It's Monday - Books at Year's End

  Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! 

Hi Everyone! 

            The last time I posted was the week after Thanksgiving. Since then: I traveled to Lexington, Kentucky to be at my grandson's graduation from the University of Kentucky, had Christmas with my daughter and family, had lots of work at the bookstore, and am prepping for ALL of the family to be together for a day to celebrate Christmas together. My son and family are coming in to stay at our townhouse in the Keystone area, to ski! We'll be together next Saturday. It's been a different December for sure with those changes in events and because of the weather, like the "big" one mid-month. I hope all of you remained safe during that terrible storm. 

            And, Best wishes for a fabulous 2023 full of reading and all the other things that bring you joy!

           

          Here's a collage of all the books I reviewed on Goodreads since that post. Some are old favorites; some are new! Click on the book titles to read my review on Goodreads.!

Mim's Christmas Jam

The Woodcutter's Christmas

Hershel and The Hanukkah Goblins

Maya's Song

Christmas Fairies for Ouma

The Animal's Santa

Paddington Bear at The Circus

A Library

Amari and the Great Game

          It took a long time to read this new Amari adventure, not because it wasn't good but because Alston included so many layers in this new world that I was dumbstruck, had to re-read some parts to understand, plus then it was mostly in December which held all the holiday prep plus a trip for special graduation, too little time to settle in just to read! Amari, once again, is seen as a young teen, though very special, wanting to do good, continued to question her actions with her magic, and wanted so much to do things right. With best friends Elsie, then Jayden later, and a surprise friend, Lara, the nemesis in the first book, Amari had a group to lean on and love! The complexity of Alston's world-building is amazing and fun and just plain satisfying. Though it took a while, I am glad to recommend it!

I forgot to include this book in my collage!

Thanks to Candlewick Press for this new story about Tola!

        I've enjoyed the first two books about "Too Small Tola" and this one follows a similar style, a telling of the life of a family of three children, the youngest is Tola, being raised by their Grandmommy in Lagos, Nigeria. They live in a rundown part of the city and clearly are poor. However, Atinuke shows in her fine story-telling that they have something more, love among them so they will do what is needed to help each other (even if they are sad a little about it or irritated, too). Onyinye Iwu's drawings follow along with the story in a way that enhances the important parts. The stories show Tola's thoughts, though sometimes no one else knows them but us, the readers. Each one leads us through Tola's feelings and reasons for her actions as if we are in on a secret that others don't find out until the end, or never! I liked this one, so full of heart, very much.

What's Next - I have so many books in my TBR list, I don't know what I'll choose next. I'll check out the Cybil's finalists' list and the Nerdies award. Perhaps that will help me choose. 

Poetry Friday - A Poetic Invitation

 

It's Poetry Friday - Goodbye 2022

   Poetry Friday is with Patricia Franz HERE on her website, Reverie. In it, today, she offers a poem that shows the many ways we are blessed. Thanks for hosting, Patricia!

               First, I am excited to share that Editor Bridget Magee's anthology, Two Truths and A Fib will be available on 1.1.23. I have yet to see it, but it is available for pre-order wherever you purchase your books! You can watch the trailer HERE! I am proud to have some poems in this book along with others whose names you will recognize. And, I want to thank Bridget for the idea, the opportunity, and for all the work in the production! Congratulations to Bridget and all the poets!

               It's time to ponder the new year, as Rilke wrote, "full of things that have never been". I've wondered what to share and this week, keep returning to Robert Frost, a longtime favorite because of his love for nature. If you ever see my posts on social media, you know I often use the hashtag, #getoutside. This poem feels like an invitation to us. Wishing you a Happy New Year full of love, happiness, and the beauty outside.

The Pasture

                   Robert Frost

I'm going out to clean the pasture spring; 

I'll only stop to rake the leaves away 

(And wait to watch the water clear, I may): 

I sha'n't be gone long.—You come too. 

I'm going out to fetch the little calf 

That's standing by the mother. It's so young, 

It totters when she licks it with her tongue. 

I sha'n't be gone long.—You come too. 

It's Poetry Friday - A Light Celebration

   Poetry Friday is with Irene Latham HERE on her website, Live Your Poem. She's sharing all kinds of gifts for us this next to last Poetry Friday of 2022. Thanks for hosting, Irene!

    I took this picture Wednesday morning as the sun rose and I welcomed the sun. Now, this Thursday, after the shortest day , then longest night, the winter solstice, it is below zero and light has come, but the sun hides out. I don't blame it, do you?

       At the school where I taught, we tried hard to be inclusive of all the celebrations our students celebrated with their families, often occurring this time of year. We named it our "Celebrations of Light" where each class created a response to share. On one special day near the holiday break, all the students walked through each classroom, reading what was shared, looking at the art, learning of new ways that people throughout history, and during their lives today, celebrate light. Here is an old song that was our theme the final year I taught. Each of my students found various ways people celebrated, wrote prose or poem pieces, and built small homes where we placed lights in order to have the windows shining. I wish I had some of those pieces to share but I only have the song and one picture. Happy Solstice to you all. Wishing you a special celebration of light in your own homes here at the end of 2022 or whenever it occurs.

This time of the year is spent in good cheer, 

And neighbors together do meet 

To sit by the fire, with friendly desire, 

Each other in love to greet; 

Old grudges forgot are put in the pot, 

All sorrows aside they lay; 

The old and the young doth carol this song 

To drive the cold winter away. 

~Traditional Carol

          That final line seems quite apt this week, does it not? Keep cozy!

Poetry Friday - Action Packed!

  

        Poetry Friday is with Michelle Kogan HERE on her website, More Art 4 All. This time, along with a poem and painting that shows her love for nature, she shares from a New York Times article that tells of artists all over the world whose countries are at war, like Ukraine. It's both inspiring to read how they are combating their war-torn homes and heartbreaking to realize that it is happening. Thanks for hosting, Michelle!

         I'll be in Lexington, Kentucky next week for my grandson Carter's graduation from the University of Kentucky. The poem is for him, from the joys of watching him grow.

         I'm reminded of the song "Turn Around" by Harry Belafonte. Because he is singing to a girl, I'm changing a word toward the end of the first verse. You can listen to it here!

Where are you going my little one? Little one
Where are you going, my baby, my own?
Turn around and you're two, turn around and you're four
Turn around and you're a young "boy" going out of the door

Turn Around 

 

From babyhood coo-cooing to crawling and exploring,

To walking and conversing, then running and ignoring

those calls of “Hey, be careful”, and you kept right on going!

To baseball and then Scouting, on to musically marching.

 

In spite of the pandemic, stepping slow, slow, and slow,

Your game became Monopoly, passing Go, then Go!  

Along with your friending, your working and the play,

You raced and you rocketed to clock into this day.

 

It’s time to slow your breathing and have a bit of fun.

You’re zooming to the finish, 

Now celebrating, shouting: 

“I’m done!”

 

Linda Baie ©

Monday Reading - Sharing New and Older Books

       Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! 

     I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving wherever you celebrated. I did travel to be with my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, with little time to read. There was a lot of visiting and eating! In a little more than a week, I'll be seeing them again because my grandson, Carter, is graduating from the University of Kentucky, a semester early! Is December busy? Absolutely. I have yet to do anything about Christmas. But I have read some great books over the recent weeks! Take a peek!

         I shared this book last week on Poetry Friday! It will be a gift just right for someone you love. The link is here!

       Thanks to Kathryn Erskine for my copy of this special book, set during the Civil Rights era, the story of Red Porter, a middle-school-aged boy who struggles through grief after the recent death of his father, the questions of why certain families seem to hate his family, and why he can no longer be a friend to an African-American boy with whom he played and played in their earlier days. Red's attempts to make things right, to stay in their home when his mother is determined to move, to help friends is shown so beautifully through Kathryn Erskine's text of Red's thoughts. He knows from his Dad that running away from things is not the way to be. Though it's so hard to face the truth, Red, young as he is, takes it all on, even becoming a super older brother to his younger brother, J, a real pain, until he isn't! So many characters play a part, good and bad, in Red's growing up, including a thoughtful teacher and a family friend who helped run their convenience store. It's a beautiful story! 

        Come along down memory lane with Charles Dickens where Nick Manning and Brita Granstrom start at his beginnings, all the way to his passing, offering his own words, then further explanations in comic-style boxes. I haven't read every piece or book he wrote, but many are featured with the connections that make the stories even more precious. It's a lovely, brief collection that can serve as an introduction to this most well-known writer all over the world. The endpapers show a map of special places in Dickens' life and novels and there's backmatter with additional sources, a glossary of terms people may not know, like "blacking" which is boot polish, a list of his works, and more!