Serena’s Articles at Savvy Verse & Wit, Page 18

Break Shot: My First 21 Years by James Taylor (Audio)

September 14, 2022 by Serena

Source: Purchased
Audiobook; 1+ hrs.
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Break Shot: My First 21 Years by James Taylor, narrated by the author, is an Audible Original that contains story and musical story. Taylor explores his childhood and his journey to music, against the medical path laid out before him, and explores how his life finds its way into his songs.

There is no shying away from the struggles with drugs, nearly killing a man with a car, or his brief encounter with a killer. He explores his mental illness and drug abuse, and how those stemmed from a childhood that was a struggle for him. I loved how he interspersed his songs and playing with his story. That was the best part of this audio. It was definitely well blended. It was definitely too short of an audiobook, and it left you wanting more.

Break Shot: My First 21 Years by James Taylor is a delightful listen if you enjoy his music, and the interwoven stories that inspired his songs make his story sing. Definitely worth checking out if you like his music.

RATING: Quatrain

Filed Under: audiobooks, challenges, memoir, New Authors Challenge, purchased, Read in 2022, reviews Tagged With: Audible, Break Shot My First 21 Years An Audio Memoir, James Taylor

Mailbox Monday #699

September 12, 2022 by Serena

Mailbox Monday has become a tradition in the blogging world, and many of us thank Marcia of The Printed Page for creating it.

It now has its own blog where book bloggers can link up their own mailbox posts and share which books they bought or which they received for review from publishers, authors, and more.

Velvet, Martha, and I also will share our picks from everyone’s links in the new feature Books that Caught Our Eye. We hope you’ll join us.

Here’s what I received:

Fairy Tale by Stephen King, which I purchased from Audible.

Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. When Charlie is seventeen, he meets a dog named Radar and her aging master, Howard Bowditch, a recluse in a big house at the top of a big hill, with a locked shed in the backyard. Sometimes strange sounds emerge from it.

Charlie starts doing jobs for Mr. Bowditch and loses his heart to Radar. Then, when Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a cassette tape telling a story no one would believe. What Bowditch knows, and has kept secret all his long life, is that inside the shed is a portal to another world.

King’s storytelling in Fairy Tale soars. This is a magnificent and terrifying tale in which good is pitted against overwhelming evil, and a heroic boy—and his dog—must lead the battle.

Early in the Pandemic, King asked himself: “What could you write that would make you happy?”

“As if my imagination had been waiting for the question to be asked, I saw a vast deserted city—deserted but alive. I saw the empty streets, the haunted buildings, a gargoyle head lying overturned in the street. I saw smashed statues (of what I didn’t know, but I eventually found out). I saw a huge, sprawling palace with glass towers so high their tips pierced the clouds. Those images released the story I wanted to tell.”

Persuading the Captain by Rachel John, a Kindle freebie.

Romance at a family reunion is usually the start of a bad joke, but when the hunky neighbor everyone’s talking about turns out to be Anne’s ex, her plans for a relaxing cabin retreat fly out the window. Eight years ago, Anne broke off their engagement, afraid they were too young. It was a decision she’s regretted ever since. But Eric seems fine, and even suggests they stop avoiding each other and enjoy having mutual friends.

Eric Wentworth is not fine. He’s sort of accidentally dating one of Anne’s relatives. He’s introduced his lovelorn best friend to Anne and they’ve hit it off. Worst of all, they won’t be parting at the end of week like he thought. Anne lives in the city he’s moving to, and cutting her out of his life is impossible when she’s taken over his.

They swore they’d never give each other a second chance, but sometimes life has other plans…

What did you receive?

Filed Under: mailbox monday, meme Tagged With: Audible, Fairy Tale, Persuading the Captain, Rachel John, stephen king

New: Poetic Lines with Elizabeth Lund and Me

September 9, 2022 by Serena

Many of you already are aware that I help the Gaithersburg Book Festival flesh out its poetry programming. I’ve been on board with the committee as a volunteer and member for several years. First, taking over the reins of the high school poetry contest when Lucinda Marshall stepped down to pursue her own creative work. Then, fleshing out the poetry programming to include more diverse voices, local poets, and even prize winners.

Elizabeth Lund was a final judge for the poetry contest when the pandemic hit, and her gracious video work for the winners’ announcement was beautiful. I was so glad to have met her virtually, as we have some connections in the Boston area (e.g. Fred Marchant).

She kindly asked to speak with me on her show, Poetic Lines, where we talk about the Gaithersburg Book Festival, poetry, writing, and so much more.

I hope you’ll take a listen and share with your social networks and poets who have books published this year and in the spring of 2023.

Poetic Lines – Serena Agusto-Cox from NewTV on Vimeo.

Filed Under: announcements Tagged With: Elizabeth Lund, Gaithersburg Book Festival, Poetic Lines

Make Me Rain by Nikki Giovanni

September 8, 2022 by Serena

Source: Purchased
Paperback, 144 pgs.
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Make Me Rain by Nikki Giovanni is a collection of prose and poems, with some of the prose answering pieces in The New York Times. Giovanni is unapologetic as she should be and lifts up not only relatives and friends, but infuses her poetry with a hope and confidence that some poets don’t find until they’ve lived a long life. Her poems revel in the Black experience, while at the same time decrying the hatred, racism, and white supremacy that the Black community – herself included – have endured.

In “You Talk About Rape” (for Donald Trump), Giovanni pulls no punches at his rhetoric and blatant disregard of women as property and playthings for his amusement. She reminds us that Blacks endured this type of suffering from the early days of the slave trade and what is left and what you do with it is how you survive. “Give me left/overs/and I will create/a cuisine//” she says, adding that she can use scraps to create a quilt. As a woman, she’s a creator, a possibilities maker, and someone who will not stand still and wait for you to impose your will on her.

Not all of these pieces are about darkness. There are tender moments in which Giovanni wishes to become a sweatshirt to cuddle close to those she loves and how her aunt showed her love in the dresses she made for little Nikki. Some poems make us realize that mortality cannot be escaped even if you do win all the poetry prizes and accolades, but it is how we are loved that most endures when we’re gone.

Make Me Rain by Nikki Giovanni pays homage to not only Blackness and the struggles of men in war, women in societal war, and so much more. As she reminds us, there’s always that struggle between the light and darkness, but “I like to think if Dark/sitting on the back porch/maybe drinking a beer/rocking back and forth/waiting for Light to come/” and “The sun sees them/on the rocker/…and sends them little pieces of color/asking them to come together/for who can say No/to the sun/” (pg. 106)

RATING: Cinquain

Other Reviews:

Also check out my Interview with Nikki Giovanni

Photo © Deborah Feingold

About the Poet:

Nikki Giovanni, poet, activist, mother, and professor, is a seven-time NAACP Image Award winner and the first recipient of the Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award, and holds the Langston Hughes Medal for Outstanding Poetry, among many other honors. The author of twenty-eight books and a Grammy nominee for The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection, she is the University Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Filed Under: challenges, poetry, Poetry Reading Challenge, purchased, Read in 2022, reviews Tagged With: Make Me Rain, nikki giovanni, William Morrow

The Power of Architecture by Annette Roeder, illustrated by Pamela Baron

September 7, 2022 by Serena

Source: Media Masters Publicity
Hardcover, 64 pgs.
I am an Amazon Affiliate

The Power of Architecture: 25 Modern Buildings from Around the World by Annette Roeder, illustrated by Pamela Baron, offers a taste of what modern architecture looks like and can do. From a small city contained in a beehive-shaped apartment building to airport terminals shaped like birds, Roeder wants to explore the oddities and beauty of modern architecture.

The book opens with a map and key depicting where here 25 selected buildings are located, and she says right in the introduction that it was hard to choose just 25, but reminds readers that they are in no particular order of importance or favoritism. Surprisingly, my dad picked up this book first and leafed through it, which means it will likely appeal to more than one level of reader.

One thing I wish had been included in the book is a pronunciation key for some of the terms and building names because they are from different parts of the world and I would like to know how to pronounce them correctly.

I do love that Roeder provides information on what the architect was inspired by or thinking about when they created their structures, and each of them is beautifully rendered in water color. It would have have interesting to see a side-by-side of the water color depiction and an actual photo of each building or even just photos in the back of the book to provide readers with a sense of them being in a real place.

The Power of Architecture: 25 Modern Buildings from Around the World by Annette Roeder, illustrated by Pamela Baron, definitely showcases the infinite possibilities of architecture and the ability of the human mind to create something with a purpose in mind — whether that is reducing carbon emissions or incorporating the land or paying homage to a culture.

RATING: Quatrain

About the Author:

Annette Roeder, born in Munich in 1968, is an author, illustrator and architect. She has been writing picture books and children’s books, as well as novels for adults for over 20 years. Her 10-book series Die Krumpflinge (‘The Crumplings’) is much loved by children aged 6+, and she won the Kalbacher Klapperschlange prize for her book Vacations in the Closet.

About the Illustrator:

Pamela Baron is a watercolor illustrator who has a special love of architecture. She lives in a breezy town outside of San Francisco with her husband and twenty-one miniature fruit trees.

Filed Under: challenges, children's fiction, New Authors Challenge, nonfiction, Read in 2022, review copy, reviews Tagged With: Annette Roeder, Media Masters Publicity, Pamela Baron, Prestel, The Power of Architecture

Guest Post: Lari O’Dell, author of Mr. Darcy’s Phoenix

September 6, 2022 by Serena

First, please let me apologize that this post was meant to be posted on Aug. 30, but due to some family emergencies and other issues, it didn’t get posted during the blog tour. I humbly apologize to Ms. O’Dell.

I want to welcome Ms. O’Dell to the blog today with her guest post about Mr. Darcy’s Phoenix. Please check out the book synopsis below.

Book Synopsis:

A phoenix brings them together. Will a curse keep them apart?

When the hauntingly beautiful song of a phoenix lures Elizabeth Bennet to the Netherfield gardens, she has a vision of an unknown gentleman. He whispers her name with such tenderness that she wonders if this man is her match. Unfortunately, her gift of prophecy has never been exactly reliable.

Mr. Darcy is a celebrated fire mage, the master of Pemberley, and the man from her vision. But he is not tender; he is haughty, proud, and high-handed. His insult of her during the Summer Solstice celebration makes her determined to dislike him in spite of her love for Dante, his phoenix familiar.

After Mr. Darcy is called away by his duties, Elizabeth’s magic runs wild, and it is only their reunion at Rosings that offers her any hope of controlling it. They are drawn together by their love of magical creatures and their affinity for fire. But Elizabeth soon has another vision about Mr. Darcy, one that may portend a grave danger to his life.

Can Darcy and Elizabeth overcome misunderstandings, curses, and even fate itself?

Please welcome Lari Ann O’Dell:

I’m excited to be back at Savvy Verse & Wit to talk about my new fantasy Pride & Prejudice variation, Mr. Darcy’s Phoenix.

The world of Mr. Darcy’s Phoenix is filled with a plethora of fay folk and magical creatures.

There are several magical creatures and fay folk that play an important part of the story. Of course there is Dante the phoenix, the titular character. But there is also a unicorn named Aurelia, several household elves, wood nymphs and water nymphs, a griffin, and many others.

In this variation, Pemberley is not only a grand estate in the north, but it also serves as the largest conservatory for magical creatures in England. Darcy was raised with magical creatures and fay folk, and has a deep appreciation for them that is not always shared by his peers. Part of what draws him to Elizabeth is her appreciation for magical creatures and her obvious bond with his companion Dante.

The phoenix is a symbol or rebirth, renewal, immortality, healing, and eternal fire. Darcy is a fire mage and so having a phoenix as a companion made perfect sense. Not all Darcy men have been fire mages, but Dante has been with the Darcy family since the time of William the Conqueror. Dante is reborn with the birth of each new master of Pemberley.

Dante serves as an extension of Darcy himself. He forges an early bond with Elizabeth, despite Darcy’s poor first impression and insult. Even Elizabeth acknowledges that a person bonded with such a magnificent creature cannot be all bad. Dante helps Elizabeth to see Darcy’s better attributes sooner than she normally does in Pride and Prejudice. He also serves as a healer, both physically and metaphorically, and a messenger. I have always loved Fawkes the phoenix from Harry Potter, but now Dante is my favorite fictional phoenix.

When selecting the other magical creatures I wanted to feature, there was some research involved. There are some creatures I mention just to flesh out the world and because I like them. But the others that served a greater function to the story, I wanted to use them in a way that is supported by lore.

For example, unicorns represent goodness and purity. In mythology, it was said that only people who were pure of heart can approach a unicorn. There is a scene in the book where Darcy helps deliver a unicorn foal, and Elizabeth names the baby. The unicorn later helps Elizabeth in a significant way. Darcy and Elizabeth are able to interact so closely with unicorns because despite their flaws, they are truly good people at heart.

As in the original novel, Elizabeth seeing Darcy at Pemberley gives her a new appreciation of his character. The griffin, which makes a small appearance in the second half of the book, is a symbol of strength and valor. It was also seen as a guardian and protector of secretly buried wealth or treasures. It was said to help ward off evil influences. It certainly plays an important role in the story.

The nymphs were fun to write because they were very much like human characters with a magical twist. There are four nymphs in the story, Nyxie, Nyla, Whitley, and Serafina. Fay folk famously do not lie. I liked having characters who were not afraid to tell Darcy and Elizabeth when they were being foolish. Darcy and Elizabeth did not always appreciate it, but the nymphs certainly helped them along their journey to finding their happy ending.

I hope you all enjoy reading about all of these magical creatures and more in Mr. Darcy’s Phoenix.

Thank you, Lari Ann, for stopping by the blog.

About the Author:

Lari Ann O’Dell first discovered her love of Pride & Prejudice when she was eighteen. After reading a Pride & Prejudice variation she found in a closing sale at a bookstore, she said, “This is what I want to do.” She published her first novel, Mr. Darcy’s Kiss, two years later.

Born and raised in Colorado, she attended the University of Colorado in Boulder and earned a bachelor’s degree in History and Creative Writing. After graduating college, she wrote and published her second novel, Mr. Darcy’s Ship. Her third novel, Mr. Darcy’s Clan, is her first supernatural variation, and she is working on two more fantasy variations. She is now back at school and pursuing a degree in Nursing. She adores her three beautiful nephews, Hudson, Dean, and Calvin. She enjoys reading, singing, and writes whenever she can.

Filed Under: guest post Tagged With: Lari Ann O'Dell, Mr. Darcy's Phoenix

Mailbox Monday #698

September 5, 2022 by Serena

Mailbox Monday has become a tradition in the blogging world, and many of us thank Marcia of The Printed Page for creating it.

It now has its own blog where book bloggers can link up their own mailbox posts and share which books they bought or which they received for review from publishers, authors, and more.

Velvet, Martha, and I also will share our picks from everyone’s links in the new feature Books that Caught Our Eye. We hope you’ll join us.

Here’s what I received:

2 a.m.with Keats by Eileen Cleary for review.

As I read Eileen Cleary’s 2 a.m. with Keats, I felt breathless, suspended in a place of red keys, plum stones, cats, willows, and sphinxes. It would minimize the reach of this brilliant collection to call it an elegy or a eulogy, or even a love story to Lucie Brock-Broido or John Keats – though it is all of those things. Here, in this place where “the elm says Grief and the oak, Grief,” the poems shine and scatter across the pages like “a phantom of stars.” Cleary engages the rhythms of another world, of “sweet music honeyed and unheard,” where “Lucie reaches forty years back. . . .”

Embracing the quirkiness of Brock-Broido’s imagery and the love of Keats’s line, Cleary creates a séance of astronomy, searching for the origins of human and poetic magic, where “looking for signs means I’ve / once been broken.” I will return to 2 a.m. with Keats again and again, to remember Lucie and Keats, to inhale “rose milk . . . mint.” – Jennifer Martelli, author of In the Year of Ferraro

Also A Poet by Ada Calhoun for review.

When Ada Calhoun stumbled upon old cassette tapes of interviews her father, celebrated art critic Peter Schjeldahl, had conducted for his never-completed biography of poet Frank O’Hara, she set out to finish the book her father had started forty years earlier.

As a lifelong O’Hara fan who grew up amid his bohemian cohort in the East Village, Calhoun thought the project would be easy, even fun, but the deeper she dove, the more she had to face not just O’Hara’s past, but also her father’s, and her own.

The result is a groundbreaking and kaleidoscopic memoir that weaves compelling literary history with a moving, honest, and tender story of a complicated father-daughter bond. Also a Poet explores what happens when we want to do better than our parents, yet fear what that might cost us; when we seek their approval, yet mistrust it.

In reckoning with her unique heritage, as well as providing new insights into the life of one of our most important poets, Calhoun offers a brave and hopeful meditation on parents and children, artistic ambition, and the complexities of what we leave behind.

Red London by Alma Katsu from NetGalley.

After an explosive takedown of a well-placed mole within the CIA, agent Lyndsey Duncan has been tasked with keeping tabs on her newest Russian asset, deadly war criminal Dmitri Tarasenko. She arrives in London fully focused on the assignment at hand, until her MI6 counterpart, Davis Ranford, the very person responsible for ending her last mission overseas after they were caught in a whirlwind affair, personally calls for her.

After a suspicious attack on a powerful Russian oligarch’s property on Billionaires’ Row in the toniest neighborhood in London, Davis needs Lyndsey to cozy up to the billionaire’s aristocratic British wife, Emily Rotenberg. Lyndsey’s job is to obtain any and all information related to Emily’s husband, Mikhail Rotenberg, and his relationship with the new Russian president, whom CIA and MI6 believe is responsible for the sudden mysterious disappearance of his predecessor, the Hard Man. Fortunately for Lyndsey, there’s little to dissuade Emily from taking in a much-needed confidante. After all, misery needs company.

But before Lyndsey can cover much ground with her newfound friend, the CIA unveils a perturbing connection between Mikhail and Russia’s geopolitical past, one that could dangerously upend the world order as we know it. As the pressure to turn Emily becomes higher than ever, Lyndsey must walk a fine and ever-changing line to keep the oligarch’s fortune from falling into Russian hands and plunging the world into a new, disastrous geopolitical reality.

Red London is a nuanced, race-against-the-clock story that at times feels eerily set against today’s headlines, a testament to author Alma Katsu’s thirty-plus career in national security. It’s a rare spy novel written by an insider that feels as prescient as it is page-turning and utterly unforgettable.

What did you receive?

Filed Under: mailbox monday, meme Tagged With: 2 a.m.with Keats, Ada Calhoun, Alma Katsu, Also a Poet, Eileen Cleary, Red London

HAIR: From Moptops to Mohicans, Afros to Cornrows by Katja Spitzer

September 1, 2022 by Serena

Source: Media Masters Publicity
Hardcover, 40 pgs.
I am an Amazon Affiliate

HAIR: From Moptops to Mohicans, Afros to Cornrows by Katja Spitzer is a look at hairstyle from as long ago as 300 years or more. In the opening pages, there are images that look like noodles, but they also could be clipped pieces of hair before you get to the title page. What’s clear from the start of the book is that humanity has been obsessed with self-expression through hair since the dawn of time.

I loved that the book started with information about why hair grows and what cells make up the color of our hair and why our hair grows gray as we age. From the tall hairstyles of the Rococo period to the Ancient Egyptians, readers will learn about hair and why certain styles became fashionable. The background about the Afro, however, focuses too much on why Blacks straightened their hair, which is important, but doesn’t really explain the hairstyle itself. Some sections are more detailed about how the style is created than this one. One of the best parts of the book is that there’s a final page that kids can use to draw their own favorite hairstyle.

For a quick history lesson on hair styles, HAIR: From Moptops to Mohicans, Afros to Cornrows by Katja Spitzer can help young kids learn about the past, present, and future of hair, including beards and man-buns.

RATING: Tercet

Filed Under: challenges, children's fiction, New Authors Challenge, nonfiction, Read in 2022, review copy, reviews Tagged With: Afros to Cornrows, Hair: From Moptops to Mohicans, Katja Spitzer, Media Masters Publicity, Prestel

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

August 30, 2022 by Serena

Source: Gift
Hardcover, 240 pgs.
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman, which was the August read-a-long, is the first poetry collection by the youngest poet laureate to read at a presidential inauguration. Her poems read much like a spoken word poet would recite them. She plays a lot with poetic form, crafting lines into images of whales and masks, and placing poignant lines on the stripes of the American flag. Some of these image-focused poems work well, but others just seem to fall flat.

From "Cut" (pg.26-27)

Disease is physiological death,
Loneliness is a social one,
Where the old We collapses like a lung.

From "War: What, Is It Good? (pg. 118-124)

War, like a whale, is all consuming-
Everything fits into its mesh mouth.
Like a whale, a virus can wolf
Down the globe whole.
The bullet is a beast, as are we.
Our invisible battles
Are the hardest ones to win.

***

The first step in warfare & pandemics is the same:
Isolation, to rupture the channels of communication of
virus/violence."

Later in that poem on mask vs. no mask (pg. 144)

Why it's so perturbing for privileged groups to follow
restrictions of place & personhood.
Doing so means for once wearing the chains their power
has shackled on the rest of us.

Gorman tackles a lot of issues in this collection from slavery and racism to the COVID pandemic and its parallels with the 1918 Spanish flu. Water imagery and references to the slave ships travel throughout the collection, connecting the struggles together into the anchor that many still carry.

There is a lot of struggle and darkness in these poems, but she answers the call of how to move on with love, empathy, and connection. Gorman reminds us that there is hope for change, and that we can make those choices. We are not all that we carry with us.

From "School's Out" (pg. 17-8)

Their feet stomp at our life.
There is power in being robbed
& still choosing to dance.

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman is strongest when it is passionate and honest, when the poems don’t rely too heavily on physical images or erasure to create declarative poems. Her honesty shines brightest in her youthful passion and I am eager to see more from this poet.

RATING: Tercet

This was our August read-a-long selection for the 2022 Poetry Reading Challenge. You can find those discussions below:

About the Poet:

Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, as well as an award-winning writer and cum laude graduate of Harvard University, where she studied Sociology. She has written for the New York Times and has three books forthcoming with Penguin Random House.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, she began writing at only a few years of age. Now her words have won her invitations to the Obama White House and to perform for Lin-Manuel Miranda, Al Gore, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Malala Yousafzai, and others. Amanda has performed multiple commissioned poems for CBS This Morning and she has spoken at events and venues across the country, including the Library of Congress and Lincoln Center. She has received a Genius Grant from OZY Media, as well as recognition from Scholastic Inc., YoungArts, the Glamour magazine College Women of the Year Awards, and the Webby Awards. She has written for the New York Times newsletter The Edit and penned the manifesto for Nike’s 2020 Black History Month campaign. In 2017, Amanda Gorman was appointed the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate by Urban Word – a program that supports Youth Poets Laureate in more than 60 cities, regions and states nationally. She is the recipient of the Poets & Writers Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award, and is the youngest board member of 826 National, the largest youth writing network in the United States.

Filed Under: challenges, poetry, Poetry Reading Challenge, purchased, Read in 2022, reviews Tagged With: Amanda Gorman, Call Us What We Carry, Viking Books

Mailbox Monday #697

August 29, 2022 by Serena

Mailbox Monday has become a tradition in the blogging world, and many of us thank Marcia of The Printed Page for creating it.

It now has its own blog where book bloggers can link up their own mailbox posts and share which books they bought or which they received for review from publishers, authors, and more.

Velvet, Martha, and I also will share our picks from everyone’s links in the new feature Books that Caught Our Eye. We hope you’ll join us.

Here’s what I received:

Love in Bloom by Jenny Proctor, an Amazon Kindle freebie.

Hating Cameron Hunter shouldn’t be this easy.

I’m basically a golden retriever puppy. I love everyone and want everyone to love me.

But Cameron is the singular exception to my “love everyone” rule, and the hatred goes both ways.

First of all, he’s one of THOSE guys. The kind that looks like he belongs on the cover of Yacht Club Weekly. Second of all, he’s way too good at his job. The man is a walking Wikipedia. His walking tours of historic downtown Charleston stay booked weeks in advance.

Did I mention I run tours along the same route?

When we’re both up for a magazine feature that could kick our respective careers to the next level, our rivalry turns into a heated competition.

Then we unexpectedly kiss (it’s a looooong story), and things get really complicated. Now my blood is boiling over Cameron for an entirely different reason.

Only one of us can win. Can I trust a man who used to be my enemy, or is everything—even our relationship—just a part of his plan to take me down?

A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human by Matt Forrest Esenwine, illustrated by Andre Ceolin, for review in October from Media Masters Publicity.

Being a human is a lot of work! Thankfully, humans experience many of the same feelings, situations, and challenges, so we don’t have to figure it all out on our own–we can help each other navigate the ups and downs. Full of humor and heart, this engaging guide inspires kids to be humans who are kind, empathetic, and thoughtful. No matter what our day brings, we can choose to practice self-control, compassion, and forgiveness. Don’t worry, young human, it’s okay to make some mistakes along the way–just remember that it’s love that keeps us all afloat at the end of the day.

My Dog, Hen by David Mackintosh for review in October from Media Masters Publicity.

“Why should we get a brand-new dog when Hen is as good as new to us?” asks the young boy at the center of this story. The adorable mixed-breed pup is brought home in a cardboard box, given toys, and some food–and then proceeds to enthusiastically eat up his loving home. When nothing can be done (and all the pocket money has been spent on new toys) the boy’s wise and thrifty grandmother finds a helpful solution. Readers of all ages will laugh at Hen’s boundless energy and parents especially will identify with the challenges of training a headstrong dog. Any family that has ever adopted a rescue pet will appreciate this story’s gentle lesson about finding value in our less-than-perfect belongings and loved ones.

I Am Coco: The Life of Coco Chanel by Isabel Pin for review in September from Media Masters Publicity.

Young Gabrielle came from a poor family, was orphaned at age 12, and learned to sew in a convent school. She worked as a seamstress and sang in cabarets, where she was given the nickname Coco.

This story—and the remarkable career that followed—is exuberantly told in Isabel Pin’s simple yet detailed illustrations. Young readers will learn about Coco’s beginnings as a hat designer, and how her earliest creations presaged the concept of sportswear.

They’ll learn about her iconic designs— the little black dress, the impeccable suit, the squared-off perfume bottle, and the acclaimed logo. And they will learn how a freethinking young artist who freed women from the corsets and extravagant ornamentations of the early 20th century grew into a ferociously ambitious designer who staged her own comeback at the age of 70.

Whether they are interested in the history of fashion, or looking for encouragement to pursue their own dreams, young readers will find this entertaining biography both fascinating and inspiring.

Hair: From Moptops to Mohicans, Afros, and Cornrows by Katja Spitzer for review in September from Media Masters Publicity.

During the Rococo period, wealthy women tucked shells, necklaces, fruit, and flowers into their hair, which was styled into towers that reached as high as three feet over their heads.

In 1970s London, young, disfranchised “punks” made themselves feel powerful by drawing on the 2,000-year-old Native American practice of shaving their heads except for a narrow strip from forehead to neck. These are just a couple of many fascinating moments of hair history whimsically illustrated in this book.

Katja Spitzer’s colorful illustrations are presented in double-page spreads that offer an engaging description of a hair trend or style and its cultural and historic significance. Readers will learn why hair braiders in West Africa can spend an entire day working on one client; and how Black Americans signaled their opposition to racist laws and practices by not styling their naturally frizzy hair.

Filled with important history and giggle-inducing facts, this wide-ranging book crosses cultures and oceans to offer an important lesson about self- expression that will encourage readers of all ages to let down their hair, and to let others do the same.

The Power of Architecture by Annette Roeder, illustrated by Pamela Baron for review in September from Media Masters Publicity.

From private residences to affordable housing, stadiums to factories, museums to libraries—this book takes young readers across continents to learn how architecture is improving the world one building at a time.

Although popular culture and classrooms are filled with references to classic and iconic buildings such as the Parthenon, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, and the Great Pyramids, there are equally valuable lessons to be learned from modern architecture, and especially from buildings situated in the Global South and among underrepresented populations.

This beautifully illustrated book investigates how contemporary architects from a variety of cultures are addressing issues of climate change, income inequality, and limited resources by designing buildings that are as innovative as they are beautiful. Each building is presented in a double-page spread featuring Pamela Baron’s exquisitely detailed illustrations that highlight the design, natural surroundings, and the people who live, work, or play there.

Annette Roeder’s pitch-perfect text outlines the structure’s unique contribution to the field of architecture, and invites readers to wonder aloud why the building works and to find out more about it. A perfect stepping stone for designers in the making, this book also teaches kids how architecture can help the people it shelters and the planet on which it is built.

What did you receive?

Filed Under: mailbox monday, meme Tagged With: A Beginner's Guide to Being Human, Afros, Amazon Kindle, and Cornrows, Andre Ceolin, Annette Roeder, David Mackintosh, Hair: From Moptops to Mohicans, I Am Coco: The Life of Coco Chanel, Isabel Pin, Jenny Proctor, Katja Spitzer, Love in Bloom, Matt Forrest Esenwine, Media Masters Publicity, My Dog Hen, Pamela Baron, Prestel, The Power of Architecture

Final Week: Amanda Gorman’s Call Us What We Carry Read-a-Long

August 26, 2022 by Serena

For this last week, we read the final sections of the collection:Fury & Faith and Resolution.

Here are a few questions to get us started:

In Fury & Faith, Gorman again takes the poetic form and upends it, placing it onto the stripes of the American flag. What are your thoughts on this use of poetic lines?
Explore your reactions to the poems in this first of the last two sections. What are some of the things that stuck out to you?
In the Resolution section, what do you think her main point is about resolution?

I’ll be monitoring the comments and replying throughout the weekend. Can’t wait to see what everyone thinks.

Check out the previous discussions below:

Thank you to everyone who participated or just read along with us. I hope you enjoyed the book, and I’d love to hear what you thought overall.

Filed Under: challenges, Poetry Reading Challenge Tagged With: Amanda Gorman, Call Us What We Carry, read-a-long

Break Shot: My First 21 Years by James Taylor (Audio)

More Bedtime Stories for Cynics Presented by Nick Offerman (Audio)

Mailbox Monday #699

New: Poetic Lines with Elizabeth Lund and Me

Make Me Rain by Nikki Giovanni

The Power of Architecture by Annette Roeder, illustrated by Pamela Baron

Guest Post: Lari O’Dell, author of Mr. Darcy’s Phoenix

Mailbox Monday #698

HAIR: From Moptops to Mohicans, Afros to Cornrows by Katja Spitzer

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

Mailbox Monday #697

Final Week: Amanda Gorman’s Call Us What We Carry Read-a-Long

My Books

Sponsors

Book Ratings

Connect Online

Log in

Email Subscribe

My Books

Sponsors

Book Ratings

Connect Online

Log in

Email Subscribe

Savvy Readers