Irene Latham's Blog, page 125

#bookaday Week Five

Finally, finally I read SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS by Arthur Ransome! It reminds me of books I loved when I was young, the way it meanders in and out of adventure (BETSY-TACY & TIB, anyone?). Who doesn't love a deserted island overrun with kids? :) I'm not sure I will read the rest of the series, but I am happy for the introduction to the Swallows and Amazons.
 CURSES AND SMOKE by Vicky Alvear Shecter. I loved CLEOPATRA'S MOON, and this one has the same amazing attention to historical detail. Maybe it helps that Vicky traveled with her mother to Pompeii while writing this book?? Convincing love story, tragedy, hope... I'm there! The book takes a look at freedom and all the different definitions it can have, and warning: the ending will break your heart! But, then, you sorta expect that with a book about a volcanic eruption, don't you?
CRUEL BEAUTY by Rosamund Hodge. I've been listening to this one, thanks to SYNC's free summer download series -- which I have to thank Mary Lee for sharing about, or else I'd never have known! It's about a girl whose life purpose is to kill the demon she's forced to marry at age 17. Of course things don't go as simply as that... I've read some reviews that compare the book to BEAUTY & THE BEAST. This book's heroine Nyx is far more complicated. Also, the writing is lush and magical. So, if you like lush and magical, you should definitely give it a read (or listen). :) 

STOLEN PONY by Glen Rounds. I picked this one up at a library book sale -- and as I am ever a fan of horse stories -- well, of course I enjoyed it! It's really about an "unlikely friendship" between a blind pony and a dog. You can tell the author has spent a lot of time around horses, and I was eager to learn how things ended up for our two heroes. Nice!






Next week will feature whatever I get to after THE THICKETY by J.A. White, which is what I started reading last night. :)

Poem Swap #1: FOX WRITES A NOTE by Tabatha Yeatts

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Jone at Check it Out for roundup! I am super-excited because this week I received in the mail poem swap #1 from none other than the Swap Queen herself, Ms. Tabatha (Fox) Yeatts!

Take a look-see:


Fox Writes a Noteby Tabatha Yeatts
Riddle me thiS,riddle me that. WraPup your words witHthe purr of a cat. Iam ready to play. CaNyou send a map? Love, FoX.

Fox is a clever one, isn't she? Love that end-line acrostic... and Tabatha's drawings are adorable. Funny thing: I almost wrote my poem about a fox! Then I remembered the lynx... which, holy coincidences, rhymes with sphinx. :)
This swap thing makes me so very happy. I'm busy working on #2 and will get it in the mail shortly. Can't wait to see what (and from whom!) lands in my mailbox next. Many many thanks to Tabatha for this wonderful tradition. xo

#bookaday Week Four

So, you may have noticed there was no #bookaday Week Three post. That's because I was vacationing. And not the lay-around-and-read variety of vacation! Which means my Week Four post is really weeks 3 AND 4, but who's counting? I'm proud to tell you about the following books:

CAMINAR by Skila Brown. This one is a verse novel in which the poems are more like actual poems than broken-up prose. I like that! There's even a reverso poem. Nice use of the form to tell the story of Carlos' journey during the political turmoil in 1981 Guatemala that resulted in the death of many innocent people. I learned a lot, and the book wasn't bogged down by the heavy subject matter. It's an active story, and the reader cares what happens.

Also, it made me want to write a nahuales poem. What are nahuales? "spirit animals who guide us in life, keep us/safe." Carlos has a spirit animal. I think I know which one. :)

Here are the closing lines in a poem near the end of the book called "The Voices I Heard."

"A person's voice cannot be buried
deep into the earth.
it will walk on forever, as long
as there are open ears."

Yes!

REBEL BELLE by Rachel Hawkins. Rachel is a fellow Alabamian, and yes, I have sat with her in a tea room on more than one occasion! She's far more belle than I will ever be, and this book is Rachel at her best. Fun, smart, real (and that's saying something when you consider there's Paladins and Mages involved!). Slap on a tiara, bring on the oh-so-polite euphemisms at get reading already! One of my favorite quotes in the book, because it feels true of many o' southern lady: “You act like you're perfect, but inside, you're totally screwed up.” Yup.



ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET by Judy Blume. Okay, so this book was first published before I was born, and I remember reading it as a pre-teen. Before re-reading it, the part I recall most vividly was the part about Margaret wanting to get her period. And yes, that's still there – along with a host of other issues about family and religion and friends and growing up and breasts-- all of which resonate so deeply and truly... and came back to me as I was reading! I can even remember reciting the “We must, we must, we must increase our bust” with my sister, and have a few spin-the-bottle party scenes from my own pre-adolescence. I remember getting a training bra before I needed any such contraption. I remember being envious of my more-grown-up friends. And oh how I loved my grandmother! Wow, did Judy Blume nail it. No wonder the book is in its gazillionth printing.

THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON by Stephen King. This is the first Stephen King book I ever read -- and it was recommended to me by my father who is an integral part of my writing life. It's been years since I read it. And then, I rode with my son to Walmart, and when we were unloading the groceries from the trunk, there was the book (he'd read it last year for summer reading). And I was like, oh, wow, I need to read that again! And so I did. And you know what? (sorry about all those "ands"!!) IT HELPED ME SOLVE A PROBLEM IN MY WIP. (Hello, it's a survival story!) Don't you love when that happens??


Next up, among others: CURSES & SMOKE by Vicky Alvear Schecter!

UBIQUITOUS: Celebrating Nature's Survivors by Joyce Sidman

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! I am just back from Disney World and my first-ever visit to the land of Harry Potter at Universal -- and, well, I am not ashamed to say that I CRIED, it was so like waking up inside a favorite book!-- followed by a relaxing few days at the beach with a few of my favorite folks.
JuliAnna, Andrew, Dan, Eric, & Paul
Whew! And now there are poems to be written and a certain survival story to be revised (yet again) and all sorts of other summer adventures!

But first: be sure to visit Carol's Corner for Roundup!

I'm happy to share with you a poem from UBIQUITOUS by Joyce Sidman, illus. by Beckie Prange.

According to the back cover, "ubiquitous" means "Something that is (or seems to be everywhere at the same time." It's big title for a big concept: species that have been present on our Earth for a very long time. There are ants and grass and humans. And my favorite: mollusks!

The Mollusk That Made You
by Joyce Sidman

Shell of the sunrise,
sunrise shell,
yours is the pink lip
of a pearled world.

Who swirled your whorls and ridges?
Was it the shy gray wizard
shuttered inside you?
I hear he walks on one foot
and wears a magic mantle,
trailing stars.

O Shell,
if only I could shrink!
I'd climb your bristled back,
slide down the spiral
         of your heart.
I'd knock on your tiny door
         and ask to meet
         the mollusk
         that made you.

Steady Hands: Poems about Work by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday from the land of a pretty famous mouse and more recently, Harry Potter! Yep, I am out adventuring. :) Be sure to visit Catherine Johnson for Roundup.

It was my great fortune recently to pick up at my library bookstore STEADY HANDS: Poems About Work by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, illus. by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy.

The book covers a boat-load of jobs, including a few I've held myself like babysitter and retail clerk and writer... I guess I need to write my own poems for social worker and Krystal's burger flipper. :)

Here are a few of my favorites:

BAKER
by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Snowy flour dusts the early
lavender light
in the backroom of the bakery.
With each
flap
roll
flap
the baker's hands disappear
and reappear
into the folds
of dough.


TOW TRUCK DRIVER
by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

The tow truck driver
fishes in the city:
a taxi
a sportscar
and a minivan--
three keepers
reeled in
before breakfast.


GROCERY STORE CLERK
by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Lifting
scanning
sorting
bagging...
each day
a ballet
of hands.


JANITOR
by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

The janitor
knows
what's hidden behind
locked doors
lurking in dark corners
and tucked into closets.
He senses
all the secret wishes
a building whispers
in the night.

#bookaday Week Two

Okay, so apparently I am not my father, who reads at least a book a day. ALL YEAR  LONG. And I'm not talking picture books here -- he reads NOVELS. Big fat thrillers and such.

And sure, I could bump my #bookaday numbers with picture books. I do love picture books, after all! But I've been craving long stories lately, so reading novels.

This week I've been on a YA kick, and I've got three to tell you about. That's right THREE. Sorry to disappoint, Papa! :)

THE LUCY VARIATIONS by Sara Zarr. Wow. Love this one. Complicated characters, an introduction to the culture of young xoncert piano prodigies, New York City, real emotions. You don't have to be a music person to relate to the pressures put on us by others and by ourselves to be perfect and not quit and do what is expected. This is my first Sara Zarr book, and I will definitely read more. Lots for a writer to learn here, and lots for a reader to love!


THE CHAPEL WARS by Lindsey Leavitt. Well, this will not come as a surprise, but LL has done it again! Sweet, funny, with something deeper hiding beneath. I loved Holly's devotion to the Rose of Sharon wedding chapel, which she inherited from her beloved grandfather. I enjoyed watching her navigate her relationship with rival Dax, and l especially appreciated her approachability dating strategy. :) Also, I loved the NOT-What Happens at Vegas Stays at Vegas picture of a city Lindsey obviously loves. Next time I go, I am totally visiting the Neon Boneyard. Read the book -- you'll see!




MEMOIRS OF A TEENAGE AMNESIAC by Gabriel Zevin. This book surprised me. The premise is kind of convenient and makes me think of an old Irene Dunne movie (not a specific movie, just the general1940s film feeling). But Naomi is a great, complicated character. She's a bit of an unreliable narrator, which enhances the story for me. She reads REAL, with all the emotional ups-n-downs adolescent brings. Can't wait to share this one with my nearly 17 year old niece. :)

Harriet Tubman Poem

Hello, and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit one of our Haiku Queens, Diane at Random Noodling!
Lots going on in my life right now as my husband and I shake off one long-standing (30+ years) business and board a different train bound for lands not yet known, but certainly dreamed of! We are exhausted and excited and eager for this new chapter.
Which is why I am sharing with you today a poem I wrote earlier this year for Scholastic's ACTION magazine. ACTION is a hi-lo mag -- high interest, low reading level. In celebration of Black History Month, they asked me to write something to accompany an article about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. (Speaking of lands not yet known, but certainly dreamed of!) Here's the result:

All Aboard the Freedom Train!by Irene Latham
Come now passengers,throw off your chains!
Take your place on the trainthat runs underground.
Its wheels are people who arrange secret stations,
its whistle blows,freeeeeeeeeeee-dom.
Follow Harriet --your conductor, your guide.
Brave hunger and darknessto outsmart your captors.
With a runaway's speedand a locomotive's power,
time nowto steam into your future.

#bookaday Week One

HOPE IS A FERRIS WHEEL by Robin Herrera - Lots of surprises in this one for Star Mackie (whom her classmates call Star Trashy, because she lives in a trailer). She wants to start a club at school, and has misadventures... and then she discovers poetry. Love seeing a book with kids who are drawn to poetry!

Though not ALL the kids. Here's a quote:

"No offense, Star, but sometimes Emily Dickinson makes me sleepy."

Ha!

Also love the Reader's Guide in the back. Here's an item to ponder:

9. Star is inspired by Emily Dickinson's poem, "Hope," also known as "Hope is the thing with feathers," and she discusses the idea of hope with many other characters in the book. Which charter's definition of hope do you like best? How would you describe hope?

Not a ferris wheel for me... maybe a seed unfurling in darkness, a tea kettle's whistle, sheets flapping on a clothesline... still thinking. :)

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JANE IN BLOOM by Deborah Lytton is a new-to-me book that follows the story of Jane just-before and just-after the loss of her sister Lizzie to an eating disorder.

One of my own loved ones has an eating disorder, so I really felt the pain in this book... and also the hope and the beauty of the growth Jane experiences after the tragedy. Lovely storytelling... More books from Deborah, please!





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MINN AND JAKE by Janet Wong is a new to me verse novel. I have it on good authority that Janet was more like the Jake character, in that she couldn't catch lizards without pulling their tails off! That works great for me, because I am totally the Minn character -- I am a lizard-catching expert, and I'm happy to share that skill with a special friend. :) A delightful read about friendship, perfect for the younger middle grade set. I'm just sorry it took me so long to discover it!


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I picked up THE SECRET HUM OF A DAISY not knowing the author Tracy Holczer and I share not only an agent, but editor as well! It's contemporary fiction about Grace, who is grieving her mother's death. There's art and poetry and growth going on -- and some lovely passages like these:

"Writing would help me through it, just like it always had. And where I used to think that writing was like the little hole in teakettle to let out steam, I figured it was more than that. I hoped the hundreds, thousands, maybe millions of words I wrote down would help me fill the empty place left by Mama and make me whole."

"Mama had always said that art was about letting yourself fly. But maybe that was just one way. Sometimes it took digging down deep and planting roots."

Poem about Barbara Johns, Civil Rights Hero

Hello, and happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Violet Nesdoly for Roundup.

What a busy week! Kids finished up school, I'm dog-sitting, we're in the final days of our old family business before closing our doors and moving on to the next, new chapter... and I put out an email newsletter! (What? Not on my newsletter list? Email me: irene@irenelatham.com to subscribe.)

I've got several poetry books in the queue to share with all of you, but today I want to share a poem I wrote for Scope magazine about Barbara Johns.

I knew nothing about Barbara when I was asked to write this poem, and now I can't learn enough about her! She was a pretty amazing young woman. Read all about her in the most recent edition of YES!, which happens to be one of my favorite magazines. Brown vs. Board of Education probably wouldn't have happened when it did if not for Barbara's leadership in a high school walk out and other efforts. Here's the poem:


Barbara Johns Reaches for the Moon
She steps onto the stage,makes a bold declaration,
          No                  Now                              Strike!
Without hesitation,she illuminates the situation--
separate but not equal:cracked toilets, smoke inhalation,
tar-paper shacks packedwith the student population.
Despite danger, despite trepidation,she clings to the dream with determination,
joins the fight for integration.Together they march
like constellationsacross a midnight sky,
their combined shine inspirationfor a changing nation.
- Irene Latham

Friends Like Us

Some people don't understand how me and Pat can be such good friends.
She talks a lot; I'm quiet.She's a country girl; I'm a city girl.She reads long series of books; I like verse novels.
But our hearts are the same.
We both love family and puppies and quilts and potteryand farm fresh eggs and art shows....

....and consider a trip to the Library Bookstore an extra-special delight....

...and know just what treat will get a gal through a black-cloud day!
Thank you, Pat for being a wonderful friend!