National Poetry Month: Fourth

This April, in honor of National Poetry Month, I'm posting a poem a week.  There are too many good ones out there to post them all, but this one stuck into me when I read it.  Short and to the point.  It's by Ko Un, called Asking the Way.

National Poetry Month: Third

In honor of National Poetry Month, this April I'm posting a poem every Monday. This week it's one by Meena Alexander, from Raw Meditations on Money, 1. She Speaks: A School Teacher from South India.  Go read something good for your soul.

National Poetry Month: Second

In honor of National Poetry Month, I'm posting a poem a week instead of my usual post.  This week it's Covenant by Alan R. Shapiro - a long one, and a bit of a doozy, but intimate and almost Norman Rockwell-ish in the way it immediately captures family and siblings.

National Poetry Month: First

In honor of National Poetry Month, this April I'm going to be posting a poem (or a link to a poem) a week instead of my usual post.  I've only got four weeks, but I hope I'll get in some good ones, on and off of the blog.  First up is Maya Angelou's Awaking in New York, over at the Poetry Foundation website.  Go read something good for your soul.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Hello from the beginning of another semester - we've made it through the first two weeks! I think a ginormous nap is in order.  Pleasure reading has snuck in here and there in the evenings and weekends, and these are the books that have been on rotation:

Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories by Arthur Conan Doyle
I always forget about the completely out-of-left-field story break about Mormons in the middle of A Study in Scarlet.  Anybody know what that's about?! It trips me up and I put it down because I've lost interest.  I think I've read the first part about four times...here's hoping I'll burrow through and finally finish.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamond
A classic! Everyone says they've read it but I never had, so I took the time over the massive blizzard that took over the East Coast last weekend to hunker down and finally do it.  Man.  It definitely had me thinking, "Wait a minute...this...this did not happen in the Bible, right?" Right.  Glad to have finally read it.  Worth a read if you haven't, but I'm not sure I'd reread.

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
I haven't actually started this one, but it's one I've been looking forward to for a LONG time.  I've heard many good reviews.  A "resonant tale of love, vengeance, and war" tucked into a journey across a land in ruins?? Can't go wrong...I hope.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Review of The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

The beginning of this month was absolutely frigid - I mean, the kind of cold chill that makes you sprint down the block while clutching your extremely full laundry bag in the hopes that it will both warm you up and count as some sort of workout.  It came after weeks and weeks of mild (even warm) weather, and was a shock.  I found this one one night when I was feeling a bit down from the instant winter, and it was an immediate pick-me-up.  


Basic plot: (from Goodreads) "I might be Cinderella today, but I dread who they'll think I am tomorrow. I guess it depends on what I do next." American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it's Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. And when Bex can't resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.

On a scale from 1 to Cripplingly Depressing: Deliciously silly.

Memories from reading: This was a very quick read, over one or two nights, where I lay first on the couch and then in bed with a small light on and a huge comforter wrapped around myself.  This is the first time since maybe middle school that I actually (really) gasped and said "NO!" or "Oh my gosh!" while reading.  It was a lot of fun.

Teeth-gnashing: Only that there aren't any more books written by this pair.

Weapon of Choice: E-book, on my Kindle.

Other titles by this author: None!

Review of The Girl In The Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

When Steig Larsson's books came out several years ago, I read them quickly and compulsively - the combination of mystery-thriller, wildly alive characters, and falling headfirst into Swedish winters was fantastic.  If you liked those books, I think you'll find this one nice, but a bit light.

Basic plot: (from inside cover - though this is not really how I would have described it...maybe that is to protect spoilers?) She is the girl with the dragon tattoo - a genius hacker and uncompromising misfit.  He is a crusading journalist whose championing of the truth often brings him to the brink of prosecution.  Late one night, Blomkvist receives a phone call from a source claiming to have information vital to the United States.  The source has been in contact with a young female super hacker - a hacker resembling someone Blomqvist knows all too well.  The implications are staggering.  Blomkvist, in desperate need of a scoop for Millennium, turns to Salander for help.  She, as usual, has her own agenda.  The secret they are both chasing is at the center of a tangled web of spies, cybercriminals, and governments around the world, and someone is prepared to kill to protect it...

On a scale from 1 to Cripplingly Depressing: Interesting, with a spritz of grim in a few places.

Memories from reading: This was a bedtime read as I tried to get back into a routine after vacation.

Teeth-gnashing: I loved being back in the world of Millennium and Sweden, but my time reading was tinged with a feeling that something wasn't quite right.  For me, the critical characters (Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander) felt off.  Especially Lisbeth.  As I read and wondered why, it struck me how unique Stieg Larsson was in his ability to create a strong female character that wasn't necessarily likable or outwardly loving.  She felt a bit too soft for me in this book, like ice cream that was melting, and parts felt a bit cringe-y.  While most of the book was engaging, there were moments when I thought: "Haven't I read this before? Didn't this already happen in another book?"

Weapon of Choice: Hardcover from the library.

Other titles by this author: 
Lagercrantz: Fall of Man in Wilmslow, I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Larsson: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest

Have you read The Girl In the Spider's Web or any of Larsson's books? What did you think?