Reviews

Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow (Juvenile Fiction)

Simon and his family are processing the trauma of a school shooting that Simon was the only survivor of. This topic brings up all kinds of mixed feelings, and I was initially hesitant whether I could read it. However, Erin Bow does a phenomenal job writing about this topic, and I found myself instantly liking the characters and their relationships with one another. It's an absolute gem that will encourage both tears and laughter. 

One of the reviews I read called this a tragicomedy, and I thought that was strange due to the topic of the book. But the more I listened to it, the more "tragicomedy" made sense. Simon and his parents move to a fictional National Quiet Zone two years after the school shooting. His mom is a mortician, so naturally their residence is in his mom's funeral home. Simon's dad is a Catholic Deacon who has bizarre luck with animals. Add in a peacock who thinks he's the owner of the funeral home, and it was actually pretty hilarious at times. 

The love, support, and hefty sense of humor in Simon's family are all immensely helpful in processing their trauma and PTSD, but there are plenty of rocky moments. Thankfully a classmate, Agate befriends Simon and enlists his help creating fake alien signals (fascinating subplot alert!). Thanks to incredible family support and Agate's friendship, Simon begins to heal and find a place that really feels like home. I thought the writing was exceptional, the audiobook narrator (Will Collyer) did an excellent job bringing the characters to life, and the story with all its varied intricacies was well-thought out.

Expedition Backyard by Rosemary Mosco and Binglin Hu (Juvenile Graphic)

Calling all Skunk and Badger and Peter and Ernesto fans! Here's another adorable animal friendship tale for you. Whether you like calm adventures like mole or you like chasing danger like vole, you will root for them both. There's lots of plant and animal identification going on in this adorably illustrated gem as well. Swamp milkweed seen from the perspective of a mole is possibly better than seeing it in real life and the illustrations of mama opossum taking all her babies and adventurer friends for a ride are fantastic.

gross and beautiful

One of my favorite jobs at the library is something I affectionally call, "booger patrol."  Library workers all do some variation of this and probably have their own cutesy fartsy names for it.  It's a mixture of tidying up, checking/refilling faceouts, cleaning up mysterious things, finding toys in bizarre places and returning them to the play area.  The list goes on and on, but what it boils down to is keeping the library in proper order and making sure it's a welcoming place for patrons.

I also like to check for damaged books and usually take it section by section.  Any time I need a brain break I tackle a section and look for any books that are gross.  I have found everything from a partially eaten Jimmy John's sandwich (with some of the wrapper attached to identify it) to a mummified earth worm in books.  I also find a lot of silly notes and some notes of hope, frustration, and loneliness tucked into books.  Bookmarks, money, and collector cards are common bookmarks.  So are used napkins.  Gross, folks!

Most books are just fine and can be returned to a shelf.  Sometimes they need a wipe down, but other times the books are beyond repair.  One of my favorite kinds of book destruction happens when a child sees an illustration and makes their own version right in the book.  It's not a very nice thing to do to a book, but it's also one of the best compliments an illustrator can get.  Occasionally there is an ominous smell to a book, but when I open the book it's pristine.  Other times, that ominous smell really is trying to tell me something.  

Like this stinky mold, which decided it's going to completely consume this book.  

Engine

I helped a grandpa and grandson today find a handful of books including a few beloved Magic School Bus books.  Grandpa told his grandson, "She's a lot like Thomas.  She's a very helpful engine."

Reviews!

All Creatures Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot (Adult Nonfiction)

The second book is just as wonderful as the first and feels like a smooth continuation of the first set of stories from All Creatures Great and Small. Herriot is one of those rare writers who can capture moments in their entirety and make the reader feel like they're right there in the moment. Favorite stories from this book include Albert Crump and his wine, Mrs. Donovan and the rescued golden retriever, Mr. Kirby and his underwear-eating goat, and the stories about students tagging along with Mr. Herriot. I can't get enough of his stories, writing style, and rich descriptions.

Clarity & Connection by Yung Pueblo (Adult Poetry)

Not really poetry but close, Yung Pueblo's subject matter and writing style feels like Hugh Prather has come back to life. Both have a bit of wisdom to share and have also mastered the ability to simplify that wisdom down into as few words as possible. Sparse but fulfilling. Yung Pueblo does tend to repeat himself though! This book is insightful, positive, and healing as all get out but can easily be half the length. 

Resilient by Rick Hanson (Adult Nonfiction)

There's not a lot of new info here, but it's easy-to-understand with some helpful points. I've read other Rick Hanson books, and I really enjoy how he takes big ideas and simplifies them in a way I can understand. I particularly enjoyed the section on grit and agency where Hanson references Angela Duckworth. Reading the agency section was a bit of an aha moment for me. I realized I have some of the essential ingredients for resiliency, but I just need to make sure I'm using them and bringing to light the skills I don't think about (self-confidence for example). Here's to aha moments that encourage growth!

Modern Bestiary by Joanna Bagniewska (Adult Nonfiction)

The Modern Bestiary is fascinating, wondrously gross, and contains the kind of stuff that inspires nightmares and comical conversations with others. Each chapter is super short, so you can read as much as you like, but you can stop any time and you're not mired in information overload. The introduction is a masterpiece. I don't always read introductions, but this is one you shouldn't miss. There's a hilarious section about what the author learned while researching this book, including how the thesaurus built into Microsoft Word is too "prudish" to find synonyms for words like fart, poop, and butt. This book is for anyone who loves wildly entertaining animal fact books and wants to know more about percussive foraging, "real-life" cooties called face mites, how naked mole-rat siblings feed their younger siblings poop "in true older-sibling fashion," and what kind of pet a tarantula keeps.

poetry

Last week I had a really nice rejection email.  An editor from Free State Review sent some thoughtful notes about three of my poems, and I was so impressed that he took the time to do so.

Speaking of acceptances, thanks to Across the Margin for publishing three very different poems of mine, The Beast, The Variety Store, and Water Aerobics.  When I'm reading journals and come across a poet who has multiple works published at once, I rarely try to make connections.  There are a couple exceptions of course.  Sometimes the connections are obvious and beautifully done.  Other times I find myself wondering how poems that are so different can come from one person.  

I have been working on The Variety Store for several years, compiling real moments and dreams in the hopes that one day the poem would finally reveal itself.  I'm still wondering how it is that I managed to drive to the lake on one of the rare days the variety store was actually open.  It's an experience I will never forget.   

Water Aerobics took almost as much time, but really it was just years of polishing and adjusting.  I was always an outsider during water aerobics - really just like anything else I'm involved with - but I felt so honored to be a quiet observer during this weekly ritual.  I think water aerobics was one of the things that helped me embrace the role and importance of being an observer. 

I wrote The Beast quickly, shared it with my poetry friends who offered helpful critiques, and submitted it.  Unlike the other two poems, it was an easy poem to write, a recurring dream I find myself in just as much as the rooms in my house.  I have discovered if I write about a recurring dream, the act of writing changes its landscape.  I wonder if this happens to others as well.  

Three different poems that mean a lot to me all sharing one page.  I am very thankful.

Womb Dreams

Thanks to The South Shore Review for publishing my poem, Womb Dreams!

My first Canadian journal, and it's such an honor.

Spiked Piñatas of Doom

Raúl the Third's books are a visual treat with action and humor galore.  This is one of my favorite spreads.  I look at it often and laugh every time I see it.

river rafting and napping

I left Robert alone last Sunday morning and naturally, since he was left unsupervised, he bought a river raft.  A thousand pound river raft to be exact.

Our lovely ladies weigh about 80 pounds or so and there have been moments that one completely disappears in the raft.  

I asked Robert if we're going to get rid of one of the other dog beds so we can still walk through the living room.  He looked at me like he was questioning our entire 18+ years together.  

The next day I came home and nearly tripped over a dog bed at the bottom of the stairs.  So now we can walk through the living room but have to squeeze past the dog bed to get into the house.  All you hot lava fans, it's official.  Our house is now the easiest place to play the hot lava game.  You wouldn't even need to jump most of the time.  You could just take a leisurely stroll on dog beds as you laughed at the slivers of hot lava and shouted, "Take that, hot lava!"  

Needless to say, the girls have been very relaxed.  It's exhausting choosing a dog bed.  They have also been handling the hullabaloo that comes with holidays and the end of the year shenanigans the same way they always handle it.  By sleeping and basking in our adoration.  They know that the greatest gift they can give is themselves.  Unless we can't find them because they've disappeared into the mighty river raft.

self-love, feelings galore, and pool floaties

Who I Am by Susan Verde and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds (Picture Book)

A beautiful, self-affirming book that encourages us to stand up to the sometimes unkind voice in our heads. It's slightly wordy, but written as straightforward as possible with little fluff to clutter up the important message. The cover radiates such warmth and self-love, you won't be able to resist peeking at all the illustrations before you even read the book.

Sometimes I Cry by Jess Townes and illustrated by Daniel Miyares (Picture Book)

Wow, what an outstanding way to talk about feelings and acceptance of feelings. The illustrations are soulful, earnest, and tender. The details of the child's life are rich and complex, and the tears don't always solely belong to him but are sometimes shared with his loved ones. And the language is simple and poetic: "Sometimes my feelings fill me up like a water balloon that stretches and stretches and stretches until I think I might burst but when I let my tears out my feelings fit perfectly inside my body all my feelings together and I know it's okay that sometimes I cry."

Pool Party by Amy Duchêne and illustrated by Elisa Parhad (Picture Book)

It's November in Kansas, so naturally I find the perfect summer storytime book! The rhyming text is a blast to read and there's just the right amount of it. You can feel the sunshine and smell the chorine radiating from the exuberant and beautiful illustrations. And there are pool floaties galore! This book invites so many fun conversations - what makes the best floatie? What's your favorite floatie in this book? What's your favorite pool activity? 

Cuddles

I had a calm and relaxing birthday.  Robert made lots of fuss - pancakes for breakfast, homework help, giving the girls a really long walk so I could play tennis.  There were two nights of games with Robert and his mom, Audrey, and some much-needed reading and loafing.

The best present came from the dogs, however.  Rose and Ella, our furry loves of the past, cuddled all the time.  They flopped all over each other, snuggled, and smooshed themselves together in some pretty small places just so they could be as close to each other as possible.

Margo and Josie do not cuddle.  I think Josie would cuddle anything with a heartbeat, but Margo gets up the moment Josie gets close.  Margo appreciates the pets and will tuck herself into my legs when I'm sleeping at night, but that is the extent of her cuddles.  

Until the night before my birthday.

Robert takes care of the evening dog duties - letting them out and brushing their teeth.  Then it's a race to get to the favorite pillow.  Whoever loses ends up getting in bed with Robert and I.  We have the second favorite bed.  The fact that our bodies are in it is just a minor inconvenience. 

The favorite pillow battle started a few years ago when Robert noticed Josie was sleeping right next to his side of the bed.  First, he added a pillow, which she was very thankful for.  Next, he added a blanket because she's one of those dogs that likes to make a nest.  Margo eventually realized Josie had the best spot, and it's been a nightly contest ever since.  

The night before my birthday Margo claimed the favorite bed first.  Then Josie did something we've never seen her do before.  She climbed into bed next to Margo, and neither dog moved.  They stayed that way until after Robert and I fell asleep.  Perhaps Josie finally had enough of Margo taking her bed.  Perhaps Margo refused to move no matter how much cuddling she had to endure.  It was a battle of two stubborn dogs, but it didn't matter.  Robert and I reveled in the cuteness, and I saw it for what it truly was.  A birthday present that couldn't be topped.  I also didn't have to fight fur and elbows for a place to sleep that night.