May Show Us Your Books

April shower + May flowers

Where the heck did this month go? Hard to believe time could go by so fast when I haven’t really been outside my house. I did read a whopping 19 books last month, so I guess my concentration issues are officially over. Here are some of my favorites from the month.

My Favorites

Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery - This book didn’t get great reviews, but the stuck alone dreaming of all the food I couldn’t have vibe was quite relatable. Sometimes you just find the right book at the right time, you know?

Garvey's Choice by Nikki Grimes - Another right book at the right time. This short verse YA book reminded me to take interest in what my kids are interested in, not just what I want them to be interested in. This was a super important lesson for this first time homeschooler.

Comfort Reads

Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maude Montgomery - Another Anne book, and I loved it just as much as the first. It’s been hard to keep myself to just one of these a month so I can stay on schedule with my buddy read!

Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary - I love, love, love listening to the Ramona books read by Stockard Channing. These were the first chapter books I read as a kid, and listening to one I hadn’t read before was like crawling under a warm blanket.

Devotions by Mary Oliver - Another right book at the right time- when there aren’t that many places to go beyond my backyard Mary Oliver’s poetry about the birds and other creatures in her yard were very soothing.

“And who will care, who will chide you if you wander away from wherever you are, to look for your soul?
Quickly, then, get up, put on your coat, leave your desk!”

— Have You Ever Tried to Enter the Long Black Branches by Mary Oliver

And Other Ways To Pass The Time

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner - This novel covered everything from the 1950’s to just before the 2016 election. At times it felt a bit like Weiner was trying too hard to fit everything in, but overall a good story.

The Lost Boys of London by Mary Lawrence - This was a good sit on the couch with tea mystery. See my full review here.

The Time Between by Karen White - I originally thought I would be reading this book on my vacation to Edisto Island, but since it was April 2020 I ended up reading it in my basement huddled under a blanket. Still, it would have made a good beach book- love story, cute kid, misunderstood family dynamics, etc. My only issue was that the male love interest who happened to be the main character’s boss thought nothing of giving her the day off to baby-sit his kid. There’s no way he could do that and not have full on office wide revolt.

I can’t wait to see what everyone else has been reading to pass the time!

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Four Books You Should Read For National Poetry Month If You've Never Read Poetry Before

April is National Poetry Month!

Among other things April is National Poetry Month, and this year we need it more than ever. When my head is spinning from the news, and I feel like I can’t think after a long day of working, teaching, foraging for food that no one likes anyway, and generally acting as my family’s Corona Cruise Director I may not be able to curl up with a book, but I can always manage a poem. Poems have been my balm and my escape this month.

I’m not a natural born poetry reader. I only started a year or two ago when a book of poems was on some book challenge list I was trying to complete. Thank goodness for book challenges!

If you’d like to start reading poetry, but aren’t sure where to start try these five:

(Just a note- I usually don’t concern myself with how you get your books. I provide amazon links for information, knowing that very few people will ever buy on that site. (But I am very grateful when you do. Those little payments go towards paying fr my domain each year.) Because of the circumstances I did provide a little more information than usual about where you can get these books.)

The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur - These are poems about heartbreak and love. They’re lovely and relatable. (This is available for free on Kindle Unlimited)

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost - Most people have read poems by Robert Frost, but his genius goes way beyond The Road Not Taken. My favorite is Gathering Leaves, a celebration of a bountiful but mostly useless crop. The version I linked to is an old book from a relative’s college class, but there are many other versions available.

the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace - Poems about fairy tales meets real life. So, so relatable and emotional. This one is only $.99 on Kindle right now.

Devotions by Mary Oliver - I’ve been reading a few of these poems each night before bed, and I think they’re perfect for this time of shrinking worlds. No, you can’t go on vacation, but there’s a whole world in the birds and trees right in your backyard. Devotions is a anthology of her best works, and a great introduction if you’ve never read Oliver before. I got this one from Libby trough my library.

Hang in there my friends!

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Non-Fiction Books For September

September is for new pencils, graph paper, and non-fiction reading.

There’s something about seeing kids go back to school that makes me want to learn everything all at once. I’m sure I can’t be the only book worm reading my kids’ texts after they go to bed at night. With that in mind, here are 16 non-fiction books that will get you in the September back-to-school reading spirit.

Books That Teach You To Do Things

On Writing by Stephen King - Stephen King writes so much he makes it look easy. In this book though you get the background into the hours and hours he puts into his craft. Part how-to and part memoir of a great American writer, he reads the audiobook himself, and it it superb.

100 Recipes: The Absolute Best Ways To Make The True Essentials By America's Test Kitchen - This book is exactly as promised. The best way to cook almost everything you’d want to cook. I love it, and check it out of the library at least once a year.

The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith - This book is a good antidote to my personal decorating style which is “It doesn’t have to be beautiful to be good enough.” Give it a try if you need a change in your house, but don’t have tons of time or money.

Random Facts About Things You May Never Have Thought Much About

A Clearing In The Distance by Witold Rybczynski - You may not think you care about the trials and tribulations of Frederick Law Olmsted, but this book is super fascinating. I read it when I was visiting the Biltmore Estate, but that’s not required to enjoy it.

The Residence by Kate Andersen - A look at the presidents that you won’t get anywhere else. You can have feelings about politics and campaign promises, but can you really trust a politician if they don’t teat their pastry chef well?

The Road Not Taken: Finding America in the Poem Everyone Loves and Almost Everyone Gets Wrong by David Orr - A deep dive into one of America’s most quoted poems. It’s a short book well worth the time.

Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens by Steve Olson - One of my earliest school memories was my teacher bringing in a glass jar of ashes from Mt. St. Helens. Then it seemed like I didn’t hear another thing about it until I read this really interesting book. Now I’m obsessed.

Leaving Home

Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery - This is a good one for East Coast hikers who are feeling their years. Anything you’re worried about doing, this lady in her 60’s did it in keds.

Walking With Plato by Gary Hayden - I liked the intermingling of philosophy and walking, and I really liked the relationship of the walkers. This is a nice, soothing book if that’s what you’re in the mood for.

The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau - Everyone needs a quest, and this book will help you realize that. Plus it’s fun to read about what other people are doing in the name of pursuit.

Apollo 8 by Jeffrey Kluger - This is a great book about man’s first Moon orbit, and if you get the audiobook the recordings of the chatter between Houston and Apollo 8 will take your breath away. This was one of my favorite listening experiences ever.

Braving It by James Campbell - This father and daughter adventure story was sweet, and made me realize my kids are capable of more than I give them credit for.

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My favorite non-fiction books from 2016

Earlier this year, I made a goal to read or listen to fifty non-fiction books. I read 47 - not bad, considering I'm in the middle of 3 non-fiction books right now, and I still have 11 days left to go in the year.

My non-fiction books look a lot different from my reading list I created at the end of last year. I managed to get through only 15 of 40 on my list. I can't decide if I need to read harder, or if I need to ease up a bit on my list. I have some very ambitious books on my list while my actual non-fiction reading leaned more towards travel memoirs and cook books. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Here are the non-fiction highlights from 2016. (Note, I'm talking about books I read in 2016, not necessarily books published in 2016.)

Best General Non-fiction from 2016:

Leaving Orbit by Margaret Lazarus Dean - Makes you sad that you didn't pay more attention to the space shuttle program when it was around.

The Road Not Taken by David Orr - An in depth look at the poem everyone quotes without understanding.

When Books Went To War by Molly Guptil Manning - A testamnet to the power of reading.

Best travel memoirs from 2016:

Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery - Read this book if you want to feel weak (but in a good way.)

Walking with Plato by Gary Hayden - An excellent walking book where the walkers don't end up fighting or divorced at the end.

Braving It by Ben Campbell - A father and daughter go to backwoods Alaska. What could go wrong?

Best Biographies from 2016:

Hissing Cousins by Marc Plyser and Timothy Dwyer - A great look at a historical rivalry.

Rosemary by Kate Clifford Larson - So sad, but extremely interesting.

Best Cookbooks from 2016:

100 Recipes by America's Test Kitchen - Everything in this book is amazing. I keep having grand plans of cooking through it.

Home Cooked by Anya Fernald - Another book of delicious food, but also a great book to curl up with on a stormy day.

Everyone is Italian on Sunday by Rachel Ray - No gimmicks in this book, just great food. Try the oatmeal.

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REVIEW: The Road Not Taken by David Orr

I first read about The Road Not Taken: Finding America in the Poem Everyone Loves and Almost Everyone Gets Wrong in a review last year, and loved the sound of it. I added it to my TBR, and then added it to my 2016 non-fiction reading list. then I took it out from the library twice, and returned it unread. I was a bit intimidated. Finally on my third check out, on my third renewal I had a deadline to either read the book, or return it unread again. Well, third time's a charm. I picked this up earlier this week, and blew through it in two days.

I wouldn't consider myself a poetry fan, but do like to read Frost's poems, especially before I go on a trip to New England. Other than that I didn't really know much about him. Then I read this: "...one should bear in mind that Frost was the kind of man who, first, courts the woman he loves by printing up a volume of his own writing and, second upon feeling himself rejected by that woman, travels over five hundred miles in order to walk into a swamp." Oh Mr. Frost, you are interesting, aren't you?

After a brief biography Orr goes on to consider the poem line by line, the legend of Robert Frost, common misinterpretations, and their connection with the American psyche. This is one of those books where you learn a ton without feeling like you're doing it. Even if you don't like poetry, I think you should read this book. If nothing else it makes for good conversation when you're stuck in an awkward conversation with your boss.

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