Nuthatch, coming in for a landing

Kensington.

I've been crazy busy.

Working on the NaPoWriMo challange for National Poetry month and posting nearly daily and more, poems and pictures here, if you are interested.

Hope you had a great Easter, those of you who celebrate.

Saving Fish from Drowning, By Amy Tan

Saving Fish from Drowning: A Novel by Amy Tan

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
By clicking the title, you can read about the book and read other reviews, so I am just going to say what I like.



I like that the characters, even the worst of them, and are very complex, and human and understandable.



I like that it is a departure from her other work, even though I liked her other work, and that it is very interesting and different.



I like that the plot is complex, thought-provoking and unusual. There is much to learn and consider.


View all my reviews.

The Worst Witch at School

The Worst Witch at School by Jill Murphy

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Worst Witch at School and the Worst Witch Strikes Again, by Jill Murphy



Murphy's law reigns supreme in the life of student witch, Mildred Hubble--anything that can go wrong does. She still manages to save the day on multiple occasions. A light, fun read for children 8-11. I like children's books and this was fun, but very young and light. It was cute and children this age will enjoy it.

It's not an ambitious book like Harry Potter. This one, by the way, came first and is quite similar in some ways, it's a boarding school with classes in potions etc. and a big spooky castle. The difference is, there is no abiding force of evil against which to struggle. This may be appropriate for very young children, but makes the book seem a bit fluffy in comparison. The evil that does read its head is minor and brief.

I love children's literature. This book is good, but not great. I am interested in what makes a book superior, because I want to write superior books. LOL!

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Gemini, pages 5 and 6 in Jessie's Mole

Gemini, after San Francisco hippie artist Dick Moore. (mine's
different.) gouache.

With Grandchildren at Ford Estate

We went to the Henry Ford Estate, Fair Lane, today with L and and the
grandchildren.

Wahoo--Christmas Roses open!

Yeehaw! After 6 months of winter, it's great to see actual flowers blooming!

NaPoWriMo: 30 Poems in 30 days

NaPoWriMo: 30 Poems in 30 days

OK, I found it, a little diligent clicking and there it is.  Thirty poems in 30 days for National poetry month at ReadWritePoem.  I'm not really sure I want to do it--I don't do my best writing when I write a new poem every day, I do my best work when I work on the SAME poem until I like it--for say a week at a time, and then start a new one and return to the old one later.  And of course, I'm starting at a disadvantage, because I missed the beginning.  Luckily, I wrote a poem yesterday anyway.  But not an official NaPoWriMo Poem.

I am not committing to commit, but hey, I might work on it.  Hmm.  You folks are inspiring me.  Happy National Poetry Month, by the way!  OK, I'm going to write down the challenges and see what I can do.  I'll try to get back to you--someday.  LOL!

The Nick Adams Stories

The Nick Adams Stories by Ernest Hemingway

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Nick Adams Stories, by Ernest Hemingway, was a worthwhile read and quite good. I enjoyed Nick Adam's adventures, but I do not like his overly macho attitude. It's a very male book, interesting and informative but annoying. I liked the outdoor stories. The war stories were upsetting and I didn't like his attitude about women and native Americans. I did like how carefully he explained everything. I did not really like the way he started things and left them unfinished without even a hint of how they might turn out. Still it was good. I may reread them at some time.


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The River King

The River King by Alice Hoffman

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I first started The River King, I set it down and abandoned it. I

decided to try it again because I loved the last two Alice Hoffman books I read, The Probable Future, and The Third Angel. But in the beginning, I didn't like it much better than I did last time--but I am glad I stuck with it--it improves. I liked it very much, but I HATED--DETESTED--what happened to Gus. I suppose things like that happen in real life, but it was just so gross, disturbing and horrible that I cannot give this book 5 stars in spite of the fact that once I got into it, it held me spellbound until the end. It was mostly an excellent book but I''d personally like to rewrite it a little. I'd also like to carefully study the beginning of the book and the later parts and see if I can discover why I disliked the beginning and how I can make my own books not be like that. I think likable characters and some connection to the reader are essential and were lacking in the beginning. I may reread this book, but if so, it won't be for a long time, until I recover from my grief.


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painting BB

I did this water color sketch of BB last night at dinner. (After my dinner, while he was drinking wine, listening to music, and looking things up in Grove. He did not have his glasses on when I started.) Click here to see a skan of the finished sketch.