic;">this book is not meant to be read at one sitting, so this will take awhile to finish</span></span><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Manning, Brendan.</span> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">The Wisdom of Tenderness: What Happens When God's Fierce Mercy Transforms Our Lives</span><br /></span>Harris, Jan.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Quiet in His Presence</span><br /></span></span></span>Russo, Richard.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Straight Man<br /></span></span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Undset</span>, S</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:lucida grande;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">igrid</span>.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">The Bridal Wreath</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Tenderness-Happens-Fierce-Transforms/dp/0060724463/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211939111&sr=8-3"><span class="srTitle"></span></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span>WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-21285619677249021712008-05-21T16:20:00.008-04:002008-05-22T10:18:00.968-04:00The May <em>Book a Month Challenge. </em>This continues to be a lot of fun.<br /><br />I may be stretching the point here, but I really want to review <strong>Enrique's Journey</strong> by Sonia Nazario while it is still fresh in my mind. This was the book under discussion at my book group last night and it was a great choice. We had much more discussion than I had thought possible and the conversation may have started with immigration and Enrique, but we were all over the map.<br /><br />Nazario is a reporter for the <strong>LA Times</strong> and after a conversation with the woman who cleans her house, Nazario felt compelled to research one small aspect of immigration from Central America. She managed to do a story for her paper on the _____ thousand children who ride the trains through Mexico to get to the US.<br /><br />By following Enrique on his quest to be reunited with his mother (See there is the connection to this month's topic), Sonia Nazario put herself and us in these children's shoes. It is an amazing story.<br /><br />All of us in the group had our moments with this book where we were depressed or overwhelmed. I won't lie - there are alot of difficult events in this book. However, I highly recommend this tale for several reasons.<br /><ol><li>This is a side of immigration that most of us know nothing about.</li><br /><li>You will be amazed by the journey Enrique makes by himself.</li><br /><li>What Sonia Nazario does as a reporter will blow you away.</li></ol><p>I give this book a 9 on 1-10 scale. I think that this ranks up there with other good social issue nonfiction (like <strong>Nickel and Dimed</strong>) and I plan to pay a bit more attention to immigration as we go through the upcoming election. </p>WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23055820.post-91096773233484088682008-04-14T16:12:00.009-04:002008-05-21T16:20:35.163-04:00<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#333333;">Beauty - that is the topic for April at the Book A Month Challenge Blog. I said I was going to read <strong>Beauty shop for rent...full equipped</strong>, <strong>inquire within</strong>, forgetting that I had planned to do a poetry book, no matter what the subject suggested by Katie. April in my mind is for two things - National Library Week and National Poetry month.<br /><br />So let's start with the poetry book. I read <strong>Thirst </strong>by Mary Oliver. Oliver is always going to be a favorite of mine, since she writes about nature in ways that are both familiar and startlingly new. For example, "The place I Want to Get Back To" contains all the usual references to Oliver's natural world, but the ending just blew me away - it was not what I expected.<br /><br />This group of poems was written in response to Oliver's companion's death and so some of them were hard for me to read - so raw - in my opinion. "Letter to ____________" is a good example of that. Painful, wonderful, but painful.<br /><br />I have Donald Hall's book, <strong>Without </strong>on my shelf. Now I want to go back and reread his responses to his partner's death. I think the two books together will really resonate with me. Both poets really do know how to "open a vein" as Red Smith once said.<br /><br />Even if you don't normally read poetry - please find at least one poem to read this month. It is amazing how poets can create images that never leave your mind. If you can't find a poem you like, I would be happy to share.<br /><br />Now on to something lighter. Poetry takes one kind of reading mood. Laura Bower's book was for a whole different mood. I hadn't read any young adult books for awhile, which was one of the reasons; I picked <strong>Beauty Shop for Rent...</strong> The next reason I picked the book, was the cover - such an infectious smile on Abbey's face. Although at the time, I did not know that her name is Abbey.<br /><br />This impish looking teenager, Abbey, is being reared by her great-grandmother. Yes, you read that right, not her grandmother or mother, but her great-grandmother, who happens to run a beauty shop. Not only is Granny Po responsible for Abbey, but she has help from the spirited Gray Widows, who seemingly have not a lot to do besides getting their hair done.<br /><br />Abbey (like most young women in YA novels) has a lot of problems in her life. However, Bowers creates a character and family that I found believable. Life is tough for Abbey, but in the course of the book she grows and learns about life. And by the end the reader is involved enough to be pulling for her. This is funny, sad and ultimately wonderful book.<br /><br />I plan to share this book with some of the YAs in my life and I am looking forward to Laura Bowers' next novel.</span>WeavingLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15998535142004677025noreply@blogger.com1