Silver by Walter de la Mare

Thought maybe I’d share this sweet poem, in honor of tomorrow night’s Harvest Moon.  There is some lovely imagery in it.  Hope you will enjoy it, and be sure to go outside tomorrow, wherever you are, and marvel at the moon!

Silver

Slowly, silently, now the moon
Walks the night in her silver shoon;
This way, and that, she peers, and sees
Silver fruit upon silver trees;
One by one the casements catch
Her beams beneath the silvery thatch;
Couched in his kennel, like a log,
With paws of silver sleeps the dog;
From their shadowy cote the white breasts peep
Of doves in a silver-feathered sleep;
A harvest mouse goes scampering by,
With silver claws, and silver eye;
And moveless fish in the water gleam,
By silver reeds in a silver stream.

– Walter de la Mare
 

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Unbroken by Rachel Caine

My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

A TERRIFIC finish to the Outcast Season series, a spin-off from the Weather Warden books. Cassiel really came into her own through these four books, and my only complaint is that with this final Outcast Season book,  the whole

Quote #32 – Author Unknown

“Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.”

     –Author Unknown

🙂

Pet Peeve #2 – The One About The Eyes

I thought it was about time for another Pet Peeves post, since I’m not done reading my current book, so don’t have a review ready.  I have  another pet peeve which, while minor in general, and would in no way make me quit reading a book, still pops up so often as to be impossible to ignore.  Let me ask a question?  How many of you have noticed

Quote #31 – George Eliot

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”
    –George Eliot

Quote #30 – Janet Evanovich

“When I was six years old I sprinkled sugar on my head, convinced myself it was pixie dust, wished myself invisible, and walked into the boys’ bathroom at school.”

      – Janet Evanovich, Lean Mean Thirteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel

Still Thinkin’ Autumn!

Wow!  I was able to take my cup of Earl Grey and sit on the patio for a half hour this morning.  It’s been months since it was comfortable enough outside for me to be able to do that.  The dogs were playing, the white-winged doves and cardinals were at my bird feeder, and the air didn’t make me feel like I was in a steam bath.  What a change in just one week!  I was so inspired, I came inside and changed my header, yet again.  This scene is from my absolute favorite part of the world, the Blue Ridge Mountains.  I think it’s the Linville Viaduct, though it wasn’t identified anywhere.  Wish I were heading there for a couple of weeks right now, in fact.  And while we are on the subject of headers, as you may have noticed lately, I’ve finally realized how easy it is to change them, so you will probably never know what to expect when you visit this page.  Of course, there will be plenty of cover art on display in that spot, but also seasonal images, and pretty much anything else that strikes my fancy for a day or two.  Hope you enjoy seeing what’s new “at the top” when you visit.

New reviews coming soon, I promise.  Painting my kitchen cabinets slowed my reading down a bit, but I’m workin’ on it.  Have a great fall day, folks!

 

Images found online.

When the Frost is On the Punkin by James Whitcomb Riley

Fodder (Corn Stalks) In The Shock

(As Always, Click to Zoom)

Yep, I’m starting to believe Autumn is really on the way.  Only 72 degrees outside this morning, and I was able to turn the air conditioner off for three whole hours, and leave the door to the back porch open.  Cats were loving being able to watch birds through the screen, dogs were excited by the “nip” (haha) in the air.  And I began to feel like the long, hot summer might finally be winding down.  In fact, I’m feeling so happy, that I pulled out another favorite autumn poem of mine by James Whitcomb Riley, for your reading pleasure.  For those who weren’t required to read his work in school (like I was) and never experienced how much fun his dialect-written poetry is, I hope you will enjoy your first exposure.  While he is now considered a minor poet by many,  he was extremely popular in his day, and children especially still love his work.  So for the child in all of us, here’s a favorite of mine.  Check it out for yourself and see what you think!

Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron edited by Jonathan Strahan

My Rating: 3-1/2 of 5 Stars

Anyone who’s visited this blog more than a few times probably knows that I’m very fond of good anthologies.  A well-written short story (which is rarer than you might think) is a treat to me, especially when I can enjoy one between reading bigger books.   In fact,  I enjoy collections of short stories enough to have devoted an entire

Quote #29 – Blaise Pascal

“I have made this letter longer, because I have not had the time to make it shorter.”

     –Blaise Pascal

Autumn by Emily Dickinson

Pumpkins…My Favorite Sign of Autumn!

I am told that today is the Autumnal Equinox, though here in central Florida, that’s hard to prove.  However, I have hope.  It IS under 90 today for the first time in many, many months, so perhaps fall is really on the way, even in Florida.  Therefore, in the spirit of hope, I present this lovely little fall poem by Emily Dickinson.

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

Rating:  Unfinished

I thought I would be through with this book a week ago, and have it neatly reviewed and happily housed on one of my bookshelves.  Unfortunately, I have had some trouble reading this one, and have decided to take a break.  I am a native born Floridian.  No, really.  I am.  Just me and that guy up in the Panhandle.  🙂  And as a native-born Floridian, I have always been

Happy Freya’s Day!

Dancing With Weiners Star Maksim Hotdogski and The Phantom’s Sir Hairy Potter of Sanford, alias Maks & Potter

Good Morning, all you book lovers out there!  It’s FRIDAY, and it’s a great day to be reading or writing, isn’t it?  Or hangin’ with your friends, or working in the garden, or whatever else makes your heart happy.  It’s just a great day all around!  One of those where I can actually convince myself all’s right with the world, and we will

Pet Peeve #1 -The One About IHS

Have you found certain things that consistently annoy you when you are reading?  Certain plot mechanisms, maybe, or character behaviors?  Overused phrases or over the top descriptions?  I’m curious as to what little things writers do, sometimes even in pretty good books, that drive you crazy?  And, of course, I’m going to share

Quote #28 – Jorge Luis Borges

“I have always imagined Paradise will be a kind of library.”

     –Jorge Luis Borges

Quote #27 – Steven Wright

“I’m writing a book. I’ve got the page numbers done.”

     –Steven Wright

That’s funny… I’m at exactly the same place on mine.

Blogs I Love A Lot Part 2

In keeping with my new plan to share links to interesting blogs I’ve found now and then, here are two more I really enjoy.  Hope you’ll check them out.  And if you do drop by,

Quote #26 – E. B. White

“Be obscure clearly.”

     –E.B. White

Hmmmm….something to aspire to?

Musing on Anthologies

As I was glancing briefly at some reviews of “An Apple for the Creature,” a new anthology I just received yesterday, I was really surprised…maybe even a bit shocked…at how many people said they bought the book for

Quote #25 – G. K. Chesterton

“Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
      –G. K. Chesterton

And that, folks, is why I love Urban Fantasies so much.  They are the Fairy Tales of our time.

Blogs I Love A Lot

~Check These Out~

Just wanted to share a couple of my favorite blogs with you guys today.  Since we are all readers, I figured some of you might enjoy these as much as I do, if you haven’t already found them on your own.  Yeah, I know there’s a list of blogs I follow down towards the bottom of this page, but every now and then, I’d like to pass along

Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs

My Rating:  3 of 5 Stars

When Kathy Reichs’ first book, Deja Dead, was released in 1998, I was really interested in forensics in general, and found forensic anthropology especially fascinating.  It seemed quite remarkable that so much could be discovered by examining mere skeletal remains.  When those remains are very old, or are only partial remains, it is even more

Polls and Comments and Debates, Oh My!

**Thank You**

Thanks for responding so well to the idea of having interactive polls available on Bookin’ It.  I’m really excited about it, myself.  Remember, if none of the options I listed is your favorite, choose “Other,” and then type in the genre you enjoy most in the empty field directly below it.  That way, I’ll know what you like, too.  Not only does it satisfy my curiosity, but it gives me a sense of what types of books visitors want to see reviewed.

Also, I wanted to thank everyone for welcoming my blogs to WordPress, and for liking my posts, and better yet, responding to them.  PLEASE know that I really love reading your comments, and I encourage you to make them, even if you disagree with my reviews.  Maybe especially if you disagree.  We can get some good discussions going that way, and I would really enjoy hearing your point of view.

Many of you know I’m brand new to blogging, and I’m having a lot of fun, while learning the ropes.  My goal is to make Bookin’ It a place readers of all kinds will enjoy visiting.  I’m looking forward to hearing from all of you in the weeks and months ahead. 

Time to get Bookin’…….

New Poll

“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. 

Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.”

–Groucho Marx

I thought it might be fun to set up some polls occasionally, so I spent awhile tonight learning how to do that, and voila!  My first poll is now open. (Scroll down, on the right.)  Please take a moment to vote for your favorite Literary genre.  I figured I’d start by seeing what kind of books my visitors enjoy reading the most.  I’ll try to think of some interesting subjects in the weeks ahead.  Hope you’ll enjoy taking part now and then.  Thanks!

Quote # 24 – Dave Barry

“I believe it was Shakespeare, or possibly Howard Cosell, who first observed that marriage is very much like a birthday candle, in that ‘the flames of passion burn brightest when the wick of intimacy is first ignited by the disposable butane lighter of physical attraction, but sooner or later the heat of familiarity causes the wax of boredom to drip all over the vanilla frosting of novelty and the shredded coconut of romance.’ I could not have phrased it better myself.”

  –Dave Barry