More Reviews...and Cookies!
My summer reading is going swimmingly; I haven't enjoyed just curling up in my corner of the couch and losing myself in a story this much in ages. I am probably appreciating it more lately because I had so little time to enjoy reading before.
The order of the books got a little mixed up from my original post as I had to order four of them. They have all arrived, but of course the first one I had planned to read was the last to arrive. Here are my reviews, in the order that I read the books:
I read this one twice, I enjoyed it so much. Simone Muench's poetry is elusive, it makes the reader form images in the mind that the words only hint at. There is the promise of magic, of sensuality, and grief. This isn't what may be considered "traditional" poetry (what exactly is that?): there are no rhyming couplets, there is no rhythm to the writing style, and that is where it's evocative power lies. Read this. I will be buying myself a copy, I enjoyed it so much.
I honestly do not know if Maggie O'Farrell has the worst luck in the world, or the best. Probably the latter, because despite shocking illnesses, run-ins with murders and muggers, narrow escapes and near-drownings she is still here, articulate and able to tell her story. She looks back with a calm, calculating eye, assessing risk and relief; it is only when her own children are at risk that she shows true fear. Maggie O'Farrell is an incredibly brave woman, and I absolutely admire her strength.
This book. It is a slim volume, an independently published paperback, only containing seven stories. This is one of the books I had to purchase for my Reading List. I am so very glad I did. It is a vessel of magic. There is an Andersen-esque sadness to the stories. Happiness is present, but there are shadows. There are witches in the woods, things that whisper in the dark, monsters that prey on the pure of heart. But there are rainbows, and true friendship. There is hope. There is this book, and you should read it.
Kate Bernheimer is a master storyteller. She has a place of honor on my bookshelves alongside Alice Hoffman and Erin Morgenstern. Bernheimer takes known themes and makes them new, creating worlds of mystery within the living world. She gives us despair, treachery, love. There are no faeries or magic in her stories: the characters themselves are magic. They hide away in plain sight, in the library, in their homes, they are viewed through magic mirrors. There are many writers I hope to emulate. Kate Bernheimer is one such.
Like Simone Muench's Lampblack and Ash, Karyna McGlynn's I Have to Go Back to 1994 and Kill a Girl is free-flowing and unstructured, a stream-of-consciousness type of poetry that only tells you so much, leaving you to infer the rest. I have to say, I did not enjoy this book. It lacks Meunch's lyricism, and is too harsh and abrupt for my tastes. It has amazing reviews (mostly 5 stars) on Goodreads, but I cannot agree.
And finally, I am currently reading Karl Ove Knausgaard's Autumn. I am only a few pages in, and already I love it. He is so eloquent, so descriptive. The words flow from the page into your consciousness and linger; I have been repeating lines to myself since last night. I cannot wait to read more, but sadly it will have to wait until this evening.
There you are: a quick review of the goings-on of this years' Reading List. I hope you are all enjoying summer as much as I am. It is amazing how much one can appreciate the small things after wandering in a frenzy for months. I try not to take things for granted and view each day as a gift, but sometimes we lose sight of what matters. A quiet half an hours spent on the couch reading with my eight year old beside me, reading his own book, is such a treat. He has just come into his own as a reader these last few months, and while he would still prefer to turn a computer on and play Minecraft, he is not opposed to taking a reading break with Mom every once in a while, especially if tea and cookies are involved. It's been too hot to bake, so I have introduced my little one to the magic that is no-bake cookies:
Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
I did not create this recipe. I stole it from https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/peanut-butter-chocolate-no-bake-cookies-recipe-2015085
Thank you Food Network :)
The order of the books got a little mixed up from my original post as I had to order four of them. They have all arrived, but of course the first one I had planned to read was the last to arrive. Here are my reviews, in the order that I read the books:
I read this one twice, I enjoyed it so much. Simone Muench's poetry is elusive, it makes the reader form images in the mind that the words only hint at. There is the promise of magic, of sensuality, and grief. This isn't what may be considered "traditional" poetry (what exactly is that?): there are no rhyming couplets, there is no rhythm to the writing style, and that is where it's evocative power lies. Read this. I will be buying myself a copy, I enjoyed it so much.
This book. It is a slim volume, an independently published paperback, only containing seven stories. This is one of the books I had to purchase for my Reading List. I am so very glad I did. It is a vessel of magic. There is an Andersen-esque sadness to the stories. Happiness is present, but there are shadows. There are witches in the woods, things that whisper in the dark, monsters that prey on the pure of heart. But there are rainbows, and true friendship. There is hope. There is this book, and you should read it.
Kate Bernheimer is a master storyteller. She has a place of honor on my bookshelves alongside Alice Hoffman and Erin Morgenstern. Bernheimer takes known themes and makes them new, creating worlds of mystery within the living world. She gives us despair, treachery, love. There are no faeries or magic in her stories: the characters themselves are magic. They hide away in plain sight, in the library, in their homes, they are viewed through magic mirrors. There are many writers I hope to emulate. Kate Bernheimer is one such.
Like Simone Muench's Lampblack and Ash, Karyna McGlynn's I Have to Go Back to 1994 and Kill a Girl is free-flowing and unstructured, a stream-of-consciousness type of poetry that only tells you so much, leaving you to infer the rest. I have to say, I did not enjoy this book. It lacks Meunch's lyricism, and is too harsh and abrupt for my tastes. It has amazing reviews (mostly 5 stars) on Goodreads, but I cannot agree.
And finally, I am currently reading Karl Ove Knausgaard's Autumn. I am only a few pages in, and already I love it. He is so eloquent, so descriptive. The words flow from the page into your consciousness and linger; I have been repeating lines to myself since last night. I cannot wait to read more, but sadly it will have to wait until this evening.
There you are: a quick review of the goings-on of this years' Reading List. I hope you are all enjoying summer as much as I am. It is amazing how much one can appreciate the small things after wandering in a frenzy for months. I try not to take things for granted and view each day as a gift, but sometimes we lose sight of what matters. A quiet half an hours spent on the couch reading with my eight year old beside me, reading his own book, is such a treat. He has just come into his own as a reader these last few months, and while he would still prefer to turn a computer on and play Minecraft, he is not opposed to taking a reading break with Mom every once in a while, especially if tea and cookies are involved. It's been too hot to bake, so I have introduced my little one to the magic that is no-bake cookies:
Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment.
Bring the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then let boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Add the oats, peanut butter, vanilla and salt, and stir to combine.
Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, and let sit at room temperature until cooled and hardened, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Bring the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then let boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Add the oats, peanut butter, vanilla and salt, and stir to combine.
Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, and let sit at room temperature until cooled and hardened, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
I did not create this recipe. I stole it from https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/peanut-butter-chocolate-no-bake-cookies-recipe-2015085
Thank you Food Network :)
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