Friday, May 28, 2021

Making a Story your Own

It's really funny, because I don't read romances very often, but because of a strange set of circumstances, I ended up reading two concurrently.  I just finished, and was amazed at some of the similar details.

In one book, a woman moves from a big city to a small town.  She's accompanied by her mother figure (a grandmother who pretty much raised her) and the nieces and nephews she's just adopted after her sister died.  She's very good at her job and ends up helping save the police force through elaborate outreach and community participation.  The house needs repairs, which the love interest is happy to do.  The love interest is also very good with the newly adopted children.  He happens to be the police chief.  

In the other, a woman moves from the big city to a small town.  She's accompanied by her mother figure (the foster mother who pretty much raised her) and the niece she has just adopted after her sister died.  She's very good at her job and ends up helping save the town through elaborate outreach and community participation.  The house needs repairs, which the love interest is happy to do.  The love interest is also very good with the newly adopted child.  The other main character's love interests happens to be the sheriff.   

And… in the first book, the main character is Daisy and one of her adopted daughters is Grace.  In the second book, the main character is Grace and her adopted daughter is Daisy.

Crazy!  

They were published close enough together that I don't see how this could be anything but total coincidence.  

But despite the similarities, these were very different books, so it just goes to show that you can make a premise (or even an entire story) your own. 


Friday, May 21, 2021

With the Fire on High, by Elizabeth Acevedo

 I enjoyed this a lot.

Most of the parts about race, identity, prejudice, etc. were eloquent and thought-provoking, especially when it came to Emoni's Puerto Rican background.

There wasn't a whole lot of plot conflict, and the solutions came a bit too easily, but that didn't bother me much because I was enjoying the good writing and the slice-of-life feel of the story.

Speaking of the writing itself, there were some very poetic and insightful lines here. I loved the Spanish and the words like "jawn," all woven in so well.  It was smooth, engaging writing that carried me happily along through the whole book.

I wish we'd seen more interaction with Emma, but I loved the interaction with 'Buela.  Malachi and Angelica seemed a bit too perfect, but sometimes I enjoy that.  Though Emoni could be judgy (did she ALWAYS have to call Leslie "pretty Leslie?"), I liked her, and enjoyed being in her head, hearing the way she thought about the world around her and her own self.  I also liked that she learned and grew. 

And I loved the cooking parts. 

Overall a nice, positive, multicultural YA book.


Wednesday, May 12, 2021

The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré


This book was really good—though quite dark.

Our main character, Adunni, speaks English only as a second language, and the book is written in her flawed—but beautiful—English.  As I was reading the first few pages, I thought, "This is going to be annoying if the whole book's like this."  But it wasn't annoying.  In fact, I grew to like it more and more.  It shows her lack of English and formal education while letting her intelligence and creativity shine through.  That takes some serious skill.    

The characters were interesting, a few quite complex.

The story was often heartbreaking but laced with bits of joy and hope. 

I'm interested to see what else Abi Daré writes.

Stars:  4.5


Friday, April 23, 2021

"The Symbolic Cemetery," My Newest Published Work

 Head on over to the Baltimore Review to read my non-fiction piece about mountain climbing and the sometimes-deadly lure of the mountains.  

But first, some pictures.  Memorial plaques at the Symbolic Cemetery in the High Tatra mountains:


Me at Kôprovský štít, which I mention in the piece:


That lake you see in the picture above is a glacial tarn, Veľké Hincovo pleso,  Here's a shot from its banks:  


Near the Symbolic Cemetery in winter:


Want to know more?  Read The Symbolic Cemetery 

Friday, April 16, 2021

More Birdwatching at Hassayampa River Preserve

 So, my novice birdwatching continues.

Note: pictures taken mid February at Hassayampa River Preserve near Wickenburg, Arizona.

Some cool raptor (Cooper's hawk maybe???)


Great Egret:



Ladder-backed woodpecker?


What a great day, even if I'm not sure what I saw.  



Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Hummingbirds at Hassayampa River Preserve

Pictures from mid February (yes, I'm late in posting) at Hassayampa River Preserve, just out of Wickenburg, Arizona.

Here I reveal my stellar skills at bird identification.  Below you'll find a...hummingbird.  Probably female.  


And here, what I believe is a male Anna's hummingbird on an ocotillo (I'm sure about the ocotillo):


And more...hummingbirds.  We have several common species around the Phoenix area.  I just can't differentiate any except the male Anna's and the male Costa's, and even then I'm usually not 100% sure.  Sigh.  One day I'll be a better birder.    












Saturday, March 27, 2021

The List of Things that Will Not Change, by Rebecca Stead


I really enjoyed this. 

The voice was charming—and carried throughout the book.  The flashbacks and asides were a touch confusing at points, but it matched the way Bea talked and told stories, so I liked it, and it deepened the story.   

The details were imaginative. 

Many of the supporting characters were a bit too perfect, but I don't mind that sometimes.  The only problem was that it made the one character seem over-the-top bad.

The events of the plot were unusual, interesting in a quiet way.  I'd just read an action-packed book before this.  Yet I found "The List of Things that will not Change" far more page-turning than the other.  So, if you're a reader like me, you'll love it.

From the description, I thought it would be more about Bea's relationship with her new sister, so I felt a little disappointed that there wasn't more interaction between them, but I liked everything else that filled the book. 

The writing itself was excellent. 

I will certainly read more by Rebecca Stead.

4.5 stars. .