and found this old card
stuck inside as a bookmark!
My mom’s from 1939, and
my older siblings' from 1959!
Same program — 20 years later!
5. about your country
My Theodosia: A Novel by Anya Seton
Historical fiction about the life of Aaron Burr's daughter,
very well researched, though not new (1941).
Somewhat problematic yet still of scholarly interest.
as the basis for a sequel to Hamilton!
 |
| Father & Daughter ~ My Theodosia |
6. under a tree
the perfect novel for me to read while sitting under
the huge Virginia Magnolia in my front yard:
The Overstory by Richard Powers
her own body seems freakishly small
like one of those acorn - people
she made in childhood" (154).
"But nothing is less isolated or more social than a tree . . . trees are social creatures. It's obvious to her: motionless things that grow in mass mixed communities must have evolved ways to synchronize with one another. Nature knows few loner trees" (115, 122)
7. about friendship
a good strong fictional friendship.
However, I recently read this zany
little series by Max Velthuijs.
Gave a few as gifts; fun for kids (I think).
 |
| All the Frog books in order:
Book 1: Frog and the Birdsong (1991) Book 2: Frog in Winter (1993) Book 3: Frog is Frightened (1995) Book 4: Frog is Frog (1998) Book 5: Frog and the Stranger (200) Book 6: Frog and the Wide World (1991) Book 7: Frog is Sad (2003) Book 8: Frog and a Very Special Day (2008) Book 9: Frog Finds a Friend (2010) Book 10: Frog is a Hero (2014) Book 11: Frog in Love (2014) Book 12: Where is Frog? (2017) Board Book: Frog & Duck (above) |
8. about space
 |
| Astronauts on the Moon:
The Story of the Apollo Moon Landings by Stanley Hendricks (Author) & Al Muenchen (Illustrator) |
One of the coolest pull tab / pop up books ever! It must have been a Christmas present for my little brother Aaron in 1969, but we all loved it. When I showed it to Ellie this summer, Ben loved it too and couldn't believe he had never seen it before: "Mom, where was this book during MY entire childhood?"
Sadly, it was in storage at my parents' house in an old box that had remained unopened for years. Thank goodness we re-discovered a few old childhood treasures, and this book is finally back in circulation -- and in perfect pop - up condition for Ellie & Aidan!
9. in a blanket fort
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
This is the perfect novel to read in a blanket fort, because, as adults, the main characters, sisters Nora and Libby, build themselves a blanket fort on their get away vacation, as a throw-back tribute to their childhood:
"On Hepburn nights, the three of us would each pick out one of Mom's over-the-top vintage robes and curl up in front of the TV with a root beer float and a pizza, or decaf and chocolate pie, and watch an old black-and-white movie.
"Mom would cry during her favorite scenes . . . I loved those nights. They taught me that heartbreak, like most things, was a solvable puzzle. . . .
"It's only six o'clock, but we change into our pajamas -- including our silk robes. We drag the blankets off the bed in the loft and down the iron spiral staircase to the couch and pop in the first DVD from the Best of Katherine Hepburn box set . . . (48 - 49)
10. to a pet
I do all my reading on the bed with these two,
so they've heard it all!
11. a book with a color in the title
Haunts of the Black Masseur: The Swimmer as Hero
by Charles Sprawson
Swimming as Meditation: Part memoir, part art history & literary analysis: “a scholarly look at the true character of swimmers – isolated souls that somehow find fulfillment in a lonely sensory-deprived act.”
“At a very young age, I began to form a vague conception of the swimmer as someone rather remote and divorced from everyday life, devoted to a mode of exercise where most of the body remains submerged and self-absorbed. It seemed to me that it appealed to the introverted and eccentric, individualists involved in a mental world of their own.” (5)[More on this book at a later date . . . ]
12. a book with chapters
Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Some great chapter titles!
I appreciate an author who takes the time
to include clever subdivisions and subtitles!
Some favorite passages:
. . . when the character Rameel met his wife Isadora:
" 'It was like looking at the sun and not going blind,' Ramell said of his first sight of Isadora.
'That beautiful? huh,' Benton asked.
'Been-tone, my family's faces shine like the light of God.' " (40)
"Upon graduating with his degreein philosophy, Cabot Searcy was told by his father that he couldn't have wasted more money or time if he'd tried. Cabot grinned at this, leaned close to his father's right ear, and told him to wait and see." (135)
"If you've never been to Lily, and I bet you haven't, then you need to know . . . that, for a small town in the middle of nowhere, it seems to be a very clean, well-kept sort of place. Lily is the kind of place you'd like to move to some short time before you die. If at any other time in your life you think you need the peace and quiet of Lily, Arkansas, then you should either see a therapist or stay there for a week and try to find anything half-entertaining to do." (10)
13. at breakfast
Every morning at breakfast, I read The Daily Upside
A few more I try to catch every day or so:
Brandon Robshaw
The Corners
The Marginalian
Saved by Design
Slow Boring
Wait But Why
14. about a city far away
Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero
by Henryk Sienkiewicz
Takes place long ago and faraway in the city Rome (c. AD 64)[More on this novel: Emerald Eye]
See June
1. by flashlight
2. in a funny accent
4. as a family
15. a book of poems
See July
19. to a sibling
See August
16. about your favorite animal
17. a mystery
See September
3. a comic book
18. a funny book
When I Am Among the Trees
ReplyDeleteby Mary Oliver
When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”