dragons and hope {spine poetry}

I've seen quite a bit of spine poetry floating around the internet, and I finally decided to try my hand at it. After all, this is a book blog titled poetree.

Also, I haven't read any of the books in the photos, so you might see reviews of them here in the near future!

the unexpected dragon,

breed of giants--

airs beneath the moon,

a thousand splendid suns

earthkeepers

surprised by hope--

the God of animals

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Have you ever tried spine poetry? How did it go? And most importantly, how would you feel about an unexpected dragon? (Honestly, I'd be quite excited. Unless, of course, it tried to eat me...)

after the mountain burned

A few weeks ago I wrote a poem titled "for now the mountain burns," and later I went to the place where the mountain burned. But I did not see destruction. I saw beauty. Yes, there were swaths of charred land, black scars on the peak, but there was also an incredible amount of green. Flowers and fiddleheads poked out of the ashes, and trees leafed out where days before flames had blossomed.

It is amazing how something so devastating can give way to so much life.

finally, DRAGONS! {Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey}

Dragonsong (Harper Hall of Pern #1)
by Anne McCaffrey

Menolly of Half-Circle Sea Hold has longed to learn the ancient secrets of the Harpers, the master musicians of Harper Hall. When her father denies her the chance to apprentice with them, she flees her seaside village and discovers the legendary fire lizards of Pern, who join her on a breathtaking journey to Harper Hall. (from the back cover)





I've been looking forward to this book for a while, having been told that Anne McCaffrey is the "queen of dragons." And also because I haven't read a dragon book in... far too long. Although there weren't many scenes involving large dragons in this first novel of the Harper Hall of Pern trilogy, a large portion of the book focused on fire lizards, which are essentially cat-sized dragons. I love the personally of the fire lizards, though some of their names are a little silly. Lazybones, Mimic, Auntie One, Auntie Two... really?

Menolly is a fun, relatable, realistic main character. I enjoyed her interactions with the other characters, especially dragon rider T'gellan, and Elgion made for an interesting, very likable secondary protagonist. I also really liked Alemi, Menolly's older brother, and hope to see more of him in future books.

I did have to re-read a few passages multiple times to understand what was happening, and one confusing scene (the Impression, which is actually pretty important) wasn't really clarified until the beginning of book two. The descriptions needed to be fleshed out a bit, too, as part of my confusion resulted from not knowing the characters' surroundings well enough. At only 192 pages, Dragonsong could stand to have a few more words added, anyway. I certainly wouldn't complain!

Would I recommend it? Absolutely! And I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series.

4/5 leaves






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Have you read anything by Anne McCaffrey? Which author would you crown queen (or king) of dragons?

for now the mountain burns

destruction, renewal -- a phoenix will be born

but for now the mountain burns

a jagged, blazing spine against the hazy sky

wafting smoke up the valley

to settle densely on hopeful blooms and buds

and tiny, new green leaves that dance upon the trees

as the mountain cries out for rain,

the dry earth weeping tears of dust

and yet knowing, somewhere in its ancient depth of thought,

that the blackened remains of forest

symbolize not death

but the cleansing beginning

of a slow and beautiful rebirth

photo via

a pair of atypical westerns {mini reviews}

Valley of Dreams (Wild West Wind #1)
by Lauraine Snelling

Historical, western, romance-free, Christian novel -- sound too good to be true? It's not! Hooray! This wonderful book kept me engaged with good character development, realistic details, and refreshing unpredictability. I appreciated the fact that Cassie, despite going on an unexpected adventure, isn't an expert on survival in the wilderness. She did what she could and graciously accepted help when she needed it, showing a great willingness to learn, as well. Although I would have liked more development in the supporting characters, the story seems set up for more on them in the second book. Also, there is a bison named George.

4/5 leaves

True Grit
by Charles Portis

This is a fun spin on the standard western, with a young girl as the protagonist. Mattie is an interesting character -- calculating and stubborn -- and I enjoyed her perspective and voice. However, I didn't much care for the story, which centered on revenge.

3/5 leaves