3.29.2016

{an Easter poem}

I sit on the rooftop to escape
the stifling sorrow below
and am greeted instead with mournful silence --
could it be? I cock my head
but no, even the birds do not sing
today
as if they, too, know
that their Maker lies sealed in a tomb.
Oh! That we had gone with Him,
or even in His stead,
that we had borne the pain
and now lay dead
but here is our punishment
for fleeing -- cowards!
to live without even birdsong.
And why should we know joy
when God is dead?

In the morning I return
to my silent hell upon the rooftop
as the sun begins to rise
on another meaningless day
and the women set out to embalm the body
-- his body.
And there -- a chirp!
But no, I am only imagining hope
where it cannot be
just as a rooster crows only
to mock poor Peter.
I can only pray he doesn't hear it --
pray to whom?
Do we even have that anymore,
as our Lord lies breathless in a tomb?
But birds have, indeed, begun to sing
and others join them in a lilting, crescendoing chorus
as the sun climbs higher
and the women come
running
yelling incomprehensibly
He is alive.



































3.22.2016

bookshelf love: the results


I ended up reading 10 books in my seven-week challenge, and I have started an eleventh one. Although I did not get to all 12 that I had listed at the beginning of the challenge, I did read far more than I usually do in that amount of time, so I call this a successful challenge. And, at the end of it, I got rid of almost all of the books. Which, if you remember, was the whole point!

I added two books to the challenge, True Grit and Upon This Rock, so I decided that I could allow myself to keep two unread books at the end of the challenge, since the original pile was only 12, not 14, books. In the end, I kept Valley of Dreams, RefugeBlack Beauty, and Upon This Rock -- the first two because I really liked them, the third because, although I didn't get to it in the challenge, I've read it before and loved it, and the last because I just started reading it.


Links in the list go to my review (if I've written one) or to Goodreads.

The Hills is Lonely by Lillian Beckwith
Holding Up the Earth by Dianne E. Gray
Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen
Grace at Low Tide by Beth Webb Hart
Blessed are the Meek by Zofia Kossak-Szczucka
Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
Wolf Speaker by Tamora Pierce
True Grit by Charles Portis
Upon This Rock by Frank G. Slaughter
Valley of Dreams by Lauraine Snelling
Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Flying Changes by Sara Gruen
The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert

If you'd like to join in the Bookshelf Love reading challenge, jump on over to the introductory post. And in case you missed it, you can view more details about my personal Bookshelf Love challenge here.



3.15.2016

11 {a tag}

11 facts
1. my favorite color is green
2. I've ridden horses all my life - they're my favorite animal
3. my favorite mythological creature is either the dragon or the hippogriff
4. when I was little, I told a woman my name was Wilbur (yes, as in Charlotte's Web. I had an overactive imagination...)
5. I've been to four continents, including this one
6. I've visited nine countries, and passed through a few others
7. I've been to... a lot of states. Let's just say most of them (no, not Alaska or Hawaii, sadly)
8. my favorite food is dark chocolate
9. or maybe ice cream...
10. I love to bake
11. in fact, the kitchen just might be my favorite room


11 answers
How many books do you hope to read this year?
35, the same goal as last year, even though I read 49 books in 2015.

What's your favorite song?
I don't actually know. I like hymns, and Third Day, and Dixie Chicks, and The Steel Wheels, and Lunasa, and songs I can't match an artist to and maybe don't even know the name of. Some that have touched my soul the deepest are those I sang with my high school touring choir.

What's your least favorite holiday?
I like holidays -- any excuse to eat good food, celebrate, and/or gather with family!

Why do you blog?
I ask myself this question all the time. On good days, the answer is because it's an outlet for casual writing and an encouragement to share my poetry, to think critically about books I read, to share what I enjoy and connect with others, to shine a light, however small. On other days, the answer is simply, "I haven't the slightest idea."

Favorite dessert?
All of them. Especially the chocolate ones. More specifically: cake, ice cream, brownies, and Nan-nan's cherry pie.

One movie coming out in 2016 you want to watch?
I don't think I even know what's coming out this year.

Some books set for 2016 releases you want to read?
Samara's Peril by Jaye L. Knight. So excited for this one!

What historical era intrigues you most?
Colonial America, Lewis and Clark (not really an "era," per se...), first century A.D.

Where would you love to visit?
One of my life goals is to visit every continent (except maybe Antarctica). I have Africa and Australia left, but I would also like to go to Ireland, and I've always wanted to see the Amazon. Oh, and the redwood forest!

Some of your favorite blogs?
See "11 bloggers" below.

What things inspire you to write/blog?
Nature inspires a lot of my writing, but this blog is powered almost exclusively by books.


11 questions
How many books do you hope to read this year?
How many books have you read this year?
What is your favorite song?
What is your favorite holiday?
Why do you blog?
Favorite dessert?
Some books set for 2016 release that you can't wait to read?
Where would you most like to travel to?
What things inspire you to write/draw/take photos?
What is your favorite mythological creature?
Favorite (non-mythological) animal?


11 bloggers
Abbiee | Abbiee
Ashlyn | A Girl and Two Brave Horses
Rita | Weaving Pages
Britt | Encouragement for Everyday Struggles
Candice | O Ye Scribes
Opal | Opal Swirls
Kate | The Goodness Revolt
Beth | The Quiet People
Annie | Curious Wren
Olivia | the cwtch
Brian | Wilder Ground


Thanks to Shantelle from A Writer's Heart for tagging me in the Infinity Dreams Award! (months ago...)



Rules:
use the Infinity Dreams Award picture
thank the blogger who tagged you
tell us 11 facts about yourself
answer the 11 questions
tag 11 bloggers



3.08.2016

bookshelf love update {mini reviews}

Miraculously, in five weeks, I have read eight-and-a-half books (currently working on Valley of Dreams). I didn't think I'd come anywhere close to finishing this entire stack by March 22! And yet here I am, reading more than twice as many books as I usually do. In any case, here's the list, followed by a few more reviews down below. Links in the list go to my review (if I've written one) or to Goodreads.

The Hills is Lonely by Lillian Beckwith
The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert
Holding Up the Earth by Dianne E. Gray
Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen
Flying Changes by Sara Gruen
Grace at Low Tide by Beth Webb Hart
Blessed are the Meek by Zofia Kossak-Szczucka
Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
Wolf Speaker by Tamora Pierce
Valley of Dreams by Lauraine Snelling
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams

If you'd like to join me in the Bookshelf Love reading challenge, jump on over to the introductory post. And in case you missed it, you can view more details about my personal Bookshelf Love challenge here.



Blessed are the Meek
by Zofia Kossak





The famous novel about St. Francis of Assisi by Polish historical novelist Zofia Kossak-Szczucka, known for her WWII resistance work. (from Goodreads)





The subtitle, "A Novel about St. Francis of Assisi," as well as the description copied above, are rather misleading. While the beginning and end of this novel are about Francis, the middle half is all politics and crusade, and one can read pages and pages without coming across the name "Francis." Also, the frequent ellipses in the dialogue made for choppy reading. If you're looking for a novel about the Fifth Crusade, you may enjoy this book. If you're looking for a novel about St. Francis, well, you might want to look elsewhere.

2/5 leaves

Refuge
by Terry Tempest Williams



In the spring of 1983 Terry Tempest Williams learned that her mother was dying of cancer. That same spring, Great Salt Lake began to rise to record heights, threatening the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and with it the herons, owls, and snowy egrets that Williams, a poet and naturalist, had come to gauge her life by. ... As it interweaves these narratives of dying and accommodation, Refuge transforms tragedy into a document of renewal and spiritual grace. (from the back cover)




This is a soul masquerading as a book. It is messy, but it is also beautiful. Refuge reads like a journal, with vignette after vignette of the lake, the refuge, birds, Williams' mother... It is choppy yet poetic, simultaneously intimate and detached. At first, I couldn't decide if I liked it or not, but as I continued  reading I began to fit the pieces into the whole, and I stopped often to jot down quotes in my notebook. I want to share them all with you, but this one will have to do. Read the book and discover the rest for yourself. You won't regret it.
"In my young mind, it had something to do with the magic of birds, how they bridge cultures and continents with their wings, how they mediate between heaven and earth." (p. 18)
5/5 leaves!




3.01.2016

satisfied


Back in January, I started writing (very sporadically) a gratitude list. And when I told Kate, she asked me to write a guest post about it on her amazing blog, The Goodness Revolt. It went live today, so, fellow souls, I encourage you to pay her a visit and read about apathy, and journaling, and being satisfied.

(and perhaps peruse a few of her own scribblings? you won't be disappointed, I promise. you might even be tempted to follow her. do it.)